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BR-112013028716-B1 - Concentrated liquid water-based laundry detergent, method for washing polyester fabrics and its use.

BR112013028716B1BR 112013028716 B1BR112013028716 B1BR 112013028716B1BR-112013028716-B1

Abstract

Aqueous Concentrated Liquid Laundry Detergent, Composition, Method for Washing Polyester Fabrics and its Use. The present invention relates to an aqueous concentrated liquid laundry detergent comprising: a) at least 8% by weight, preferably at most 40% by weight, of anionic non-soap surfactant; b) at most 30% by weight of non-ionic surfactant; c) at most 10% by weight of surfactant other than a and b; d) at least 0.1% by weight, preferably at most 10% by weight, of alkyl hydroxamate; and e) at least 2% by weight, preferably at most 20% by weight, of non-ionic ethoxylated polyethylene imine with seven to forty ethoxy units, on average, per substitution site on each nitrogen.

Inventors

  • Julie Bennett
  • Anthony McKee
  • ALYN JAMES PARRY

Assignees

  • UNILEVER IP HOLDINGS B.V

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20120509
Priority Date
20110513

Claims (11)

  1. 1. Concentrated aqueous liquid laundry detergent, characterized by comprising: a) at least 8% by weight, preferably at most 40% by weight, of anionic non-soap surfactant; b) at most 30% by weight of non-ionic surfactant; c) at most 10% by weight of surfactant other than (a) and (b); d) at least 0.1% by weight, preferably at most 10% by weight, of alkyl hydroxamate with the structure shown in Formula I: where R1 is: linear or branched C4-C20 alkyl; or substituted linear or branched C4-C20 alkyl; or linear or branched C4-C20 alkenyl; or substituted linear or branched C4-C20 alkenyl; and the substitution types include one or more of NH2, OH, S, -O-, COOH and: (e) at least 2% by weight, preferably a maximum of 20% by weight, of non-ionic ethoxylated polyethylene imine (EPEI) with 7 to 40 ethoxy units, on average, per substitution site on each nitrogen; wherein the weight ratio between non-soap surfactant and EPEI is 2:1 to 7:1, preferably 3:1 to 6:1.
  2. 2. Liquid laundry detergent according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of (a) is greater than or equal to the amount of (b).
  3. 3. Liquid laundry detergent, according to claim 2, characterized in that the amount of (b) is at least 3% by weight.
  4. 4. Liquid laundry detergent, according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises less than 3% by weight of non-ionic (b) and wherein the anionic non-soap surfactant (a) comprises a mixture of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) and alkyl ethoxy sulfate (AES).
  5. 5. Liquid laundry detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least 0.4% by weight of perfume.
  6. 6. Liquid laundry detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least 1% by weight of alkyl hydroxamate (d).
  7. 7. Liquid laundry detergent, according to claim 5, characterized in that the additional detergent surfactant (c) comprises soap.
  8. 8. Liquid laundry detergent, according to claim 7, characterized in that the soap content in the composition is less than 3% by weight.
  9. 9. Liquid laundry detergent, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ratio between hydroxamate and the total detergent surfactant system is in the range of 1:4 to 1:8000, preferably 1:7 to 1:40 and, more preferably, 1:10 to 1:30 parts by weight.
  10. 10. A method for washing polyester fabrics, characterized by comprising the steps of combining 15 to 25 ml of liquid laundry detergent, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, with water having a hardness of more than 20°FH to form a washing liquid having a non-soap surfactant concentration of less than 0.5 g/L and washing the polyester with the washing liquid.
  11. 11. Use of a liquid laundry detergent, as defined in any one of claims 1 to 9, in a washing process conducted in water with a hardness of at least 20°FH, characterized by the fact that it serves to remove red polyester clay.

