Rinse aid composition and method of rising a substrate

• US 20050101516A1
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: Sowle, Eddie D., Lentsch, Steven Eugene, Hammerberg, Jessica Susan, Kieffer, Janel Marie
• Granted Patent: US 7,279,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 510/514
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/008 Polymeric surface-active agents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/72 Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/722 Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols having mixed oxyalkylene groups; Polyalkoxylated fatty alcohols or polyalkoxylated alkylaryl alcohols with mixed oxyalkylele groups C11D1/721 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/8255 containing a combination of compounds differently alcoxylised or with differently alkylated chains
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0026 Low foaming or foam regulating compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3707 Polyethers, e.g. polyalkyleneoxides

Abstract

A rinse aid composition and methods of making and using the same. A rinse aid composition may generally include an effective amount of a sheeting agent component, and an effective amount of a defoamer component. The sheeting agent component may include one or more alcohol ethoxylate compounds that include an alkyl group that includes 12 or fewer carbon atoms. The defoamer component may include an ethylene oxide containing surfactant configured for reducing the stability of foam that may be created by the one or more alcohol ethoxylate compounds of the sheeting agent in an aqueous solution.

Claims

1. A rinse aid composition comprising:

a sheeting component comprising a first compound and a second compound different from the first compound, the first and second compounds each independently having structure represented by formula I;

R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H 

 

(I)

wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₂)alkyl group, and

n is an integer in the range of 1 to 100; and

a defoamer component comprising a polymer compound including one or more ethylene oxide groups.

2. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the first compound, R is a (C₁-C₁₀)alkyl group.

3. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the first compound, R is a (C₈-C₁₀)alkyl group.

4. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the second compound, R is a (C₁₀-C₁₂)alkyl group.

5. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the first compound, R is a C₁₀ alkyl group.

6. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the second compound, R is a C₁₂ alkyl group.

7. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein for the first compound, R is a C₁₀ alkyl group, and for the second compound, R is a C₁₂ alkyl group.

8. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein n is an integer in the range of 10 to 50.

9. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein n is an integer in the range of 15 to 30.

10. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein n is 21.

11. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 50 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 50 weight percent or less of the second compound.

12. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 75 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 25 weight percent or less of the second compound.

13. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 85 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 15 weight percent or less of the second compound.

14. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the mole ratio of the first compound to the second compound is in the range of about 3:

1 to about 9;

1.

15. The rinse aid of claim 7, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 75 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 25 weight percent or less of the second compound.

16. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer component includes a polyether compound prepared from ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or a mixture thereof.

17. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer component includes a polyether compound prepared from ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or a mixture thereof in a homopolymer, block, or heteric copolymer structure.

18. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer component includes a polyalkylene oxide polymer.

19. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer exhibits a cloud point.

20. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer exhibits a cloud point in the range of about 40°

C. or higher.

21. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer exhibits a cloud point in the range of about 60°

C. or higher.

22. The rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoamer exhibits a cloud point in the range of about 80°

C. or higher.

23. The rinse aid of claim 1, wherein the defoamer is an ethylene oxide and propylene oxide co-polymer.

24. The rinse aid of claim 1, wherein the defoamer comprises a Pluronic surfactant.

25. The rinse aid of claim 1, wherein the defoamer comprises a Tetronic surfactant.

26. The rinse aid of claim 1, wherein the ratio of sheeting component to defoamer component within the rinse aid composition is in the range of about 1:

5 to about 5;

1 (by wt.).

27. A rinse aid composition comprising:

a sheeting component including two or more compounds having structure represented by formula (I);

R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H 

 

(I)

wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₂)alkyl group,

wherein n is an integer in the range of about 1 to about 100; and

a defoamer component comprising an ethylene oxide containing polymer that exhibits a cloud point;

wherein, when the rinse aid is mixed into an aqueous use solution at a temperature at or above the cloud point, the defoamer component interacts with the sheeting component to reduce the amount of stable foam produced by the sheeting component within the use solution.

28. The rinse aid composition of claim 27, wherein the sheeting component includes a first compound represented by formula (I) in which R is a (C₈-C₁₀)alkyl group, and a second compound represented by formula (I) in which R is a (C₁₀-C₁₂)alkyl group.

29. The rinse aid composition of claim 28, wherein for the first compound, R is a C₁₀ alkyl group, and wherein for the second compound, R is a C₁₂ alkyl group.

30. The rinse aid composition of claim 28, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 75 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 25 weight percent or less of the second compound.

31. The rinse aid composition of claim 27, wherein the defoamer component includes a polyether compound prepared from ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or a mixture thereof.

32. The rinse aid composition of claim 27, wherein the defoamer exhibits a cloud point in the range of about 40°

C. or higher.

33. The rinse aid of claim 27, wherein the defoamer is an ethylene oxide and propylene oxide co-polymer.

34. The rinse aid composition of claim 27, wherein the defoamer comprises a Pluronic surfactant.

35. The rinse aid composition of claim 27, wherein the defoamer comprises a Tetronic surfactant.

36. The rinse aid composition of claim 28, wherein the ratio of sheeting component to defoamer component within the rinse aid composition is in the range of about 1:

5 to about 5;

1 (by wt.).

37. A rinse aid composition comprising:

a sheeting component including a first compound and a second compound,

the first compound having the formula R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H,

wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₁)alkyl group, and

n is an integer less than or equal to 50,

the second compound having the formula R₁—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_m—

H,

wherein R₁ is a (C₁-C₁₃)alkyl group, and

m is an integer less than or equal to 50;

wherein the sheeting component includes about 50 weight percent or more of the first compound and about 50 weight percent or less of the second compound; and

a defoamer.

38. The rinse aid composition of claim 37, wherein the defoamer contains ethylene oxide groups.

39. The rinse aid of claim 37, wherein R is a (C₈-C₁₀)alkyl group.

40. The rinse aid of claim 37, wherein R₁ is a (C₁₀-C₁₂)alkyl group.

41. The rinse aid of claim 37, wherein the sheeting component includes about 75 weight percent or more of the first molecule and about 25 weight percent or less of the second molecule.

42. The rinse aid of claim 37, wherein the sheeting component includes about 85 weight percent or more of the first molecule and about 15 weight percent or less of the second molecule.

43. A method of making a rinse aid composition, the method comprising:

providing a sheeting component including a first compound and a second compound each having structure represented by the formula R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H, wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₂)alkyl group, and n is an integer less than or equal to 100;

providing a defoamer component including a compound containing ethylene oxide groups; and

mixing the sheeting component with the defoamer component.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein for the first compound, R is a (C₁-C₁₀) alkyl group.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein for the second compound, R is a (C₁₀-C₁₂)alkyl group.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein n is an integer in the range of 10 to 50.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 70 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 30 weight percent or less of the second compound.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein the step of mixing the sheeting component with the defoamer component includes extrusion.

49. A method for rinsing a substrate surface, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a rinse aid composition, the rinse aid composition including a sheeting component including a first compound and a second compound each having structure represented by the formula R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H, wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₂)alkyl group, and n is an integer less than or equal to 100, and a defoamer component including a compound containing ethylene oxide groups;

mixing the rinse aid composition into an aqueous use solution; and

applying the aqueous use solution to the substrate surface.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein for the first compound, R is a (C₁-C₁₀) alkyl group.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein for the second compound, R is a (C₁₀-C₁₂)alkyl group.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein n is an integer in the range of 10 to 50.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein the sheeting component includes in the range of about 70 weight percent or more of the first compound, and in the range of about 30 weight percent or less of the second compound.