Solid Soap Hardness via Betaine and Mixed Counter Ions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solid soaps using potassium as a counter ion face challenges in maintaining hardness and solidification point while improving solubility and foaming properties, especially in transparent soap production without ethanol, where the addition of sugars or polyols significantly decreases these properties.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating 1 to 5 mass % of trimethylglycine along with sodium and potassium as counter ions, maintaining a potassium content of 20 mole % or more, and using a specific composition of fatty acid sodium/potassium mixed salts and sugar/polyol blends to enhance solidification point and hardness while maintaining transparency and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If potassium is used as the counter ion to improve solubility and foaming properties, then solubility in cold water and foaming property are improved, but solidification point and hardness significantly decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite salt system containing both sodium and potassium fatty acid salts. Specifically, it employs sodium/potassium laurate, sodium/potassium myristate, sodium/potassium palmitate, and sodium/potassium stearate in controlled ratios. This composite approach allows the soap to benefit from potassium's solubility enhancement while sodium maintains the solidification point and hardness, resolving the contradiction between solubility and mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent precisely controls the molar ratio of sodium to potassium in the fatty acid salt mixture, maintaining Na/K between 2/3 and 8/2. By adjusting this parameter, the invention optimizes the balance between solubility (enhanced by potassium) and solidification point/hardness (maintained by sodium), transforming the trade-off into a controllable composition parameter.
2Illumination intensity
If sugars or polyols are added to achieve transparency in solid soap, then transparency is improved, but solidification point and hardness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sugars and polyols in specific proportions to create a composite transparent system. The sugar/polyol mixture includes sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, and mannitol, where each component contributes to transparency while the combined system maintains better solidification point and hardness than individual components alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the total content of sugars and polyols within 10-40 mass% and adjusts their relative proportions. By optimizing these parameters, the invention achieves transparency while minimizing the decrease in solidification point and hardness, resolving the contradiction between optical clarity and mechanical strength.
3Reliability
If a large amount of potassium is used as the counter ion, then solubility and foaming property are improved, but production suitability and shape-retaining property deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains the molar ratio of sodium to potassium within 2/3 to 8/2, which ensures that potassium content is sufficient to provide good foaming properties while sodium content remains high enough to maintain solidification point above 40°C and adequate hardness. This parameter control enables production suitability despite high potassium content.
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 use of trimethylglycine allows for improved solidification point and hardness in solid soaps with high potassium content, maintaining solubility and foaming properties, and enabling better formability and shape retention, even in alcohol-free transparent soap production.
Implementation Method 1
the present inventors have discovered that betaines, and in particular, trimethylglycine has an excellent solidification point increasing effect
Implementation Method 2
If potassium is used as the counter ion, the solubility in cold water and the foaming property are largely improved
Data Source
AI summary
The object of the present invention is to improve the solidification point and the hardness of a soap of the fatty acid soap series wherein the percentage of potassium used as the counter ion is large. The solid soap of the present invention to achieve the above-described object is characterized by comprising 1 to 5 mass % of a betaine, and in that sodium and potassium are contained as the fatty acid counter ion, and potassium is 20 mole % or more of the counter ion.