Fluorescent whitening agents in heavy duty liquid detergents

Fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) for laundry detergents have been known and successfully used for decades to provide a valuable contribution to the washing results. The increased sophistication of detergent formulations, which is expected to continue into the 1990s, presents new needs and challenges for the FWA. This paper looks specifically at the development of the heavy duty liquid detergent segment and its influence on FWA formulation and performance characteristics such as processability, compatibility, stability and spotting.     

U.S. detergent/surfactant trends— 1980s1

The U.S. surfactant market is large, mature, and likely to grow at a rate of 2-3% over the next 10 years. The household, personal care and industrial markets will maintain roughly the same market shares of the total that they have held historically. Within the household market, there should be a continued trend toward the use of alcohol-based surfactants at the expense of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS). Several factors point to greater usage of nonionics in the future: popularity of heavy-duty liquids and detergents containing enzymes and fabric softeners, a trend to lower laundry wash temperatures and decreasing dependence on phosphate builders. In personal care end uses, alpha olefin sulfonates are expected to show growth due to cost performance advantages in liquid soaps and shampoos. The industrial surfactant market will remain highly segmented and will grow at ca. 3% annually, mainly as a result of overall industrial expansion. Ample capacity and anticipated feedstock availability at acceptable prices will allow producers of synthetic surfactants to satisfy demand through the rest of the decade. Research will lead to formulations aimed at cooler laundry washing conditions and increased enzyme usage. Enhanced oil recovery may involve new surfactants, but large-scale consumption will not begin before the end of the decade. 1 Presented March 24, 1983, to the European Committee of Organic Surfactants and Their Intermediates (CESIO), Bruges, Belgium.     

Developments in sodium perborate

The paper describes the properties of a number of novel variants of sodium perborate bleach suitable for laundry and automatic dish wash detergent formulations, highlighting their advantages over standard commercial products, and offering further opportunities of product differentiation for the detergent manufacturers.     

Soap-based detergent formulations: X. Nature of detergent deposits

The cumulative deposition of detergent residue on unsoiled cotton and polyester-cotton permanent press finish cloth was determined for a variety of detergent formulations after washing 25 consecutive times in 300 ppm hard water in a laboratory Tergotometer. Included in this study were: a phosphate-built laundry detergent, two carbonate-built detergents, tallow soap and various tallow soap formulations with anionic and amphoteric lime soap dispersing agents, and a glassy sodium silicate. Sample swatches washed with each formulation were analyzed for calcium, magnesium, and organic acid content. Fabric washed with the carbonate detergents showed the highest calcium and magnesium content, while those washed with the phosphate detergent and the soap-lime soap dispersant-builder formulations had the lowest. Fabric washed with soap alone had a much higher fatty acid residue than those washed with the other detergent formulations. However, the amount of organic acids left on the fabric after washing with a soap-lime soap dispersing agent formulation was no greater than that produced by phosphate- and carbonate-built detergents. The presence or absence of deposits also was verified visually with a scanning electron microscope. Each formulation also was tested for detergency by measuring the soil buildup in a multiwash procedure. Generally, the buildup of soil paralleled the deposit of detergent residue on the unsoiled cloths.     

Controlled foam laundry formulations

Heavy duty laundry systems are complex formulations containing a large number of ingredients. They can be formulated to produce a variety of foam profiles. This work has demonstrated that laundry detergent systems, which consist principally of biodegradable nonionic active components, may be formulated to exhibit low and moderate controlled foam profiles under typically American and European working conditions. In addition these formulations demonstrate excellent detergency properties when compared to currently distributed commercial brands. Presented at ISF-AOCS World Congress, Chicago, September 1970.     

