Solid Rinse Aid Additive for Dishwashing Spot Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic dishwashing detergents face challenges in achieving optimal cleaning performance, particularly in reducing spotting and filming, especially when dealing with hard tap water beyond 21°GH, as the functions of softening, cleaning, and rinsing require different timing, leading to performance difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A rinse aid additive comprising more than 40 wt.-% surfactant with a dynamic viscosity of 10.5 mPa·s at 20 °C, which drops by a factor of 25 per 10°C, combined with a solid compound, providing improved rinsing and drying performance by being solid at room temperature and waxy at higher temperatures, allowing for enhanced distribution within a dishwashing machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a more-in-one detergent product combines softening salt, cleaning function, and rinse aid function, then convenience is improved, but performance is difficult to optimize because these functions are needed at different time points during the cleaning program
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the more-in-one detergent product into functionally distinct segments: a compressed detergent composition and a separate non-compressed rinse aid additive. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and released at the appropriate time during the cleaning program, resolving the contradiction between convenience and performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinse aid additive is prepared in advance as a stable solid or semi-solid composition that remains inert during the washing phase. It is positioned to dissolve or disintegrate at the appropriate time during the rinsing phase, ensuring optimal performance without interfering with earlier cleaning functions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the rinse aid additive uses a surfactant with high viscosity at room temperature, then stability and ease of handling are improved, but distribution and dissolution performance may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes temperature-dependent viscosity changes of the surfactant. At room temperature, the high viscosity provides stability and ease of handling. During the rinsing phase when temperature increases, the viscosity drops dramatically (by a factor of 25 per 10°C), enabling efficient distribution and dissolution. This parameter change resolves the contradiction between stability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The surfactant undergoes a phase transition from a solid or semi-solid state at room temperature to a more fluid state at elevated temperatures. This phase transition enables the material to maintain stability during storage and handling while achieving optimal distribution and dissolution performance during the heated rinsing phase.
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 combination of semi-solid surfactants and solid compounds in the rinse aid additive significantly improves rinsing and drying performance, outperforming standalone surfactants in reducing spots and filming, while maintaining effectiveness across varying water hardness levels.
Implementation Method 1
possessing a dynamic viscosity of equal or greater than 105 mPa·s at a temperature of 20 °C, which drops in the temperature interval of between above 20 °C to about 40 °C by a factor of 25 per 10°C or more
Implementation Method 2
which is solid at room temperature and waxy at higher temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention refers to a rinse aid additive comprising at least a surfactant and a solid compound, wherein said rinse aid additive is in form of a solid at room temperature, a method for preparing said rinse aid additive, a detergent composition comprising said rinse aid additive and the use of a blend comprising at least a surfactant and a solid compound as a rinse aid.