text: in accordance with the present invention , there is provided a solid cleaning concentrate composition comprising a surfactant system , a solubilizer , an alkalinity source , and a solidifying carrier , diluent or processing aid . the composition of this invention is manufactured in a concentrate formulation through a series of steps which comprise heating the surfactant system and carrier in a mixing vessel , adding the alkali and solubilizer into the vessel , mixing the components to create a homogenous liquid composition , and forming the solid concentrate floor cleaning composition in a capsule . the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition of this invention may in turn , be dispensed through any variety means including a standard dilution , hydraulic dispensing , or the like . the first component of the solid cleaning concentrate is the surfactant system . the preferred surfactant system functions as a penetrant to add wettability to the composition allowing easy dilution and solubilization of the solid floor cleaning concentrate . the surfactant system also solubilizes fatty soils and lowers surface tension , thus adding surface activity to the composition . generally , the surfactant system may be composed of nonionic or anionic surfactants . preferably , the surfactant system is composed of nonionics as anionics surfactants tend to promote high foaming characteristics which make the manufacturing and application process of a floor cleaner more difficult . in contrast , nonionics provide good solvency and low surface activity with an ability to solubilize a wide variety of contaminants found on commercial floor environments . commonly used nonionics are those containing alkoxylate chains . specifically , onionics having ethoxylate chains ranging in length from about 6 moles to about 10 moles have been found to be of utility . generally , nonionics such as alcohol ethoxylates being either linear c 6 - 15 alcohols or branched c 6 - 12 alcohols are preferred . nonyl phenol ethoxylates have also been found to be of particular utility . moreover , the surfactant system is preferably a two constituent blend of nonionic surfactants . the first constituent , generally having a concentration around 10 % ± 2 %, is preferably a nonylphenol ethoxylate having about 9 to 10 moles of ethoxylation which imparts a hydrophilic character to the cleaning system as well as the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition . also , the high degree of ethoxylation adds wettability to the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition of the invention . preferably , the other constituent of the surfactant system is a nonylphenol ethoxylate surfactant having a lower degree of ethoxylation -- approximately 6 to 7 moles . the lower concentration of ethoxy groups adds nonpolarity to the composition of the invention and thereby imparts a lypophilic characteristic for solubilizing fatty soils . specific examples of nonionics useful in the surfactant system of the present invention are igepal 630 from gaf , makon 10 from stepan , and triton n101 from rohm & amp ; haas as common sources of the hydrophilic constituent of the present invention . a common example of chemicals which may be used for the lypophilic constituent of the surfactant system is igepal 530 from gaf . the concentration of the surfactant system within the entire concentrate composition ranges from about 7 % to 16 % and is preferably 10 % to 14 %, given a two constituent surfactant component . the overall concentration range of this component will be split between a hydrophilic constituent comprising about 10 %± 2 % and a lypophilic constituent comprising about 3 %± 1 %. the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition of the present invention also contains a solubilizer . the solubilizer imparts a degreasing character to the composition by solubilizing fatty soils and dirts . generally , the solubilizer is an organic solvent type constituent able to solubilize greasy soils which does not contribute a toxic character to the final concentrate product . specifically , exemplary chemicals used in the invention are compounds such as monoethanolamine , ethylene glycolmonobutyl ether , also known as butylcellosolve , or diethyleneglycol monoethyl ether , also known as carbatol , both available from union carbide corporation . generally , the composition of the present invention will contain approximately 5 % to 20 % and preferably 7 % to 9 % of solubilizer . the upper concentration of solubilizer is limited by the intended physical properties of the final solid concentrate composition . in other words , the use of too much solubilizer will result in the solid concentrate becoming maleable or soft . in contrast , lowering the concentration of the solubilizer results in a loss of solvency and , in turn , a loss of oily soil removing efficacy for the solid floor cleaning concentrate upon dilution and application . another element of the composition of the present invention is an alkalinity source . the alkali source raises the ph of the concentrate composition to greater than 9 with a useful range being 11 . 0 to 12 . 5 and a preferred range being 11 . 5 to 12 . 