High alkaline warewash detergent with enhanced scale control and soil dispersion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12371640-B2
Application number	US-202418587531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2024
Priority date	Nov 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Detergent compositions and methods of preparing and using the detergent compositions are disclosed. The detergent compositions comprise a polymer system comprising at least one polycarboxylic acid polymer, copolymer, or terpolymer, an alkalinity source comprising an alkali metal carbonate, a nonionic surfactant and water. The detergent compositions are suitable at alkaline pH and reduce or prevent scale formation, improve soil dispersion, and provide effective detergency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using a warewash detergent comprising: forming a use solution with said warewash detergent comprising:
a polymer system comprising between about 25 wt. % to about 55 wt. % of polymaleic acid homopolymer, between about 25 wt., % to about 55 wt. % of a polyacrylic acid copolymer, and between about 5 wt. % to about 35 wt. % of a maleic anhydride/olefin copolymer, wherein said polymaleic acid homopolymer, polyacrylic acid copolymer, and maleic anhydride/olefin copolymer are present in a ratio between about 1:1:1 to about 3:3:1;
an alkalinity source comprising an alkali metal carbonate;
a nonionic surfactant; and
water, wherein said detergent has a pH between about 7 and about 14;
contacting a surface with said use solution; and cleaning said surface with said use solution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said warewash detergent is substantially free of phosphorus.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said warewash detergent is present in the use solution between about 200 ppm and about 10,000 ppm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said warewash detergent is present in the use solution between about 500 ppm and about 4000 ppm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymer system is present in the use solution between about 1 and about 500 ppm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said surface is a ware.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method provides substantially similar cleaning performance to a method employing a phosphorus-containing detergent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymer system comprises at least two polycarboxylic acid polymers, copolymers, or terpolymers.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymaleic acid homopolymer, acrylic acid copolymer, and maleic anhydride/olefin copolymer are present in a ratio between about 1:1:1 to about 2:2:1.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detergent composition comprises between about 0 wt. % and about 20 wt. % polymer system, between about 50 wt. % and about 99 wt. % alkalinity source, between about 0 wt. % and about 15 wt. % nonionic surfactant, and between about 0 wt. % and about 20 wt. % water.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polymer, copolymer, and/or terpolymer of the polymer system have molecular weights between about 100 and about 10,000.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detergent contains at least one additional functional ingredient.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one additional functional ingredient is selected from the group consisting of defoaming agents, anti-redeposition agents, bleaching agents, enzymes, surfactants, solubility modifiers, dispersants, rinse aids, metal protecting agents, stabilizing agents, corrosion inhibitors, additional sequestrants and/or chelating agents, fragrances and/or dyes, rheology modifiers or thickeners, hydrotropes or couplers, buffers, solvents, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said surface comprises ceramics, ceramic tile, grout, granite, concrete, mirrors, enameled surfaces, metals, glass, and plastic.

15. The method of claim 6 , wherein cleaning said surface is cleaned in a warewash application.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution of the detergent aids in preventing soils from depositing onto the surface.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detergent is a solid detergent.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the solid detergent is dissolved upon contact with water to become a use solution.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Dotzauer David
• Meier Timothy
• Silvernail Carter M
• Mansergh John

Classifications

• C11D3/10

  Carbonates {; Bicarbonates} · CPC title

• C11D1/66 Primary

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

• C11D2111/14

  Hard surfaces · CPC title

• C11D3/3765

  in liquid compositions · CPC title

• C11D3/3757 Primary

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