Solid Carpet Cleaning Composition Using Phosphate-Free Complexing Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning solutions for carpets and upholstery often rely on phosphates as complexing agents, which are ecologically harmful and inefficient, and require significant water content for ready-made solutions or complex dissolution processes for solid mixtures.
Innovation Solution
A solid mixture composition comprising citric acid, sodium gluconate, oxalic acid, and sodium metasilicate as complexing agents, along with polyacrylic acid for contaminant encapsulation, and non-ionic surfactants, odor-absorbing components, and disintegrants, optimized for use in spray extraction devices to provide effective cleaning without phosphates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If phosphates are used as complexing agents, then cleaning performance is improved, but environmental harm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing phosphate complexing agents with a combination of citric acid, sodium gluconate, oxalic acid, and sodium metasilicate. This substitution maintains cleaning effectiveness while eliminating the environmental harm associated with phosphates, directly resolving the contradiction between cleaning performance and environmental safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite complexing agent system comprising multiple components (citric acid, sodium gluconate, oxalic acid, and sodium metasilicate) working together. This composite approach achieves the cleaning performance previously only attainable with phosphates, while avoiding their environmental detrimental effects.
2Ease of operation
If ready-to-use cleaning solutions are provided, then ease of operation is improved, but weight and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cleaning solution into a concentrated solid mixture that can be stored and transported in a compact form, separate from the water component. The user simply adds water at the point of use, maintaining ease of operation while dramatically reducing transport weight and volume compared to ready-to-use solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameter from liquid ready-to-use solution to solid concentrated mixture. This transformation enables compact storage and transport while maintaining ease of use through simple dissolution in water before application.
3Weight of moving object
If solid mixtures are used instead of ready-to-use solutions, then weight and volume are reduced, but dissolution complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the solubility parameters of the solid mixture components by selecting highly soluble substances and appropriate ratios. The complexing agents and other ingredients are formulated to dissolve quickly and completely in water without requiring complex dissolution procedures, thus reducing transport weight while maintaining operational simplicity.
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 achieves good cleaning performance with reduced environmental impact, optimized by the ratio of complexing agents and quick dissolution in water, suitable for both powder and tab forms, enhancing handling and ecological safety.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one complexing agent in the composition is particularly necessary for marking the water hardness, i.e., for complexing the calcium and magnesium ions in the tap water with which the user dissolves the composition.
Implementation Method 2
the composition comprises a polyacrylic acid or its salt, in particular its sodium salt, as a component for encapsulating impurities
Implementation Method 3
the composition comprises at least one surfactant
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a composition in the form of a solid mixture for producing a cleaning solution for carpets and upholstery, comprising at least one complexing agent, at least one surfactant and at least one component for encapsulating impurities. The composition comprises, as a complexing agent, citric acid and/or citrate, oxalic acid and/or oxalate, a silicate, in particular a metasilicate.