Laundry Detergent Premix Stability in Hard Water
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dilutable laundry detergent compositions face challenges in maintaining stability and clarity when diluted by consumers, as they can be affected by water hardness and may produce excessive foam, leading to reduced cleaning performance and visual appeal.
Innovation Solution
A concentrated laundry detergent premix with a specific composition of surfactants, hydrotropes, and rheology modifiers, including ethoxylated sorbitan di- and tri-esters, is developed to ensure stability, clarity, and appropriate foaming characteristics upon dilution with water, regardless of water quality, using a method that controls viscosity and pH.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a concentrated laundry detergent premix is diluted by the consumer, then the product becomes easier to use and apply, but the stability and clarity of the composition deteriorates due to water hardness and excessive foaming
Solution Approach 1:
A chelating agent is introduced as an intermediary substance that binds to calcium and magnesium ions in hard water, preventing them from interfering with the detergent composition. This mediator resolves the contradiction by allowing the product to be diluted in hard water without compromising stability or causing excessive foaming, thus maintaining both ease of use and compositional stability
Solution Approach 2:
The pH of the detergent composition is carefully controlled and adjusted to an optimal range that ensures stability during dilution. By changing the pH parameter and using buffers, the composition maintains its integrity when diluted with hard water, preventing precipitation and excessive foaming while remaining easy to use
2Illumination intensity
If the detergent composition is made visually clear, then the consumer appeal and visual attractiveness improve, but the stability deteriorates as clarity is often lost upon dilution with hard water
Solution Approach 1:
The chelating agent acts as a protective intermediary that prevents calcium and magnesium ions from causing precipitation and haze formation. This allows the detergent to maintain its visual clarity both in concentrated and diluted forms, resolving the contradiction between visual appeal and stability in hard water
Solution Approach 2:
The formulation includes stabilizing agents and chelating agents that are incorporated beforehand to cushion against the destabilizing effect of hard water ions. This prior protection ensures that the detergent remains visually clear and stable even after dilution, preventing the loss of clarity that would otherwise occur
3Reliability
If the detergent is designed to foam appropriately for cleaning, then the cleaning performance improves, but excessive foaming occurs during dilution which reduces potency
Solution Approach 1:
The surfactant system is carefully balanced and the pH is optimized to control foaming behavior. The formulation ensures that foaming occurs at appropriate levels during the wash cycle for effective cleaning, while minimizing excessive foaming during the dilution phase, thus maintaining both cleaning performance and potency
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent is formulated to provide partial foaming action during dilution rather than full foaming, reserving the excessive foaming action for the actual washing process where it is needed for cleaning. This partial action during dilution prevents potency loss while ensuring reliable cleaning performance when the detergent is in use
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 provides a stable, clear, and effectively foaming laundry detergent that maintains performance and visual appeal after dilution, reducing the need for excessive agitation and minimizing the impact of water hardness, ensuring consistent cleaning and consumer satisfaction.
Implementation Method 1
WO 2017/075681 (Oxiteno) discloses a new thickener composition comprising a mixture of one or more alkoxylated polyol esters, one or more ethoxylated sorbitan esters and glycerol, used to increase the viscosity of cosmetic skin and hair cleansing products and of surface and fabric cleaners
Implementation Method 2
CA 2 988 279 (Illinois Tool Works) discloses a laundry detergent formulation is provided that is formed as an aqueous blend of surfactants, enzymes, builders, and soil release polymers
Implementation Method 3
WO 96/21721 (Jeyes) discloses a sealed container containing a unit dose of a liquid surfactant containing concentrate, which concentrate, on dilution with water, gives a diluted liquid product of similar or increased viscosity
Data Source
AI summary
A concentrated liquid laundry detergent composition premix having a viscosity measure at 21°C 106s-1 of from 100 to 800 mPa.s. and which is dilutable in water to form a stable laundry liquid composition, said premix comprising from 20% wt. water, from 14-20% wt. hydrotrope, from 20 to 70% wt. surfactant, and wherein the surfactant comprises anionic surfactant and non-ionic surfactant in a weight ratio of from 1:1 to 1:99 and wherein the composition comprises from 0 to 5% wt. alkyl ether sulphate. Method of forming a laundry detergent composition by diluting one part premix in from 1 to 10 parts water. Container comprising the premix. Kit comprising the container in combination with a further keeper container.