APE-free laundry emulsifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550963-B2
Application number	US-201414528268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A detergent emulsifier for laundry and other hard surface cleaning using an APE-free surfactant blend is disclosed. The emulsifier system is efficacious for removal of oily soils and greasy food removal. The compositions according to the invention include linear and branched fatty alcohol ethoxylates and ethoxylate propoxylate block copolymers. Methods of using the same are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A concentrated pre-treatment or pre-soak APE-free composition comprising:
from about 40 wt-% to about 95 wt-% of a nonionic surfactant blend, wherein the surfactant blend comprises (a) a linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate, (b) a branched fatty alcohol ethoxylate selected from the group consisting of a Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate and a Guerbet ethoxylate, and (c) an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO-PO) block copolymer,
wherein the ratio of linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate to branched fatty alcohol ethoxylate to EO-PO block copolymer is from about 1:1:1 to about 10:1:10; and optionally from about 5 wt-% to about 60 wt-% stabilizers and/or water.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate is a linear ethoxylated C 6 -C 18 fatty alcohol having a degree of ethoxylation from 4 to 10.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein said Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate has one of the following formulas:
R 1 —(OC 2 H 4 ) n   (OH)

wherein R 1 is a branched C 2 -C 20 alkyl group, and n is from 2 to 20, or

wherein R 1 is C2-C20 alkyl, R 2 is H or C 1 -C 4 alkyl, n is an integer between 2 and 20, and m is an integer between 1 and 40.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein said Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate or Guerbet ethoxylate has at least 4 moles ethylene oxide, and wherein said ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer has a molecular weight less than about 10,000.

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein said linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate comprises from about 1-80 wt-% of said composition, said Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate or a Guerbet ethoxylate comprises from about 1-75 wt-% of said composition, and said ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer comprises from about 1-80 wt-% of said composition.

6. The composition of claim 1 further comprising a glycol and/or an alcohol as stabilizing agents and/or water.

7. A concentrated pre-treatment or pre-soak APE-free composition comprising:
from about 1-80 wt-% of a linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate;
from about 1-75 wt-% of a branched fatty alcohol ethoxylate selected from the group consisting of a Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate and a Guerbet ethoxylate;
from about 1-80 wt-% of an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer;
from about 1-60 wt-% of at least one stabilizing agent; and
water;
wherein the ratio of said fatty alcohol ethoxylate to said branched fatty alcohol ethoxylate to said ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer is from about 1:1:1 to about 10:1:10.

8. The composition of claim 7 wherein said linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate is a linear ethoxylated C 6 -C 18 fatty alcohol having a degree of ethoxylation from 4 to 10, wherein said ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer has a molecular weight less than about 10,000, and wherein said Guerbet alcohol ethoxylate has the formula:
R 1 —(OC 2 H 4 ) n —(OH)

wherein R 1 is a branched C 2 -C 20 alkyl group, and n is from 2 to 20.

9. The composition of claim 7 wherein said linear fatty alcohol ethoxylate is a linear ethoxylated C 6 -C 18 fatty alcohol having a degree of ethoxylation from 4 to 10, wherein said ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer has a molecular weight less than about 10,000, and wherein said Guerbet ethoxylate has the formula:

wherein R 1 is C 2 -C 20 alkyl, R 2 is H or C 1 -C 4 alkyl, n is an integer between 2 and 20, and
m is an integer between 1 and 40.

10. A method for removing stains from fabric or hard surfaces comprising the steps of:
contacting a soiled article or surface with an aqueous composition comprising the composition of claim 1 for a period of time sufficient to achieve emulsification of soils and removal of soils from said article or surface.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said contacting is for a period of at least a few minutes to a few hours.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said contacting includes suspending said article to be cleaned in said composition within a container or vessel filled with the aqueous composition and water, and optionally further comprising a bleaching step, one or more rinse steps, a souring step and/or a softening step.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said contacting is a pre-spotting emulsification step outside of a washing machine, and optionally further comprising a bleaching step, one or more rinse steps, a souring step and/or a softening step.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising cleaning or laundering the treated article or surface with a conventional aqueous detergent with or without an added source of alkalinity.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising cleaning or laundering the treated article or surface with a conventional aqueous detergent with or without an added source of alkalinity.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein said laundering/cleaning step is NPE-free and APE-free.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein said solution is at a temperature from about room temperature to about 70° C.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein said composition contacts said article or surface in combination with an alkalinity source to increase the pH to above neutral and/or an additional bleaching detergent composition to provide a detergent emulsifier boost for improved soil removal from said article or surface.

19. A method for removing stains from fabric or hard surfaces comprising the steps of:
contacting a soiled article with an aqueous composition comprising the composition of claim 1 for a period of time sufficient to achieve emulsification of soils and removal of soils from said article; and
adding a detergent composition to the article contacted with the aqueous emulsifying composition within a washing machine to launder said soiled article;
wherein said detergent composition is NPE-free and APE-free; and
adding an additional step selected from the group consisting of a bleaching step(s), one or more rinse step(s), a souring step(s), a softening step(s), and combinations of the same.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said aqueous emulsifying composition is provided first either as a pre-spotting treatment for said soiled articles within or outside of said washing machine, or in combination with said detergent composition as a detergency booster for improved soil removal from said articles within a washing step (suds step) within said washing machine.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Soontravanich Sukhwan
• Hubig Stephan
• Zhang Yang

Classifications

• C11D3/2065

  Polyhydric alcohols · CPC title

• C11D1/72

  Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols · CPC title

• C11D3/2068

  Ethers · CPC title

• C11D3/3707

  Polyethers, e.g. polyalkyleneoxides · CPC title

• C11D1/722

  Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols having mixed oxyalkylene groups; {Polyalkoxylated fatty alcohols or polyalkoxylated alkylaryl alcohols with mixed oxyalkylele groups (C11D1/721 takes precedence)} · CPC title