Liquid Detergent Polymer Stability via Phosphonate Complexation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High polymer concentrations, especially above 3% by weight, are difficult to stabilize in detergents and cleaning agents, particularly in liquid formulations with high surfactant content, leading to phase separation issues and reduced cleaning performance on protease-sensitive soils.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a combination of a polymer and a complexing agent at specific concentrations, allowing for synergistic enhancement of proteolytic cleaning performance while reducing the need for high polymer concentrations, thereby improving stability and effectiveness of protease-containing detergents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high polymer concentrations (above 3% by weight) are used to enhance proteolytic cleaning performance, then cleaning performance improves, but stability deteriorates due to phase separation
Solution Approach 1:
A complexing agent is introduced as an intermediary substance that mediates between the polymer and the detergent system. The complexing agent forms complexes with metal ions that would otherwise cause phase separation, thereby stabilizing the polymer in the liquid detergent system while maintaining its proteolytic boosting function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite system by combining polymer, complexing agent, and detergent components into a stable multi-component formulation. This composite approach allows the polymer to function effectively at lower concentrations without causing phase separation, resolving the contradiction between performance and stability.
2Productivity
If high polymer concentrations are used to boost proteolytic cleaning performance, then cleaning performance on protease-sensitive soils improves, but device complexity increases due to formulation challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The complexing agent serves as a mediator that simplifies the formulation by enabling the use of lower polymer concentrations. This reduces the complexity of maintaining polymer stability and prevents phase separation issues that would otherwise complicate the formulation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the formulation parameters by introducing a complexing agent and adjusting the polymer concentration to an optimal range. This parameter optimization simplifies the overall formulation while maintaining or improving cleaning performance on protease-sensitive soils.
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 combination of polymer and complexing agent enhances proteolytic cleaning performance on protease-sensitive stains at lower polymer concentrations, maintaining stability in liquid detergents and effectively removing protease-sensitive soils at various temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
the need for a comparatively high polymer concentration can be compensated for by the increased use of certain complexing agents
Implementation Method 2
The protease-enhancing ('boosting') effect of the polymer occurs in the presence of the complexing agent even at a lower polymer concentration
Implementation Method 3
They break down protein-containing dirt on the items being cleaned. A subgroup of serine proteases, subtilases... act as nonspecific endopeptidases by hydrolyzing any acid amide bonds that lie within peptides or proteins
Data Source
AI summary
The cleaning performance of protease-containing detergents or cleaning agents with respect to protease-sensitive soiling should be improved. Said aim is achieved by a protease-containing detergent or cleaning agent that comprises a polymer and a complexing agent, wherein the polymer is present in the detergent or cleaning agent in an amount from 0.25 to 2 wt% and the complexing agent is present in the detergent or cleaning agent in an amount from 1 to 5 wt% and the complexing agent is a phosphonate.