Method of manufacturing an automatic dishwashing detergent product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11111464-B2
Application number	US-202015931054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2020
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an automatic dishwashing detergent product, provided as a discrete dosage unit and comprising a continuous, non-aqueous gel phase, includes manufacturing the gel phase by free radical polymerisation of monomer(s) in a non-aqueous reaction mixture to form a polymeric builder. The reaction mixture comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant which is an optionally end-capped alcohol alkoxylate; and one or more monomers comprising acrylic acid and optionally one or more further α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acids, wherein no more than 0.1 wt % of the total amount of the monomer(s) are crosslinking monomer(s).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic dishwashing detergent product provided as a discrete dosage unit comprising a continuous, non-aqueous gel phase, the gel phase comprising 10 wt % to 50 wt. % of non-ionic surfactant and at least 20 wt % polymeric builder, wherein:
the polymeric builder is in a dissolved state in the non-aqueous gel phase,
the non-ionic surfactant is one or more optionally end-capped alcohol alkoxylates,
the polymeric builder is made by the free radical polymerization of acrylic acid monomer and optionally one or more further α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acids, wherein no more than 0.1 wt % of the total amount of the monomers are crosslinking monomers,
the free radical polymerization reaction occurs in a non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture comprising the non-ionic surfactant and 10 wt. % to 60 wt. % of at least one non-water solvent comprising a water-soluble organic solvent, without an intermediate step of drying the non-aqueous liquid to form a solid comprising the polymeric builder; and
the polymeric builder has a weight average molecular weight in the range of 1000-70000 g/mol.

2. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the gel phase is free of any ionic surfactant.

3. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture comprises a monomer comprising acrylic acid.

4. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture further comprises a monomer comprising α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acid.

5. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the non-ionic surfactant comprises an end-capped alcohol alkoxylate.

6. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 5 , wherein the end-capped alcohol alkoxylate surfactant is liquid at 20° C.

7. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the alcohol alkoxylate non-ionic surfactant is of the formula R 1 —O-(EO) x (AO) y —R 4 , in which:
R 1 is an alkyl group;
R 4 is H or an optionally substituted alkyl group;
x is 1 to 100;
y is 0 to 100;
EO is ethylene oxide; and
each AO, when present, is independently propylene oxide or butylene oxide;
wherein x and y represent the average degrees of respective alkoxylation per molecule; and
wherein the order of EO and AO groups may be varied but the sum of x and y is at least 3.

8. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein up to 40 mol % of acid groups in the polymeric builder are in neutralized form.

9. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 4 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture comprises at least 20 wt % in total of the monomers.

10. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 4 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture is free of crosslinking monomers.

11. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 4 , wherein the α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acid is a carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, maleic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, citraconic acid, mesaconic acid, glutaconic acid, aconitic acid, and fumaric acid.

12. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 4 , wherein the weight ratio of acrylic acid to α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acid in the reaction mixture is in the range of 100:1 to 1:1.

13. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble organic solvent is monopropylene glycol or dipropylene glycol.

14. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the non-water solvent is a water-soluble organic solvent selected from the group consisting of alkylene glycol, dialkylene glycol, monopropylene glycol, and dipropylene glycol.

15. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the non-aqueous liquid reaction mixture further comprises a chain transfer agent.

16. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the discrete dosage unit comprises a multi-compartment water-soluble container.

17. The automatic dishwashing detergent product of claim 1 , wherein the discrete dosage unit comprises a multi-compartment water-soluble container,
wherein the multi-compartment water-soluble container further comprises a solid composition in a different compartment of the multi-compartment water-soluble container, and
wherein the solid composition comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a bleach, an enzyme, a builder, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Reckitt Benckiser Finish Bv

Inventors

• Roy Pavlinka
• Schmaelzle Claudia
• Rigobert Caroline
• Weber Heike
• Witteler Helmut
• Fuchs Yannick
• Bohn Roland

Classifications

• C08F2/06 Primary

  Organic solvent · CPC title

• C11D3/3757

  (Co)polymerised carboxylic acids, -anhydrides, -esters in solid and liquid compositions · CPC title

• C11D1/66

  Non-ionic compounds {(C11D1/002, C11D1/004, C11D1/008 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C08F2/44

  Polymerisation in the presence of compounding ingredients, e.g. plasticisers, dyestuffs, fillers · CPC title

• C11D3/3765 Primary

  in liquid compositions · CPC title