Green Solvent Cleaning Composition for Stain Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercially available cleaning solutions often contain hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pose health and environmental risks, and lack effective, environmentally friendly alternatives for removing tough stains like permanent markers from various surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning composition comprising a blend of dibasic esters, alcohol ethoxylates, and terpenes, which is non-toxic, non-flammable, biodegradable, and low in VOC content, suitable for multiple industrial and consumer applications, including graffiti, ink, and textile cleaners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hazardous VOCs are used in cleaning solutions, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but health and environmental safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing hazardous VOCs with green solvents having specific properties (low VOC content, high flash point, biodegradable). The cleaning composition uses a blend of dibasic esters (dialkyl methylglutarate, dialkyl adipate, dialkyl ethylsuccinate) combined with alcohol ethoxylates and terpenes, achieving effective cleaning while eliminating harmful VOCs and meeting safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite cleaning composition by combining multiple green solvent components in specific proportions. The formulation includes dibasic esters (1-60% by weight), alcohol ethoxylates (1-35% by weight), and terpenes (0.1-12% by weight), creating a synergistic mixture that achieves both effective cleaning and environmental safety.
2Reliability
If aggressive solvents are used to remove tough stains, then stain removal capability is improved, but substrate damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the solvent parameters by selecting green solvents with appropriate polarity and solvency characteristics. The dibasic ester blend provides effective stain removal through controlled solvation, while the alcohol ethoxylates and terpenes enhance cleaning performance without excessive aggression, protecting substrates from damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses alcohol ethoxylates as intermediary agents that bridge the gap between the green solvents and the stains. These ethoxylates enhance the cleaning action of the dibasic esters and terpenes, providing effective stain removal while maintaining gentleness on substrates through their amphiphilic properties.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If environmentally friendly solvents are used, then safety and biodegradability are improved, but cleaning performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a composite solvent system combining dibasic esters, alcohol ethoxylates, and terpenes in optimized proportions. This composite formulation achieves superior cleaning performance compared to single-component green solvents, while maintaining safety and biodegradability through the environmentally friendly nature of all components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple green solvent types with complementary properties to create a synergistic cleaning composition. The dibasic esters provide base cleaning action, alcohol ethoxylates enhance surfactant properties and stain penetration, and terpenes contribute to solvent power and flash point, collectively achieving high cleaning performance with environmental safety.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If low VOC solvents are used, then environmental friendliness is improved, but solvent power decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite solvent system where the combined solvent power of dibasic esters, alcohol ethoxylates, and terpenes achieves parity with traditional high-VOC solvents. The specific blend composition (1-60% dibasic esters, 1-35% alcohol ethoxylates, 0.1-12% terpenes) provides sufficient solvent power for tough stain removal while maintaining low VOC content and environmental friendliness.
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 effectively removes tough stains while meeting environmental safety standards, offering high flash points, low odor, and low vapor pressure, making it suitable for various surfaces without causing damage or health hazards.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning composition comprises a blend of dibasic esters, alcohol ethoxylates, and terpenes which effectively removes tough stains
Implementation Method 2
alcohol ethoxylates, and terpenes, which is non-toxic, non-flammable, biodegradable, and low in VOC content
Data Source
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AI summary
An environmentally-friendly cleaning composition for industrial and consumer applications comprising (a) a blend of dibasic esters, (b) one or more surfactants (c) and, optionally, (d) water or a solvent. The dibasic esters are be derived from a blend of adipic, glutaric, and succinic diacids, and, in one particular embodiment, the blend comprises dialkyl adipate, dialkyl methylglutarate and dialkyl ethylsuccinate, wherein the alkyl groups individually comprise a C1-C12 hydrocarbon group. The one or more surfactants are typically chosen from alcohol alkoxylate, an alkyl phenol ethoxylate, a terpene, a terpene alkoxylate or any derivates thereof. Optionally, additional components or additives including delaminates such as pinene and d- limonene, fragrances, whiteners, stabilizers, thickeners and the like can be added to the composition. The industrial or consumer application selected from the group consisting of a graffiti cleaner, a painted-substrate cleaner, an ink cleaner, a metal substrate cleaner, a plastic substrate cleaner, an environmentally friendly cleaner, a stain-spot cleaner, an industrial hand cleaner, a resin cleaner, a tar resin cleaner, a textile cleaner, a paint stripper and any combination thereof.