Claims
- 1. A detergent composition containing a mixture of surfactants, the mixture of surfactants comprising:
- (a) a hydrotropic surfactant which is a blend of a mono-salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl or ethyl ester of a fatty acid having from 12-16 carbon atoms and a di-salt of an alpha-sulfonated fatty acid, the ratio of mono-salt to di-salt being at least about 2:1;
- (b) an anionic surfactant;
- (c) an auxiliary foam stabilizing surfactant; and
- (d) a divalent cation selected from the group consisting of Ca.sup.++ and Mg.sup.++, where the amount of surfactant present in the composition as a salt of the divalent cation is at least 30% by weight of the mixture of surfactants,
- the weight ratio of the hydrotropic surfactant to anionic surfactant being from about 1:1.5 to 1:8, and the amount of the mixture of surfactants in the composition being from about 20 to 90% by weight.
- 2. A detergent composition according to claim 1, wherein the anionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of linear alkyl benzene sulfonates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 15 carbon atoms, alkyl sulfates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkyl alkoxy sulfates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms, the alkoxy portion has from 1-6 carbon atoms in each alkoxy group and the average degree of alkoxylation is from about 1 to 7, alpha-olefin sulfonates where the olefin portion is a straight or branched chain unsaturated hydrocarbon having from 8 to 24 carbon atoms, paraffin sulfonates having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms, C.sub.8 -C.sub.20 alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 secondary alkane sulfonates, C.sub.9 -C.sub.17 acyl-N-(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl) or -N-(C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl)glucamine sulfates, C.sub.18 -C.sub.18 secondary alcohol sulfates, C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 alkyl sulfoacetates and mixtures thereof.
- 3. A detergent composition according to claim 2, wherein the mixture of surfactants and divalent cation cooperate to substantially permanently maintain a clear detergent composition.
- 4. A detergent composition according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary surfactant is selected from the group consisting of fatty acid amides, long-chain alkylamine oxides, betaines, sultaines and C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohols and mixtures thereof.
- 5. A detergent composition according to claim 4, wherein the weight ratio of hydrotropic surfactant to anionic surfactant is from about 1:1.75 to 1:4.
- 6. A detergent composition according to claim 5, wherein the hydrotropic surfactant is a salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester having a ratio of mono-salt to di-salt of about 9:1.
- 7. A detergent composition according to claim 6, wherein the salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester is present in the mixture at a concentration of about 2 to 30% by weight.
- 8. A detergent composition according to claim 6, wherein the salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester is present in the mixture at a concentration of about 5 to 12% by weight.
- 9. A detergent composition according to claim 6, wherein the anionic surfactant is a magnesium salt of a linear alkyl benzene sulfonate and is present at between about 5% to 40% by weight of the composition.
- 10. A detergent composition according to claim 6, wherein the anionic surfactant is a magnesium salt of a linear alkyl benzene sulfonate and is present at between about 10% to 30% by weight of the composition.
- 11. A detergent composition according to claim 6, wherein the anionic surfactant is present at from about 2 to 70% by weight of the composition.
- 12. A detergent composition according to claim 11, wherein the amount of alpha sulfonated methyl ester is from about 3-25% by weight of the composition.
- 13. A detergent composition according to claim 11, wherein the amount of alpha sulfonated methyl ester is from about 7-12% by weight of the composition.
- 14. A detergent composition according to claim 12, wherein the fatty acid portion of the salt of alpha-sulfonated methyl ester has from an average of about 8 to 20 carbon atoms.
- 15. A detergent composition according to claim 13, wherein the fatty acid portion of the salt of alpha-sulfonated methyl ester has from an average of about 10 to 15 carbon atoms.
- 16. A detergent composition according to claim 13, wherein the fatty acid portion of the salt of alpha-sulfonated methyl ester has from an average of about 12 to 14 carbon atoms.
- 17. A detergent composition according to claim 16, wherein the anionic surfactant is a lauryl sulfate, a linear alkyl benzene sulfonate or a lauryl ethoxy sulfate having an average degree of ethoxylation of from about 1-7.
