Carbonate Detergent Softening via Chelating Agent and Cationic Polymer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carbonate-built detergent compositions face challenges in maintaining fabric softening benefits over multiple washes while ensuring effective cleaning performance, particularly with low levels of phosphate and zeolite builders to avoid environmental issues and cloudy wash liquor formation.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a chelating agent, neutralized soap, and a cationically substituted quaternary ammonium polymer in a carbonate-based builder system, with a concentration of 15wt.% to 40wt.% carbonate, to enhance fabric softening and cleaning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fabric softening components are added to carbonate-built detergent composition, then fabric softness is improved, but softening benefits are undermined over multiple washes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple fabric softening components (cationic polymer, silicone, clay) with specific carbonate builders (sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate) and chelating agents to create a composite detergent system. This composite formulation maintains fabric softness over multiple washes by synergistic interaction between components, preventing the rapid degradation seen with single-component systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the concentration ranges of key components: cationic polymer (0.1-5%), silicone (0.1-5%), clay (0.1-5%), and carbonate builders (20-40%). By precisely controlling these parameters, the formulation achieves sustained softening benefits through balanced chemical interactions that remain stable across multiple wash cycles.
2Reliability
If phosphate builders and zeolite builders are increased to improve cleaning performance and softening, then cleaning performance is improved, but environmental friendliness deteriorates and cloudy wash liquor forms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes harmful phosphate builders and zeolite builders from the detergent formulation, replacing them with environmentally friendly alternatives. The formulation achieves cleaning performance without phosphates (0-2%) and minimal zeolites (0-5%), using carbonate builders and organic builders instead, thereby eliminating cloudy wash liquor formation and environmental damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses biodegradable organic builders (citrate, gluconate, lactate) that are environmentally benign and do not persist in the environment like phosphates and zeolites. These organic builders provide temporary water softening and cleaning enhancement without long-term environmental accumulation or wash liquor cloudiness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly improves fabric softening benefits while maintaining cleaning performance, even at lower concentrations of fabric softening agents, and reduces the need for high phosphate and zeolite levels, addressing environmental concerns and wash liquor clarity issues.
Implementation Method 1
the presence of a chelating agent and a neutralized soap leads to significantly enhanced fabric softening benefits
Implementation Method 2
incorporating fabric softening component that impart a fabric softening benefit to the laundered fabric
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a detergent composition. More particularly, the invention is directed to a softening in the wash laundry composition. It is seen that in a carbonate-built detergent composition, the softening properties of a fabric softening component on the fabric reduces over multiple washes and there is a desire to further improve the softening benefits on fabric in wash. Moreover, there is a need to provide softening detergent compositions while maintaining the cleaning performance. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a detergent composition capable of imparting improved softness and cleaning performance to fabrics treated during the wash cycle of a laundering process. It is found by the present inventors that the presence of a chelating agent and a neutralized soap leads to significantly enhanced fabric softening benefits in a carbonate-built laundry detergent composition having a cationic polymer whilst maintaining good cleaning performance.