0 . the higher ph increases the efficacy of the chemical breakdown and facilitates the rapid dispersion of soils . the general character of the alkalinity source is only limited to those chemical compositions which have a greater solubility . that is , the alkalinity source should not assist in promoting the formation of filming salts . exemplary products which may be used as an alkalinity source are sodium hydroxide , or potassium hydroxide . also , volatile bases such as amines and , specifically , monoethanol amine may be used as an alkalinity source . these compounds are readily available from sources such as ppg , stouffer , dow chemical , ashland chemical , or union carbide corporation . the alkalinity source may be added to the composition as a liquid or solid . caustic ( naoh ) is commonly available in any variety of forms including solid beads or flakes or in solution . usually , the alkalinity source is present as naoh or koh in a concentration of 2 . 0 to 4 . 4 % of a 50 % ( w / v ) solution . the alkali concentration should be maintained at a level which facilitates cleaning yet doesn &# 39 ; t preclude removal of the floor cleaner from the surface of application after washing . the final element of the solid floor cleaning composition of the present invention is the carrier . during processing , the carrier converts the composition of the present invention into a cast solid . moreover , once converted into a solid , the carrier allows inert portable containment of the active ingredients , namely , the cleaning system , the alkalinity source , and the solubilizer within the composition . generally , the carrier may be any water soluble organic filler which creates a solid matrix . preferably , the organic filler used has a low concentration of inorganics , thus avoiding the formation of salts or residual films on the surface of application . a specific exemplary chemical which may be used is polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of approximately 3000 to 8000 commonly available from union carbide corporation . generally , the quantity of carrier is 15 % to 50 % and preferably 28 % to 36 %. the concentration of carrier should be adequate to form a solid cast product while still providing a material which is water soluble and can readily be dispensed into an aqueous system . table i______________________________________composition component concentration ranges working useful preferredconstituent range range range______________________________________surfactant 7 - 16 % 9 %- 15 % 10 - 14 % solublizer 5 - 20 % 5 %- 15 % 7 - 9 % alkali ph & gt ; 9 ph 11 - 12 . 5 ph 11 . 5 - 12 . 0carrier 15 - 50 % 25 %- 40 % 28 - 36 % ______________________________________ in accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a process for formulating the composition of the invention comprising the steps of heating the elements of the composition , mixing the heated elements , and forming the mixture into a solid usable concentrate mass . the first step of the process is heating the chosen surfactant and carrier components . the heating step melts the carrier component in the surfactant system to provide a homogenous mixture . this step also provides a liquid mixing environment for the solubilization and intermixing of the entire concentrate composition prior to solidification . specifically , the carrier is added to the surfactant system and the temperature of the mixture is raised to approximately 130 ° f . to 150 ° f . the preferred temperature will be above the melting point of the carrier but not so high as to char the mixture . the next step is the mixing of all the elements into the surfactant system / carrier mix . the mixing step provides for greater homogenization of the composition of the invention . specifically , alkali is added to the surfactant - carrier molten mixture while at a temperature of 130 ° to 150 ° f . next , the appropriate amount of solubilizer is added to the molten mixture . the effect of adding the solubilizer is to cool the composition and thus , lessen the exposure time to the fumes of the molten mixture . the final step in the process is forming the solid floor cleaning concentrate into a cast solid . the formation step is completed in a manner and at a rate which maintains the homogeneity of the mixture and allows for economical production of the composition . specifically , once completely mixed , the composition is poured at a temperature of approximately 115 ° to 130 ° f . into any of a variety of capsule containers . the preferred pouring temperature will allow for the efficient decanting of the molten mixture , yet , not be so great as to result in a phase separation of the mixture or create the need for extended cooling time . the composition may be formed into any weight or volume of solid composition . it has been found that the 1 to 10 pound capsules are commercially advantageous as they strike a balance between providing a readily portable volume and an economically optimal quantity of the floor cleaning concentrate . the forming step is completed by cooling the concentrate composition . preferably , the mixture is cooled in either a chilling or a water cooling tunnel having a temperature ranging generally from below 32 ° f . to 70 ° f . preferably , the temperature of the cooling tunnel will maintain an efficient and economical manufacturing process requiring a cooling time not exceeding 2 hours . once the solid floor cleaning concentrate of the invention is formed within the capsules , it may be shipped and dispensed in any variety of manners . common methods of dispensing the floor cleaner of the present invention include simple dilution , hydraulic dispensing , or the like . a preferred method of dispensing the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition of the present invention is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 569 , 780 to fernholz et al . specifically , the solid cast floor cleaning concentrate is surrounded on all sides but its upper surface by a capsule . the cast solid is then placed in a mechanism having a dispensing device designed to dispense liquid aqueous detergent from a solid cast detergent using an impinging liquid spray . the liquid aqueous detergent flows out of the dispensing device generally simultaneously with its formation in the dispenser . after dilution , the floor cleaner has a concentration ranging from about 0 . 