VOC-Free Cleaning Composition for Hard Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hard surface cleaners and glass cleaners often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are environmentally harmful, and there is a need for cleaning compositions that minimize VOC usage while effectively cleaning hard surfaces such as glass, plastic, ceramic, and metal surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning composition concentrate is developed, comprising surfactants, dispersants, and sheeting agents, formulated to be diluted with water, which reduces VOC content and is effective on various hard surfaces, including glass, plastic, and metal, while handling varying water hardness levels without the need for water softening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional hard surface cleaners and glass cleaners are used, then effective cleaning performance is achieved, but volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions increase causing environmental harm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by eliminating VOCs and replacing them with water-based formulations containing surfactants, dispersants, and sheeting agents. This parameter change maintains cleaning effectiveness while reducing environmental harm from VOC emissions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite cleaning formulations combining multiple non-VOC ingredients (surfactants, dispersants, sheeting agents) to achieve the cleaning performance previously provided by VOC-containing formulations, thereby resolving the contradiction between environmental safety and cleaning effectiveness
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cleaning composition concentrate is diluted with water, then VOC content is reduced, but cleaning effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameters of surfactants, dispersants, and sheeting agents in the diluted formulation to ensure adequate cleaning performance at lower VOC concentrations, resolving the contradiction between reduced VOC content and maintained cleaning effectiveness
3Object-affected harmful factors
If water is used for dilution instead of VOCs, then environmental harm is reduced, but water hardness may affect cleaning performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dispersants as intermediary substances that mediate between water and the cleaning process, preventing water hardness from negatively affecting performance. These dispersants enable the formulation to adapt to varying water conditions while maintaining environmental safety
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adjusts the formulation parameters to account for water hardness variations, ensuring the cleaning composition maintains effectiveness across different water conditions without relying on VOCs, thereby resolving the contradiction between environmental harm reduction and performance adaptability
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 cleaning composition achieves effective cleaning with reduced VOC emissions, maintaining detersive and sheeting properties across different water hardness levels, providing a sustainable and efficient cleaning solution for hard surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning composition concentrate comprises about 0.05 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of a surfactant component
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning composition concentrate comprises about 0.01 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of a dispersant component
Implementation Method 3
The cleaning composition concentrate comprises about 0.001 wt. % to about 15 wt. % of a sheeting agent component
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning composition concentrate includes about 0.05 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of a surfactant component, about 0.01 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of a dispersant component, and about 0.001 wt. % to about 15 wt. % of a sheeting agent component, wherein the composition comprises less than about 0.1 wt. % volatile organic compound exhibiting a vapor pressure of less than 0.1 mm Hg at 20° C. The cleaning composition can be provided as a use composition as a result of diluting the cleaning composition concentrate with water of dilution at a dilution ratio of cleaning composition concentrate to water of dilution of about 1:1. A method for preparing a cleaning composition is disclosed.