Polymer Stabilizer for Enzyme Stability in Liquid Detergents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry detergents face challenges in removing fatty soils and maintaining storage stability, particularly in liquid forms where enzymes tend to deactivate due to hygroscopic ingredients, and existing solutions with polymers and surfactants are not effective.
Innovation Solution
Development of detergent compositions containing a polymer with a core bearing specific moieties and polyalkylene oxide chains, combined with enzymes like lipases and proteases, which enhance cleaning performance and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If liquid laundry detergents contain hygroscopic ingredients to improve cleaning performance, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but storage stability deteriorates due to enzyme deactivation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a polymer with specific structural features (core with moieties of formula I and polyalkylene oxide chains) as an intermediary substance. This polymer acts as a protective agent between the hygroscopic ingredients/enzymes and the harsh storage environment, allowing the detergent to maintain both cleaning performance and storage stability. The polymer modifies the interaction between water and enzymes, preventing deactivation while preserving activity during storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite detergent system by combining traditional hygroscopic cleaning ingredients with specifically designed polymers. This composite approach allows the detergent to simultaneously achieve good cleaning performance from the hygroscopic ingredients and storage stability from the polymer protection, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
2Reliability
If polymers are used to improve storage stability, then enzyme stability is improved, but cleaning effectiveness against fatty soils deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer is designed with specific local qualities - a core structure with moieties of formula I that provide stability, combined with polyalkylene oxide chains that provide cleaning activity. Different parts of the polymer molecule have different functions: the core provides storage stability while the side chains contribute to fatty soil removal, allowing both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a stabilizing agent for enzymes during storage, while also contributing to the removal of fatty soils during washing. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the polymer itself a dual-purpose ingredient rather than requiring separate additives for each function.
3Productivity
If conventional polymers and surfactants are used to remove fatty soils, then fat removal is attempted, but cleaning effectiveness remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the polymer - specifically the structure of the core moieties (formula I with Z groups) and the polyalkylene oxide chains - to optimize both stability and cleaning performance. By adjusting these molecular parameters, the polymer achieves superior fatty soil removal compared to conventional polymers while maintaining enzyme stability.
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 compositions effectively remove fatty soils and maintain enzyme stability, improving cleaning performance and storage stability of laundry detergents.
Implementation Method 1
at least one polymer, hereinafter also referred to as polymer (A), wherein such polymer (A) comprises (a) a core that bears one to three moieties according to general formula (I)
Implementation Method 2
It has been suggested to use a lipase to support fat removal but many builders - especially in liquid laundry detergents - do not work well with lipase
Implementation Method 3
lipase to support fat removal
Implementation Method 4
inventive detergent compositions comprise (D) at least one protease (D)
Implementation Method 5
numerous suggestions for removal have been made - polymers, enzymes, surfactants
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions comprising (A) at least one polymer comprising (a) a core that bears one to 3 moieties of general formula (I), wherein Z are different or the same and selected from C2-C12-alkylene and C3-C12-cycloalkylene wherein said C2-C12-alkylene or C3-C12-cycloalkylene, respectively, may be non-substituted or substituted with one or more O-C1-C4-alkyl groups and wherein C3-C12-cycloalkylene may bear one to three methyl groups, A1 are different or the same and selected from C1-C12-alkylene, C6-arylene, and C3-C12-cycloalkylene wherein C2-C12-alkylene and C3-C12-cycloalkylene may be non-substituted or substituted with one or more O-C1-C4-alkyl groups or OH groups and wherein C3-C12-cycloalkylene may bear one to three methyl groups, or based on citric acid, X1 is selected from hydrogen and methyl and ethyl and combinations of at least two of the foregoing, n is in the range of from 1 to 100, (b) polyalkylene oxide chains.