10 % to 0 . 40 % and preferably 0 . 15 % to 0 . 30 %. this controlled dilution of the solid floor cleaning concentrate provides for a more accurate solubilization of the solid concentrate . thus , the dispenser prevents over - application of floor cleaner resulting from the mixing of too concentrated a solution and , in turn , provides a more economical use of the floor cleaning concentrate . upon application , the solid floor cleaning concentrate composition of this invention has a non - filming character . the working examples , provided below , exhibit the characteristics of the non - filming solid floor cleaning concentration of this invention upon application . comparative examples a - c and working examples 1 and 2 were prepared to exhibit the non - filming character of the working examples . all examples were prepared in accordance with the process of the present invention as detailed in the preceding paragraphs . specifically , five 10 % solutions each containing 50 grams of solids were prepared having constituent concentrations as shown in tables ii and iii . the first step in preparing the concentrate composition was to charge a 600 milliliter beaker containing water with the appropriate amount of nonyl phenol ethoxylate having 9 . 5 moles of ethoxylation and nonyl phenol ethoxylate having 6 . 5 moles of ethoxylation . the beaker was then placed on a hot plate and stirred . the appropriate amount of polyethylene glycol 8000 was then added to the beaker and the components were heated to 130 ° fahrenheit . during the heating process , the system was continually stirred . the elapsed time from room temperature until the mixture reaches 130 ° was approximately 10 minutes . the mixture was heated until the polyethylene glycol was melted . once the peg melted , the dye and solubilizer were added to the mixture . in this specific instance , both ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and monoethanolamine were used as a solubilizer . the composition is then mixed until it was homogeneous . at this point , the working examples were completed . however , in order to form the comparative examples , additional elements were added to the three remaining mixing flasks . to form comparative example a , cabosil or silicon dioxide was added at a temperature of 120 ° to 125 ° fahrenheit and mixed for 20 minutes . the silicon dioxide thickens the composition . once the viscosity of the mixture has increased , sodium tripolyphosphate and / or sodium metasilicate were added to the compositions during mixing . once an adequate dispersion of the sodium metasilicate and sodium tripolyphosphate was completed , these mixtures were then completed . the resulting formulations are shown in table ii as comparative examples and table ii as working examples . table ii______________________________________comparative examplesconstituents ex . a ex . b ex . c______________________________________nonyl phenolethoxylate 9 . 5 5 . 15 % 5 . 15 % 5 . 15 % nonyl phenolethoxylate 6 . 5 1 . 35 % 1 . 35 % 1 . 35 % polyethyleneglycol ( peg 8000 ) 15 . 5 % 15 . 5 % 15 . 5 % dye . 025 % . 025 % . 025 % ethylene glycolmonobutyl ether 3 . 5 % 3 . 5 % 3 . 5 % monoethanolamine 13 . 5 % 13 . 5 % 13 . 5 % sio . sub . 2 . 975 % -- . 975 % sodiummetasilicate -- 5 . 0 % 5 . 0 %(. 5h . sub . 2 o ) sodiumtripolyphosphate 5 . 0 % 5 . 0 % -- filming 2 2 3______________________________________ table iii______________________________________working examplesconstituents ex . 1 ex . 2______________________________________nonyl phenolethoxylate 9 . 5 5 . 15 % 5 . 15 % nonyl phenolethoxylate 6 . 5 1 . 35 % 1 . 35 % polyethyleneglycol ( peg 8000 ) 15 . 5 % 15 . 5 % dye . 025 % . 025 % ethylene glycolmonobutyl ether 3 . 5 % 3 . 5 % monoethanolamine 13 . 5 % 13 . 5 % sio . sub . 2 -- -- sodiummetasilicate . 5h . sub . 2 o -- -- sodiumtripolyphosphate -- -- filming 1 1______________________________________ comparative examples a , b , and c along with working examples 1 and 2 were uniformally applied to identical floor surfaces . all of the examples were then rated on the basis of their tendency to form a deposit or residual film upon the surface of application according to the following scheme . table iv______________________________________film ratingnumericalrating description comments______________________________________1 no film rating indicates that application of cleaner failed to form residual film on surface of application2 moderate rating indicates that a film thin chalk - like haze was left on the surface of application3 severe rating indicates that a film heavy chalk - like powdery residue was left on surface of application______________________________________ upon uniform application of equal concentrations of comparative examples a , b , and c as well as working examples 1 and 2 it was found that comparative examples b and c resulted in the formation of severe films . example a resulted in the formation of a moderate film . all three comparative examples a , b and c , resulted in at least a chalk - like formed a heavy chalk - like powdery residue . in contrast , working examples 1 and 2 failed to form a film when applied at a concentration and in a method which conformed to the same method used to apply the comparative examples .