Method of treating fabrics with selective dosing of agitation-sensitive ingredients
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic laundry washing machines face limitations in increasing mechanical agitation power without damaging fabrics or increasing energy consumption, and adding more detersive actives in detergents raises manufacturing costs and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
The method involves selectively dosing agitation-sensitive ingredients like lipase, C10-C20 linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS), and polyester-based soil release polymer (SRP) based on the mechanical agitation power, adding them to the wash liquor only when the power exceeds a certain threshold to achieve synergistic cleaning performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical agitation power is increased to improve cleaning performance, then cleaning performance is improved, but fabric damage and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter of chemical composition by introducing agitation-sensitive ingredients that are activated only under high agitation conditions. This allows the system to respond dynamically to agitation levels, providing enhanced cleaning when agitation is high while preventing damage through selective ingredient activation rather than continuous exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitation-sensitive ingredients are pre-formulated in the detergent composition but remain inactive until the agitation threshold is reached. This preliminary preparation allows the cleaning agents to be ready to act only when the mechanical energy is sufficient, avoiding premature activation that would cause fabric damage during low-agitation phases.
2Productivity
If mechanical agitation power is increased to improve cleaning performance, then cleaning performance is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a threshold-based activation mechanism where agitation-sensitive ingredients only become active when mechanical agitation exceeds a specific level. This creates a conditional relationship between energy input and chemical action, ensuring that chemical cleaning resources are utilized only when mechanical energy is sufficiently high, thereby avoiding wasted energy consumption during low-agitation cycles.
3Productivity
If more detersive actives are added to improve cleaning performance, then cleaning performance is improved, but manufacturing cost and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the state of detersive actives from continuously active to conditionally active based on agitation levels. Agitation-sensitive ingredients are incorporated into the detergent formulation but only become functional when mechanical agitation exceeds a threshold, thereby reducing the overall quantity of active substances needed while maintaining or improving cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent composition is pre-formulated with agitation-sensitive ingredients that are held in an inactive or less active state until the agitation threshold is reached. This preliminary configuration allows the system to deliver high cleaning performance only when mechanical energy is sufficient, reducing the need for large quantities of detersive actives to be continuously present in the wash liquor.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method for treating fabrics by employing an automatic laundry washing machine to selectively add agitation-sensitive detersive actives into the wash liquor during a wash cycle when the mechanical agitation power applied to the fabrics by said washing machine is more than 12 W/kg, so as to improve or optimize the cleaning performance of such agitation-sensitive detersive actives.