Laundry Detergent Surfactant Blend for Enhanced Cleanliness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laundry detergents often face inefficiencies due to the interaction between anionic and cationic surfactants, limiting their detergency and anti-redeposition properties, and there is a need for compositions that exploit the benefits of nonionic surfactants as primary detergent components.
Innovation Solution
A composition comprising a C10 aliphatic branched chain alcohol ethoxylate and a C12 aliphatic straight chain alcohol ethoxylate, in combination with a reactive builder, which enhances detergency and anti-redeposition properties by increasing reflectance at 460 nanometers on stained fabrics, surpassing the performance of compositions with nonyl phenol ethoxylate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If anionic and cationic surfactants are combined in laundry detergent compositions, then detergency effectiveness is improved, but interaction between oppositely charged surfactants causes decreased efficacy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates cationic surfactants from the detergent composition, relying solely on nonionic surfactants (specifically alkoxylated alcohols) combined with builder materials to achieve effective detergency without the harmful interactions that occur between anionic and cationic surfactants
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the surfactant system by using specific alkoxylated alcohols with controlled ethoxylate chain lengths (average 5-15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol) and specific hydrophobic chain structures (C10-C14), combined with builder materials at specific ratios, to achieve optimal detergency without cationic components
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional surfactant mixtures are used, then detergent compositions are simple to formulate, but anti-redeposition properties are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite detergent system combining nonionic surfactants (alkoxylated alcohols with specific hydrophobic and hydrophilic components) with builder materials (such as zeolites, phosphates, or carboxymethyl cellulose), where the synergistic interaction between these components provides both effective detergency and superior anti-redeposition properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces builder materials as intermediary substances that mediate between the nonionic surfactant and the fabric/stain system, enhancing both the detergency and anti-redeposition mechanisms by sequestering metal ions, softening water, and preventing stain re-adhesion to fabric surfaces
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 C10 and C12 ethoxylates with a builder achieves at least a 30% increase in detergency and effective anti-redeposition, as measured by reflectance at 460 nanometers, outperforming individual ethoxylates and other blends, including those with nonyl phenol ethoxylate, across various stain types.
Implementation Method 1
a C10 aliphatic branched chain alcohol ethoxylate; and a C12 aliphatic straight chain alcohol ethoxylate
Data Source
AI summary
A composition includes a C10 aliphatic branched chain alcohol ethoxylate; a C12 aliphatic straight chain alcohol ethoxylate, and a reactive builder. The composition effects an increase of at least about 30% in detergency measured as reflectance at 460 nanometers (nm) of a stained fabric at which the composition has been applied when compared to reflectance observed at 460 nm at the stained fabric prior to application of the composition. The stained fabric treated at which the composition has been applied exhibits a reflectance at 460 nm that is greater than the reflectance of the stained fabric at which a substantially similar composition has been applied. The substantially similar composition includes nonyl phenol ethoxylate.