Method Of Manufacturing An Automatic Dishwashing Detergent Product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017145356-A1
Application number	US-201515322068-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Jul 2, 2014
Publication date	May 25, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing an automatic dishwashing detergent product, said product being provided as a discrete dosage unit and comprising a continuous, non-aqueous gel phase, comprising manufacturing said gel phase by a method comprising free radical polymerisation of monomer(s) in a non-aqueous reaction mixture to form a polymeric builder; wherein said 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

1 . A method of manufacturing an automatic dishwashing detergent product being provided as a discrete dosage unit and comprising a continuous, non-aqueous gel phase comprising manufacturing the gel phase by a method comprising free radical polymerization of one or more monomers in a non-aqueous reaction mixture to form a polymeric builder;
wherein the reaction mixture comprises:
a non-ionic surfactant; and
a monomer comprising acrylic acid; and
wherein no more than 0.1 wt % of the total amount of the monomers is a crosslinking monomer.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture comprises at least 10 wt % in total of the non-ionic surfactant.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the monomer consists of acrylic acid.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction mixture further comprises a non-water solvent.

5 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the alcohol alkoxylate non-ionic surfactant is liquid at 20° C.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the free radical polymerization is conducted at a temperature in the range of 20 to 90° C.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the free radical polymerization is conducted in a feed mode of operation, in which at least a portion of the non-ionic surfactant is present in an initial charge, and at least a portion of the monomer and at least one radical initiator is fed to the initial charge.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein up to 40 mol % of acid groups in the polymeric builder are in neutralized form.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gel phase is free of any ionic surfactant.

10 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing the gel phase in a water-soluble container.

11 . The automatic dishwashing detergent product provided as a discrete dosage unit obtained by the method of claim 1 .

12 . An automatic dishwashing detergent product provided as a discrete dosage unit comprising a continuous, non-aqueous gel phase, the gel phase comprising at least 10 wt % non-ionic surfactant and at least 20 wt % polymeric builder; wherein:
the non-ionic surfactant is one or more optionally end-capped alcohol alkoxylates; and the polymeric builder is made by the free radical polymerization, in a non-aqueous liquid comprising the non-ionic surfactant, of acrylic acid and optionally one or more further α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acids; and the polymeric builder is at least substantially non-crosslinked and has a weight average molecular weight of no more than 70,000.

13 . (canceled)

14 . An automatic dishwashing process using the product of claim 11 .

15 . (canceled)

16 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction further comprises a monomer comprising α,β-ethylenically unsaturated acid; and
wherein no more than 0.1 wt % of the total amount of the monomers are crosslinking monomers.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the non-ionic surfactant comprises an end-capped alcohol alkoxylate.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the reaction mixture comprises at least 20 wt % in total of the monomers.

19 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the reaction mixture is free of crosslinking monomers.

20 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the reaction mixture comprises:
at least 20 wt % in total of the non-ionic surfactant; and at least 40 wt % in total of the monomers.

21 . The method according to claim 16 , 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.

22 . The method according to claim 16 , 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.

23 . The method according to claim 4 , 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.

24 . The method according to 17 , wherein the alcohol alkoxylate non-ionic surfactant is of the formula R1-O-(EO)x(AO)y-R4, in which:
R1 is an alkyl group; R4 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.

25 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the free radical polymerization is conducted at a temperature in the range of 40 to 80° C.

26 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the free radical polymerization is conducted in the presence of a chain transfer agent.

27 . The method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing the gel phase in a compartment of a multi-compartment water-soluble container; and
providing a solid composition in a different compartment of the multi-compartment water-soluble container;
wherein the solid composition comprises a component selected from the group consisting of bleach, enzyme and builder.

28 . An automatic dishwashing process using the product as claimed in claim 12 .

Assignees

• Reckitt Benckiser Finish Bv

Inventors

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

Classifications

• C11D17/045

  Multi-compartment · CPC title

• C08F2/08

  with the aid of dispersing agents for the polymer · CPC title

• C08F120/06

  Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof · CPC title

• C11D3/3765 Primary

  in liquid compositions · CPC title

• C11D3/2065

  Polyhydric alcohols · CPC title