洗涤剂用酶的复合效应研究

以国产碱性蛋白酶、脂肪酶和纤维素酶为对象，研究了3种酶共存时蛋白酶对脂肪酶和纤维素酶活力的影响。结果表明，在实际洗涤液浓度下蛋白酶对脂肪酶和纤维素酶的活力并无明显负面影响。研究了3种酶在各种复合状态下的去污性能及其协同作用，结果显示上述3种酶的任何2种酶复合时均具有一定的协同效应，尤其是蛋白酶与脂肪酶或纤维素酶复合能获得显的协同效应。蛋白酶与脂肪酶或纤维素酶复配能使去污力相对提高50％以上。采用响应面分析法对蛋白酶／脂肪酶／纤维素酶三元复合酶的协同效应进行了优化，获得了其回归方程和最优组成。     

螯合性表面活性剂的制备工艺与应用性能(Ⅳ)——N-酰基ED3A的应用

介绍了N-酰基ED3A螯合性表面活性剂与其他表面活性剂优异的配伍性能,复配产品能明显提高混合体系的耐盐性和抗硬水性,与酶、漂白剂相容性好,具有一定的助溶能力,适于配制无磷、超浓缩重垢液体洗涤剂、香波、浴液等个人清洁用品。重点介绍了此类表面活性剂的典型品种月桂酰基ED3A钠盐优异的表面活性与较强的螯合能力,它可以牢固地吸附在金属表面,抑制低碳钢在酸性条件下的腐蚀速度,使不锈钢在碱性条件下表面钝化,非常适于配制金属清洗剂、家具清洗剂等硬表面清洗剂,还可用于工业清洗、电渡、乳液聚合、浮选等领域。     

洗衣剂的发展趋势（英）

新用途和多功能产品使洗衣剂除了清洗衣物外,有了更大作用,分析了液体洗涤剂和粉状洗涤剂的市场,正确评估了片状洗涤剂的市场前景,指出,省时和多功能将是洗衣剂未来发展的趋势。     

Laundry detergents: an overview

Nowadays laundry detergents are becoming increasingly popular as they can be metered automatically into the washing machine, impart softness, antistaticness, resiliency to fabrics, mild to eyes and skins and shows good dispersibility in water. Because it is consumed when it is used, the sale of laundry detergent is a rather large business. There are many different kinds or brands of laundry detergent sold, many of them claiming some special qualities as selling points. A Laundry detergent composition is a formulated mixture of raw materials that can be classified into different types based on their properties and function in the final product. The different classes of raw materials are surfactants, builders, bleaching agents, enzymes, and minors which remove dirt, stain, and soil from surfaces or textiles gave them pleasant feel and odour. The physico-chemical properties of surfactants make them suitable for laundry purposes. Laundry detergent has traditionally been a powdered or granular solid, but the use of liquid laundry detergents has gradually increased over the years, and these days use of liquid detergent equals or even exceeds use of solid detergent. This review paper describes the history, composition, types, mechanism, consumption, environmental effects and consumption of laundry detergents.     

Evaluation of enzymes for laundry products

Currently the two classes of enzymes finding favor as detergent additives are the proteases and amylases. Data are presented showing some of the desirable characteristics such enzymes must possess to be successfully employed as laundry products. Whereas it is easy to determine the activity of the enzymes with test tube assays using homogeneous substrates, translation to a practical method for laboratory evaluation in which apparent laundering ability is correlated with enzyme content has proved to be more difficult. Data are presented showing that, whereas EMPA 116 test fabric (uniformly stained with blood, milk and Japanese ink) is suitable for establishing the effectiveness of detergents containing proteases, the commonly employed EMPA 112 (stained with cocoa, milk and sugar) used for evaluating amylase-containing products is a poor choice for this purpose. This appears to be because both cocoa and milk contain proteins serving to bind the stains to the cloth. Accordingly, EMPA 112 responds to protease as well as amylase. An experimental test fabric, uniformly stained with starch and lampblack, has been prepared and has proved to respond solely to the amylase present in detergent formulations. Thus, it is now possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the amylase component in laundry products, independent of the influence of other enzyme systems that might also be present. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, New York, October, 1968.     

Formulation of colour-care and heavy-duty detergents: a review

The potential mechanisms of dye fading which can occur during domestic wash/wear cycles are reviewed. The physical routes which lead to fading are outlined and the appropriate formulation principles are discussed. Dye fading in heavy duty detergent products at low temperatures arises primarily from oxidative destruction of the dye chromophore by peracids, generated from hydrogen peroxide bleach in situ . The underlying principles of oxidative dye destruction by detergent bleaches are now so advanced that oxidative dye fading can be avoided by careful dye selection.     