Description

Field of Invention [0001] The present invention relates to concentrated aqueous laundry detergent compositions and their use in low dosages and therefore in low concentrations of washing surfactant, for cleaning red clay from polyester fabrics under hard water washing conditions. Background of the Invention [0002] EP 388,389 A2 (Monsanto) describes low-concentration, bleach-free liquid detergent compositions containing hydroxamic acids and their derivatives that aid in removing bleachable wine stains from fabrics during washing. [0003] Hydroxamates are described as in Formula I, wherein R1 represents an optionally substituted linear or branched C5-C21 alkyl or alkenyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. One example exhibits enhanced bleaching performance when using a hydroxamate in a detergent composition in hard water (German hardness (DH) 20°, which is about 143 milligrams of calcium per liter). The examples utilize linear C12, branched C12, branched C13, and C18 hydroxamates in detergent formulations comprising mixtures of anionic and nonionic surfactants. In Examples I, II, and IV, there is an excess of nonionic surfactant of at least 1.25 to 1, and in Example III, there is 100% anionic surfactant. [0004] WO 2010/069957 (Unilever) describes the use of hydroxamate in conjunction with a specific anionic and non-ionic surfactant system to improve the cleaning performance of liquid and powder compositions on certain stains, notably red clay. Several formulation possibilities are discussed. All examples utilize high levels of surfactant in washing. Washing is carried out under soft (6° FH) and hard (26° FH) water conditions. A builder (1% by weight sodium citrate) is added for washing in hard water. The claimed surfactant to hydroxamate ratio is 5:1 to 15:1. [0005] WO 2011/151170 (Unilever) describes that the beneficial effect described in WO 2010/069957 can also be obtained by using similar laundry detergent formulations containing less than 0.5% by weight of hydroxamic acid or its corresponding hydroxamate. The weight ratio between the defined surfactant system and the hydroxamate is proportionally extended up to 16,000:1, where the preferred ratio is 10:1 to 400:1. [0006] No suggestion is made regarding the use of ethoxylated polyethylene imine polymer (EPEI) in any of the previous documents with reference to hydroxamates. [0007] EPEI is known in many publications as a polymer that can be added to detergent compositions in conjunction with the usual surfactants to enhance stain removal, both oil stains and particulate stains. EPEI is available in the original non-ionic form based on PEI with various molecular weights (typically 200 to 2000) and degrees of branching, and several additional modifications have been proposed. EPEI can be, for example, cationic (quaternized) and possibly sulfated. It may have added nitrogen oxide groups to form amine oxides, and the alkoxyl groups may comprise a mixture of ethylene oxide and other alkylene oxides, such as propylene oxide or butylene oxide. These may be arranged in blocks. [0008] US 5,834,412 refers primarily to dirt-releasing polymers. In column 37, lines 22 to 43, however, it summarizes several known EPEIs as anti-redeposition/clay dirt removers. Amine oxide and cationic materials are included in the list. No preference is given to non-ionic EPEIs, and no EPEI is used in any formulation example. [0009] EP 2,135,934 A1 (Unilever) describes a synergistic clay soil removal benefit when using non-ionic EPEI in combination with a specific type of primary washing lipase (Lipex). The clay is not necessarily red clay (i.e., high-iron clay). Paragraph 12 of this publication contains an obvious error. In defining what is indicated as primary detergency, it makes use of a definition transferred from a different application and erroneously refers to a composition in which “hydroxamate is used as a co-surfactant according to the present invention”. Firstly, hydroxamate is properly classified as a sequestrant, not a co-surfactant; secondly, hydroxamate is entirely absent from the invention described and claimed in EP 2135934. Similar obvious errors are found in paragraphs 59 and 60 of this publication. Since hydroxamate is always described as being used “as a co-surfactant according to the present invention,” and the invention in EP 2135934 is clearly nothing of the sort, those skilled in the art should disregard this description as an obvious error. The examples in this patent publication were conducted in hard water (26° FH), and 1.71% by weight of citric acid builder was included in the compositions. At the low washing surfactant levels exemplified, increasing the EPEI level reduced the effectiveness on yellow clay. [0010] WO 2009/153184 (Unilever) describes a method for washing fabrics that uses very low levels of washing surfactant (which may be an anionic surfactant). The washing performance is amplified by the inclusion of high levels of specific enzyme