SME Surfactant System Caking and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sulfonated methyl ester (SME)-based surfactants in powder or flake form face issues with caking due to softening points and require high-temperature heating, leading to stability and cleaning performance problems, while shorter chain SMEs have inferior detergency, necessitating a stable, high-performance surfactant system in liquid or paste form.
Innovation Solution
A surfactant composition comprising a primary SME with 16-18 carbon atoms, a secondary SME with 12-14 carbon atoms, a non-ionic co-surfactant, a hydrotrope, and a solvent, formulated as a liquid, semi-solid, or paste to maintain flowability and avoid high-temperature processing, with specific weight percentages optimizing cleaning performance and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If long carbon chain SMEs (C16-C18) are used in flake or powder form, then they provide good cleaning performance, but they suffer from caking issues and require high-temperature heating which leads to stability problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of SME from solid (flake/powder) to liquid or paste form by blending different carbon chain lengths and adjusting composition ratios. This parameter change eliminates caking issues and removes the need for high-temperature heating, thereby resolving the contradiction between cleaning performance and storage stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system by combining long carbon chain SMEs (C16-C18, 60-90 wt%) with short carbon chain SMEs (C12-C14, 10-40 wt%). This composite approach maintains the superior cleaning performance of long chain SMEs while the short chain components prevent caking and improve flowability, achieving both reliability and stability
2Ease of manufacture
If SMEs are heated at high temperature for prolonged periods, then they can be processed from flake or powder form, but this leads to generation of disodium salt through hydrolysis which negatively impacts stability and cleaning performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of SME from solid to liquid or paste form, which fundamentally alters the processing requirements. This parameter change eliminates the need for high-temperature heating, preventing disodium salt formation and maintaining cleaning performance while improving ease of manufacture through simpler processing
3Ease of operation
If short carbon chain SMEs (C12-C14) are used, then they can be readily used in liquid type end products, but their detergency is inferior compared to longer carbon chain surfactants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system by combining long carbon chain SMEs (C16-C18, 60-90 wt%) which provide superior detergency with short carbon chain SMEs (C12-C14, 10-40 wt%) which enable liquid form usability. The synergistic combination maintains excellent cleaning performance while achieving the desired liquid or paste formulation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a surfactant composition comprising a primary surfactant of sulfonated methyl ester (SME) of a fatty acid having a chain length of 16 to 18 carbon atoms (C16-C18); a secondary surfactant having a carbon chain length shorter than that of the primary surfactant; a non-ionic co-surfactant; a hydrotrope; and a solvent. The secondary surfactant can be a SME of a fatty acid having a chain length of 12 to 14 carbon atoms (C12-C14) or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). The invention also relates to use of said surfactant composition as a surfactant system in a detergent.