Extended Chain Anionic Surfactants for Stable Low-Viscosity Detergents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surfactant systems used in detergents, particularly for soaking compositions, face challenges in effectively removing non-trans fats and fatty acids due to environmental concerns and instability across varying salt concentrations, leading to increased viscosity and manufacturing complexities.
Innovation Solution
The use of extended chain anionic surfactants, which can replace or be combined with traditional anionic surfactants, provides a surfactant system that maintains stability and viscosity across different salt concentrations, enhancing detergency and allowing for the creation of super-concentrate detergent formulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional anionic surfactants are used in detergent compositions, then cleaning effectiveness is achieved, but viscosity increases and stability decreases across varying salt concentrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the surfactant molecular structure (extending the chain length and adjusting the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) to achieve formulations that maintain stable viscosity across varying salt concentrations (0-5% NaCl), eliminating the need for complex viscosity control mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite surfactant systems combining extended chain anionic surfactants with specific co-surfactants and builders to create formulations that simultaneously achieve low viscosity, high stability across salt concentrations, and effective cleaning performance
2Ease of manufacture
If extended chain anionic surfactants are used to reduce viscosity and improve stability, then manufacturing ease increases, but effectiveness against non-trans fats and fatty acids must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies surfactant parameters (chain extension, HLB adjustment) to create extended chain anionic surfactants that provide both manufacturing advantages (low viscosity, stable formulations) and reliable cleaning effectiveness against challenging soils including non-trans fats and fatty acids
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by designing surfactants with specific regional properties in their molecular structure (hydrophobic tail length, hydrophilic head group characteristics) that enable them to effectively interact with and remove non-trans fats and fatty acids while maintaining formulation stability
3Productivity
If surfactant concentration is increased to improve cleaning performance, then detergency enhances, but viscosity increases and formulation stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the surfactant system by using extended chain structures with optimized HLB values, enabling the formulation to maintain low viscosity and high stability even at elevated surfactant concentrations required for superior cleaning performance
Solution Approach 2:
The extended chain anionic surfactants perform multiple functions simultaneously: they provide cleaning effectiveness, maintain low viscosity, ensure stability across salt concentrations, and enable high-performance formulations without requiring additional viscosity modifiers or stability agents
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 extended chain anionic surfactant system effectively removes non-trans fats and fatty acids, offering improved stability and ease of manufacturing, while maintaining foam stability and reducing the environmental impact of surfactant systems.
Implementation Method 1
Surfactants are the single most important cleaning ingredient in cleaning products. They surfactants reduce the surface tension of water by adsorbing at the liquid-gas interface.
Implementation Method 2
They also reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water by adsorbing at the liquid-liquid interface.
Implementation Method 3
The soaking composition can remove challenging stains including non-trans fats and fatty acids by forming emulsions with such oily and greasy soils for their removal.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention meets the needs above by providing a surfactant system, mixture or blend that can be used as a part of a soaking composition. The surfactant system is capable of forming emulsions with, and thus removing, oily and greasy stains. In a preferred embodiment the surfactant compositions of the invention can remove non-trans fat and fatty acid stains. The invention involves foaming soaking compositions that have some or part of the anionic surfactant present in the same replaced with an extended chain anionic surfactant.