Processes for making liquid detergent compositions comprising a liquid crystalline phase

• US 10,640,738 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Thooft, Serge Omer Alfons Jean, Uyttersprot, Jan-Sebastiaan
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyer, Charles I
• Application Number:
  US15/187,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20160369213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/02 Anionic compounds C11D1/002, C11D1/004, C11D1/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/66 Non-ionic compounds C11D1/002, C11D1/004, C11D1/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/83 Mixtures of non-ionic with anionic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 11/00 Special methods for preparing compositions containing mixtures of detergents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/0026 Structured liquid compositions, e.g. liquid crystalline phases or network containing non-Newtonian phase
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/044 Hydroxides or bases
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/046 Salts
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/382 Vegetable products, e.g. soya meal, wood flour, sawdust

Abstract

Processes for making stable, structured, liquid detergent compositions, such as liquid laundry detergent compositions, having a high fraction of liquid crystalline phase. Related base mixes and laundry detergent compositions.

Claims

1. A process for making a detergent composition comprising the steps of:

a) providing a isotropic base mix, wherein the base mix comprises;

i. greater than about 15 wt % of surfactant, the surfactant comprising an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkyl sulphates, alkyl ethoxy sulphates, alkyl sulphonates, alkyl benzene sulphonates, fatty acid salts, and mixtures thereof, and

ii. 0.1 wt % to 1.2 wt % of a non-surfactant salts;

iii. between 1 wt % to 7 wt % of fatty acid;

iv. a hydrotrope, wherein the hydrotrope is selected from the group consisting of sodium xylene sulfonate, potassium xylene sulfonate, ammonium xylene sulfonate, sodium toluene sulfonate, potassium toluene sulfonate, ammonium toluene sulfonate, sodium cumene sulfonate, potassium cumene sulfonate, ammonium cumene sulfonate, a mixtures thereof;

b) adding non-surfactant salt to the isotropic base mix such that a resultant liquid detergent composition comprises at least about 15% of a liquid crystalline phase,

the non-surfactant salt being selected from the group consisting of salts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), salts of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), salts of hydroxyethane diphosphonic acid (HEDP), salts of diethylene triamine penta methylene phosphonic acid, and mixtures thereof;

wherein

the resultant liquid detergent composition further comprises from 12% to 30%, by weight of the liquid detergent composition, of surfactant.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the non-surfactant salt added to the isotropic base mix in step (b) is added to provide a level of at least about 1.5 wt % of non-surfactant salt in the liquid detergent composition.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant in the base mix of step (a) further comprises nonionic surfactant.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the base mix comprises less than about 15% by volume of liquid crystalline phase.

5. The process according to claim 1, further comprising:

c) adding an external structurant selected from the group consisting of;

non-polymeric crystalline, hydroxyl functional structurants;

microfibrillated cellulose;

uncharged hydroxyethyl cellulose;

uncharged hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose;

hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes;

hydrophobically modified non-ionic polyols; and

mixtures thereof.