Fast drying and fast draining solid rinse aid consisting essentially of a quaternary non-ionic surfactant mixture

• US 8,324,147 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2012
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kieffer, Janel Marie, Man, Victor Fuk-Pong, Lentsch, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyer, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/470,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20120225805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 510/514, 510/521, 510/524, 510/525, 510/220, 510/224, 510/421, 510/422
• 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 1/825 Mixtures of compounds all of which are non-ionic
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/18 Glass; Plastics
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0026 Low foaming or foam regulating compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0036 Soil deposition preventing compositions; Antiredeposition agents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/2068 Ethers
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/323 urea or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3707 Polyethers, e.g. polyalkyleneoxides
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/48 Medical, disinfecting agents, disinfecting, antibacterial, germicidal or antimicrobial compositions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to rinse aid compositions and methods for making and using the rinse aid compositions. The compositions of the invention include a sheeting agent, a defoaming agent, and an association disruption agent. The rinse aid compositions of the present invention result in a faster draining/drying time on most substrates compared to conventional rinse aids. The rinse aid compositions of the present invention are especially suitable for use on plastic substrates.

Claims

1. A solid rinse aid composition consisting essentially of:

(a) a sheeting agent, wherein the sheeting agent comprises at least one compound having the structure represented by formula I;

R—

O—

(CH₂CH₂O)_n—

H wherein R is a (C₁-C₁₂)alkyl group, and n is an integer in the range of 1 to 100;

(b) a defoaming agent comprising a polyoxypropylene-polyoxyethylene block copolymer surfactant;

(c-1) a first association disruption agent which is an alcohol alkoxylate EO/BO surfactant;

(c-2) a second association disruption agent which is a C₁₂-C₁₄ fatty alcohol EO/PO surfactant;

(d) a hardening agent.

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

3. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 2, wherein n is 21.

4. The solid rinse agent of claim 1 further comprising an additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of a carrier, a hydrotrope, a chelating/sequestering agent, an anti-microbial agent, a preservative, and combinations thereof.

5. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the sheeting agent is present at about 1 wt % to about 10 wt %.

6. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 1 wherein said hardening agent is one or more agents selected from the group consisting of:

stearic monoethanolamide, lauric diethanolamide, an alkylamide, a solid polyethylene glycol, urea, and a solid EO/PO block copolymer different from component (b).

7. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 6 wherein said hardening agent is urea.

8. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 1 wherein said hardening agent is present in an amount of up to about 50 wt %.

9. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 1, wherein the defoaming agent is present at about 20 wt % to about 50 wt %.

10. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 4 wherein said additional ingredient comprises a preservative.

11. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 4, wherein the additional ingredient comprises a carrier.

12. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 11, wherein the carrier comprises water.

13. The solid rise aid composition of claim 1 wherein said solid is a cast solid composition.

14. The solid rinse aid composition of claim 1 wherein said solid is an extruded solid composition.

15. A method for rinsing ware in a warewashing application comprising:

(a) providing a solid rinse aid composition according to claim 1;

(b) contacting the rinse aid composition with water to form a use solution; and

(c) applying the use solution to the ware.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said use solution comprises 2,000 ppm or less active materials.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said contacting is by spraying water on to a solid block of rinse aid.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said solid rinse aid is dissolved into a use solution by said spraying.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said ware comprises plasticware.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the ware dries within about 30 to about 90 seconds after the aqueous solution is applied to the ware.