Concentrated Cleaning Composition for Viscosity on Dilution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing concentrated liquid cleaning compositions face challenges in achieving desired viscosity upon dilution, leading to low viscosity liquids that are not preferred by consumers, and formulations with high viscosity suffer from pourability issues.
Innovation Solution
A concentrated cleaning composition comprising a combination of anionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, rhamnolipids, hydrotropes, and water-soluble inorganic salts, which upon dilution in water, achieves a viscosity similar to conventional liquid detergents, ensuring ease of pouring and maintaining desirable attributes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a concentrated cleaning composition is formulated with high viscosity by adding a thickener, then the liquid detergent formed on dilution has desired viscosity similar to conventional liquid detergents, but the concentrated product faces pourability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the concentrated cleaning product by incorporating specific surfactant combinations (anionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, and glycolipid biosurfactants) and controlling their ratios. This allows the formulation to achieve appropriate viscosity after dilution without requiring excessive thickeners in the concentrated form, thereby maintaining pourability while ensuring the diluted liquid detergent has desired viscosity characteristics similar to conventional liquid detergents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite surfactant system combining multiple types of surfactants (anionic, amphoteric, and glycolipid biosurfactants) in specific ratios. This composite approach allows the concentrated composition to exhibit different rheological properties at different concentrations - remaining pourable in concentrated form while forming a viscous liquid detergent upon dilution, thus resolving the contradiction between viscosity stability and pourability.
2Ease of operation
If water content is increased to provide suitable rheology for dosing and applying the composition, then the composition becomes easier to dose and apply, but the product becomes bulky requiring substantial packaging materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the water content parameter in the concentrated composition to balance rheological properties and volume. By controlling the amount of water and selecting specific surfactant combinations, the formulation achieves adequate flowability for dosing and application in concentrated form without excessive water content that would increase product volume and packaging requirements.
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 composition maintains a viscosity range of 1000 to 2500 mPa.S at 20 S^-1 shear rate and 25°C upon dilution, providing a liquid detergent with improved pourability and sensory attributes comparable to conventional detergents.
Implementation Method 1
the composition maintains a viscosity range of 1000 to 2500 mPa.S at 20 S^-1 shear rate and 25°C upon dilution
Implementation Method 2
a surfactant combination comprising: (i) a synthetic surfactant; and (ii) a glycolipid biosurfactant
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is in the field of cleaning compositions. It relates to a concentrated liquid cleaning composition for forming a liquid detergent on dilution in water comprising: 10 to 50 wt% of an anionic surfactant selected from alkyl sulphate, alkyl ether sulphate, alkyl benzene sulphonate and combinations thereof; 1 to 10 wt% of an amphoteric surfactant; 1 to 20 wt% of a rhamnolipid; 1 to 10 wt% of a hydrotrope; and 0.1 to 15 wt% of a water-soluble inorganic salt, wherein the composition has a viscosity in the range 300 to 800 mPa.s and when diluted in water in 1:4 ratio by weight has a viscosity at least 1000 at 20 S-1 shear rate, 25ºC, and wherein the pH of the composition is in the range from 4 to 7, wherein the ratio of rhamnolipid to hydrotrope is in the range from 1:1 to 6:1 by weight.