Design von pulverförmigen und granularen Waschmitteln

In the last fifty years, powder and granular detergents have been significantly improved in performance and ecology: more concentrated (less chemicals), biodegradable surfactants, no phosphates, reduced water and energy consumption. The use of optimized enzymes and bleaching boosters enables lowered wash temperatures and the removal of natural stains. The production of solid detergents runs either in spray towers without and with compaction step, or in a non‐tower agglomeration plant. The latest generation of granulation with an integrated mill for simultaneous drying and grinding allows the production of spherical particles, which can be adjusted (small or large, heavy or light). Future formulations will enable lower washing temperatures.     

酶在现代洗净过程中的作用(英)(待续)

各种酶已经有效地帮助了现代家用和工业用洗涤剂的发展和改进。洗涤剂酶的主要类型（蛋白酶、脂肪酶、淀粉酶和纤维素酶）中的每一类为洗衣和自动洗碗机的应用提供了专门的好处。历史上,蛋白酶是一第一个在洗衣用洗洗剂中广泛的酶,酶除了提高洗争的水平外,还由于能够缩短洗涤时间、降低洗涤温度以及减少水的用量而节约能耗,从而对一半有利。当今,蛋白酶与脂肪酶和粉酶联合使用可以改善洗涤效果,尤其是在低 上的家用洗衣和工业     

木质素磺酸钠的改性及其作为洗涤助剂的研究

对木质素磺酸盐(LSs)的理化性能和其作为洗涤助剂的应用潜力进行了研究,讨论了其在洗涤配方中的作用及其机理。实验结果表明:木质素磺酸钠改性产物(GLS)比木质素磺酸钠(LS)具有更好的乳化力、起泡力和钙皂分散力;经过漂白处理后,LS的漂白产物(LSW)白度保持值为91.93%,而GLS的漂白产物(GLSW)白度保持值可达99.37%,基本对标准白布不造成沾污,消除了其对洗涤过程的负面影响;将LS及其改性产物应用于衣物洗涤剂配方中具有明显的增强皮脂去污力特性,为洗涤用品原料的选择提供了一个新的方向。     

The role of enzymes in modern detergency

Enzymes have effectively assisted the development and improvement of modern household and industrial detergents. The major classes of detergent enzymes—proteases, lipases, amylases, and cellulases—each provide specific benefits for application in laundry and automatic dishwashing. Historically, proteases were first to be used extensively in laundry detergents. In addition to raising the level of cleaning, they have also provided environmental benefits by reducing energy consumption through shorter washing times, lower washing temperatures, and reduced water consumption. Today proteases are joined by lipases and amylases in improving detergent efficacy especially for household laundering at lower temperatures and, in industrial cleaning operations, at lower pH levels. Cellulases contribute to overall fabric care by rejuvenating or maintaining the new appearance of washed garments. Enzymes are produced by fermentation technologies that utilize renewable resources.     

Industrial Home Laundry Closed Loop Cleaning Process

This study presents a method to develop an efficient and economical system for cleaning home laundry on a commercial scale with both water and chemical (detergent) reuse. The experiments were done using an industrial-type horizontal-axis machine, two leading consumer heavy-duty liquid laundry detergents, one I&I detergent formulation, and chlorine bleach. The technical feasibility of reusing laundry water at high levels without significant deterioration in detergency was established in this study. Warm water (40 °C) was used in the wash cycle, and cold water (29 °C) was used for three rinse cycles. In the integrated process, waters from wash and rinse steps were treated using tubular microfiltration units with 0.1 μm pore size to remove particles and emulsion droplets. These recovered waters were recycled to be reused. In addition, water recycled from the wash step contains surfactants that can be reused. In order to simulate a large-scale industrial laundry operation at steady-state, the batch process used here was operated six times in sequence; wash and rinse waters were filtered after each cycle and reused in the next wash cycle. The surfactant recovery is over 40%. Soiled test strips were used to measure the percentage of soil removal after the wash/filtration sequence for stains and various liquid or particulate soils. The soil removal remained practically constant under simulated steady-state conditions even with water recoveries of nearly 90%. Softness of towels remained unchanged when recycled water was used in this process. Chlorine carry-over from white laundry to the wash process was shown to be minimal. This is important to avoid color fading in mixed loads upon reuse since water is not segregated for colored laundry versus white laundry. Hardness ions can precipitate fatty acids which reduce flux during filtration and decrease surfactant recovery. Preliminary analysis of the different formulations used indicates that an all-nonionic formulation may be best suited to this recycling process.

