Improvements in or relating to liquid detergent compositions and the manufacture thereof

摘要

A homogeneous aqueous detergent composition comprises (a) an anionic and/or non-ionic detergent, preferably in an amount of 5-35% by weight, (b) a foam-forming additive, preferably in an amount of 5-30% by weight, the amount of (a) and (b) together not exceeding 40% by weight, and (c) as a solubilizer, (i) an amide of carbonic acid or of formic acid containing not more than 2 carbon atoms, together with (ii) a non-detersive alkali metal, ammonium, or amine salt of an aryl or alkylaryl sulphonic acid containing 6-12 carbon atoms, or of an alkyl sulphuric acid containing 4-10 carbon atoms. Component (a) may be a condensate of ethylene oxide with tridecanol or nonylphenol, but is preferably sodium or ammonium dodecylbenzene sulphonate. Component (b) may have any of the formulae where RCO is a fatty acyl radical of 8-17 carbon atoms and R1 and R11 (which may be the same or different) are methylene, polymethylene, ethenoxy, propenoxy, polyethenoxy or a combination of ethenoxy and propenoxy groups. Preferred compounds of thio type are lauric diethanolamide or an ethylene oxide condensate with lauric monoethanolamide. Component (c)(i) may suitably comprise formamide, or dimethylformamide but is preferably urea, while component (c)(ii) may be sodium 2-ethylhexyl sulphate but is preferably an aryl or alkylaryl sulphonate containing 6-10 carbon atoms, such as sodium trimethylbenzene sulphonate, xylene sulphonate, or p-toluene sulphonate, or ammonium a -naphthalene sulphonate. The compositions may also include sodium or ammonium sulphates, methylated spirit or ethanol, perfume, and colour, and are preferably compounded by mixing components (a) and (c)(i) in the bulk of the water, mixing in component (b) in molten form, and then adding component (c)(ii) dissolved in the rest of the water. If both (a) and (c)(ii) are sulphonates, the composition may be prepared by mixing the unsulphonated precursors of (a) and (c)(ii), sulphonating the mixture, adding (c)(ii) and the water, followed by (b). The compositions generally have a pH of 6.5-8.5, which may be adjusted by addition of fatty acid or mineral acid such as sulphuric or hydrochloric acids.