1. Field of the Invention
This invention deals with liquid detergent products.
2. Description of the Art Practices
In recent years, it has become common for detergent manufacturers to move away from powdered or granular detergent products to liquids. The liquid detergents usually contain a substantial amount of water in the product. Liquid detergent products are considerably easier to manufacture than are granular detergent products. The latter materials require a substantial amount of capital investment for spray-drying towers. Additionally, a consumer preference has emerged for the liquid products due to their more concentrated form. Most liquid detergent products do not contain the inert inorganic material which is required to give spray-dried granules their crisp, non-caking structure. Accordingly, the liquid detergent products are used in much smaller amounts while giving approximately the same level of active ingredients in the wash water.
A second consumer preference is for a product having a desirable viscosity. Products which are water-thin are not desirable. In part, products which are too thin are more likely to be spilled by the consumer when attempting to handle the approximately four-litre bottles in which liquid detergents are commonly packaged. Another advantage of liquid detergent products is that they can be applied directly to a heavily soiled portion of a garment. In such cases, raising the viscosity of a normally thin liquid detergent product allows the detergent to stay on the soiled area longer. A market also exists for shampoo, liquid hand soaps, body soaps, dishwashing liquids, cosmetics and personal care products having a relatively high viscosity.
Various methods of thickening liquid detergent products are known in the art. These methods employ cellulosic polymers such as carboxymethylcellulose, guar gums, xanthan, colloidal silicates or clays. The glucoside ester-ether adducts as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,090 to Kinney issued May 22, 1984 are suggested as thickeners for olefin sulfonates.
The use of short chain alkyl polyglycosides to reduce viscosity in aqueous liquid detergent compositions is taught in Urfer et al Ser. No. 529,435, filed Sept. 6, 1983. Pat. No. 4,488,981 issued Dec. 18, 1984. The particular glycosides taught by Urfer are those materials containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl portion and from 1 to 10 saccharide units. U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,656 issued Nov. 23, 1965 to Boettner teaches the production of alkyl polyglycosides including those glycosides prepared from an oxo-undecyl alcohol, and as compounds, the 2,6,8-trimethyl-4-nonanol glycosides.
Renauto in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,633 issued Mar. 20, 1973 teaches aqueous built liquid detergent compositions disclosing alkyl polyglycosides and anionic surfactants in combination with inorganic detergent builders. U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,894 issued Mar. 7, 1978 to Langdon et al describes glycol-based anti-freeze products containing a glycoside for the purpose of foam suppression.
Payne et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,520 issued Aug. 2, 1983 describe the combination of alkyl polyglycosides and calcium-sensitive anionic surfactants in granular detergent compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,042 issued May 1, 1984 to Leslie describes the preparation of detergent products containing nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, anionic brighteners and glycosides in heavy-duty liquid detergent compositions.
Rau in U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,828 issued Aug. 14, 1984 described alkyl saccharides (glycosides) which are stated to have improved color due to the inclusion of a hydroxypolycarboxylic acid. Rau also discloses that the glycosides may be formed from a saccharide and a fatty alcohol containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which may be primary or secondary or having a straight or branched chain.
European Published Patent application No. 0070075 laid open on Jan. 19, 1983 to Cook et al describes alkyl polyglycoside detergent compositions which contain as an anionic cosurfactant an alkylk benzene sulfonate, an alkyl glycerol either sulfonate, an alpha-olefin sulfonate, an alkyl polyethoxy carboxylate or mixtures of the foregoing. Arnaduis in European Patent application Publication No. 0077167 published on Apr. 20, 1983 describes a process of manufacturing surface-active glycosides in the presence of reducing acids. The Arnaduis application states that the glycosides may contain branching in the hydrophobic portion and that the alcohol may be primary or secondary.
Mao in European Published Application No. 0092875 published on Nov. 2, 1983 discloses a process for the production of alkyl glycosides involving a wipe-film evaporator. Mao further teaches that the fatty portion of the glycoside may be a primary or secondary alcohol having straight or branched chains which may be either saturated or unsaturated and may contain ether linkages as well. Substantially similar teachings to European published application No. 0092875 are also found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,203 issued July 12, 1983 to the same inventor.
European Published Application No. 0096917 (laid open Dec. 12, 1983) to Farris describes the production of glycosides containing from 8 to 25 carbon atoms in the alcohol residue of the glycoside. The alcohol residue may be primary or secondary, straight or branched and obtained from a saturated or unsaturated material. European Patent Publications No. 0 105 556 to Jones et al made public Apr. 18, 1984 describes detergent products containing glycosides, nonionics, and anionics. Canadian Pat. No. 919,424 to Culver et al issued Jan. 23, 1973 describes alkaline drain cleaning compositions containing phosphate esters, and a glycoside or an anionic surfactant.
To the extent that the references mentioned herein are applicable to the present invention, they are incorporated by reference. Throughout the specification and claims, percentages and ratios are by weight, temperatures in degrees Celsius, and pressures in atmospheres over ambient unless otherwise indicated.