Measurement of enzyme laundry product dust levels and characteristics in consumer use

Prior to the adoption of improved dust control measures, some factory workers developed allergic respiratory symptoms during the manufacture of enzyme laundry detergents. Since then, the industrial hygiene problem is being brought under control by maintaining dust exposure below levels where allergic respiratory symptoms develop. However, the fact that enzyme allergies could develop in manufacturing plants prompted questions from outside the soap and detergent industry regarding consumer safety of enzyme detergents. Although detergent dust levels in consumer use were known to be very low, a comprehensive testing program was undertaken to place quantitative dimension on the difference between home use and factory operation. Levels and characteristics of detergent dust and enzyme dust generated during home use of laundry detergents have been measured using specialized equipment and procedures. Data from laboratory and in-home studies confirm that laundry products containing an agglomerated enzyme complex are safe from the standpoint of potential consumer exposure to enzyme dust. Even under conditions of excessive home use, consumer exposure is extremely low and can be compared to only a minute fraction of the industrial exposures which are considered to be safe.     

Low-water laundering

High-efficiency clothes washers, or front-loading tumbler washers, use much less water and energy for a complete wash cycle than agitator washers. Washing comparably sized loads in less water creates challenges for laundry detergents. This paper reviews federal government efforts to increase washer efficiency, operating dynamics of the tumbler vs. the current agitator washer, the impact on detergent formulation, and the current status of high-efficiency washer adoption by U.S. consumers.     

Detergent raw material trends in western europe

Household detergent sales during 1975 in Western Europe totaled more than $4 billion and are expected to continue to grow at approximately 3 to 4 percent annual increments during next decade. There is a trend toward more uniform formulations, but factors affecting future market growth include washing practices and conditions that vary from nation to nation. Demand for surfactants is dominated by LAS, accounting for 80 percent of total synthetic actives used in laundry detergent, with increasing use of linear alcohol ethoxylates. Environmental considera-tions, cost, and energy savings are factors in a trend toward less use of phosphate, compensated by greater use of LAS or ethoxylate or both to maintain clean-ing performance. New investment in detergent raw materials is more likely for detergent alcohols and alpha olefin derivatives, and not in LAB. The Soap and Detergent Association 1977 Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, Boca Raton, FL.     

Copper Chelants and Antioxidants in Laundry Detergent Formulations Reduce Formation of Malodor Molecules on Fabrics

For consumers who use laundry detergents, a top unmet need is to reduce malodor that can persist on fabrics, even after washing and drying. A known source of odor is autoxidation of residual sebum on fabric, leading to the generation of an array of odiferous compounds. To prevent this oxidation process, two technologies were evaluated: (i) antioxidants to scavenge radicals and (ii) metal chelants to inhibit the involvement of copper ions as catalysts in the autoxidation process. Copper is a common component of sweat, soil, and municipal water supplies, especially where copper piping is involved, which is typical in many US homes and businesses. For the evaluations, swatches of fabric were treated with artificial sebum, then washed in commercial washing machines with tap water containing laundry detergent, and dried using commercial dryers. Copper added to the wash at a level representative of consumer homes substantially increased the formation of known malodor molecules. Copper chelants [in particular, diethylenetriamine (DETA)] added to the wash were effective in inhibiting the formation of malodor molecules. In combination with antioxidants [in particular, methyl 3-(3, 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate (MtBHPP)], the inhibitory effect was greater. Even at low concentrations (<1%), DETA and MtBHPP were effective at inhibiting the generation of known malodor molecules on fabrics. As DETA and MtBHPP meet performance, cost, and stability considerations, they hold promise for use in high-quality commercial laundry detergent products designed to eliminate malodor on consumer fabrics.