Self-Preserved Liquid Laundry Detergent Using pH-Based Microbial Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry detergent compositions cause skin and eye irritation due to surfactants, and water-based products are prone to mold and bacterial growth, necessitating preservatives that can further irritate sensitive skin.
Innovation Solution
A self-preserved liquid laundry detergent composition with a Zein score of not more than 2% dissolved zein, comprising a combination of anionic and non-ionic surfactants, fatty acids, and additives like ascorbic acid and sodium chloride, without preservatives, maintaining a pH of 9 to 12 to inhibit microbial growth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If preservatives are added to water-based liquid detergents to prevent mold and bacterial growth, then product safety and stability are improved, but skin and eye irritation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes preservatives from the detergent formulation entirely, replacing them with a preservative-free system that uses alternative mechanisms (such as pH control, chelating agents, and specific surfactant combinations) to prevent microbial growth without causing skin irritation from traditional preservatives
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary substances such as chelating agents and pH buffers that mediate between the need for product stability and the need to avoid irritation, creating a protective chemical environment that prevents microbial growth without directly contacting and irritating the skin
2Productivity
If surfactants are used in laundry detergent to provide cleaning performance, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but skin and eye irritation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the parameters of the surfactant system by using specific ratios of anionic to nonionic surfactants, controlling the overall surfactant concentration, and adjusting pH levels to optimize cleaning performance while reducing the irritative potential of the surfactant mixture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system combining multiple types of surfactants (anionic and nonionic) in specific proportions, where the combination provides synergistic cleaning effects while the nonionic component helps mitigate the irritation caused by anionic surfactants
3Object-affected harmful factors
If liquid detergent formulations are made mild to reduce skin irritation, then skin safety is improved, but susceptibility to microbial growth worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multi-functional ingredients that simultaneously provide mildness to the skin and protection against microbial growth, such as chelating agents that sequestur metal ions to prevent microbial proliferation while being gentle on skin, and pH buffers that maintain a skin-friendly alkaline environment that also inhibits microbial growth
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 cleans textiles while being mild on skin, reducing microbial growth through self-preservation, achieving greater than 3 log reduction in bacteria and fungi within 28 days.
Implementation Method 1
a detergent composition having a Zein score of not more than about 2% of dissolved zein when tested on a 10% dilution
Implementation Method 2
wherein the detergent composition has a pH of about 9 to about 12
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a mild, self-preserving detergent composition that comprises a combination of materials such as salt, ethanol, acid, pH adjusters and antioxidants to overcome potential bacteria or fungal growth in the detergent product. The detergent composition has a Zein score of not more than about 2% dissolved zein when tested on a 10% dilution.