- 18. A detergent composition according to claim 16, wherein the anionic surfactant is a lauryl ethoxy sulfate having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 3.
- 19. A detergent composition according to claim 6, where the sole hydrotrope in the composition is the sulfonated methyl ester.
- 20. A detergent composition according to claim 1 prepared by a process where the divalent cation is added to the composition as a salt of the anionic surfactant.
- 21. A detergent composition according to claim 1 prepared by a process where the divalent cation is added to the composition as a divalent salt selected from the group consisting of halides of the divalent cation, sulfates of the divalent cation and oxides of the divalent cation.
- 22. A detergent composition according to claim 21, where the divalent salt is magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate or magnesium hydroxide.
- 23. A detergent composition containing a mixture of surfactants, the mixture of surfactants comprising:
- (a) a hydrotropic surfactant which is a blend of a mono-salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl or ethyl ester of a fatty acid having from 12-16 carbon atoms and a di-salt of an alpha-sulfonated fatty acid, the ratio of mono-salt to di-salt being at least about 2:1;
- (b) an anionic surfactant;
- (c) an auxiliary foam stabilizing surfactant;
- (d) a divalent cation where the ratio of the moles of divalent cation to the moles of surfactant is from about 1:2 to 1:1,
- the weight ratio of the hydrotropic surfactant to anionic surfactant being from about 1:1.5 to 1:8, and the amount of the mixture of surfactants in the composition being from about 20 to 90% by weight.
- 24. A detergent composition according to claim 23, wherein the anionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of linear alkyl benzene sulfonates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 15 carbon atoms, alkyl sulfates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms, alkyl alkoxy sulfates where the alkyl portion has from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms, the alkoxy portion has from 1-6 carbon atoms in each alkoxy group and the average degree of alkoxylation is from about 1 to 7, alpha-olefin sulfonates where the olefin portion is a straight or branched chain unsaturated hydrocarbon having from 8 to 24 carbon atoms, paraffin sulfonates having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms, C.sub.8 -C.sub.20 alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 secondary alkane sulfonates, C.sub.9 -C.sub.17 acyl-N-(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl) or -N-(C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl)glucamine sulfates, C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 secondary alcohol sulfonates, C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 alkyl sulfoacetates and mixtures thereof.
- 25. A detergent composition according to claim 24, wherein the mixture of surfactants and divalent cation cooperate to substantially permanently maintain a clear detergent composition.
- 26. A detergent composition comprising:
- (a) about 7 to 8% by weight of a blend of a mono-magnesium salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester of a fatty acid having an average of about 13.6 carbon atoms and a di-magnesium salt of the alpha-sulfonated fatty acid, the ratio of mono- to di-magnesium salts being at least about 2:1;
- (b) about 3 to 5% by weight of ammonium lauryl ethoxy sulfate having a degree of ethoxylation of about 3;
- (c) about 22 to 25% by weight of magnesium linear alkyl benzene sulfonate having 10-13 carbon atoms; and
- (d) about 4-6% of a fatty acid alkanolamide.
- 27. A detergent composition according to claim 26, where the fatty acid alkanolamide is a mixture of lauric acid monoethanolamide and myristic acid monoethanolamide.
- 28. A method for cleaning a hard surface comprising contacting the hard surface with an aqueous solution of the detergent composition of claim 1, where the active surfactant concentration in washing solution is from about 0.03 to 0.14% active.
- 29. A method for preparing a detergent composition containing a mixture of surfactants comprising the steps of:
- (a) preparing an aqueous anionic surfactant;
- (b) adding to the aqueous anionic surfactant a hydrotropic surfactant which is a blend of a mono-salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl or ethyl ester of a fatty acid having from 12-16 carbon atoms and a di-salt of an alpha-sulfonated fatty acid, the ratio of mono-salt to di-salt being at least about 2:1,
- the weight ratio of the hydrotropic surfactant to anionic surfactant being from about 1:1.5 to 1:8,
- where the mixture of surfactants contains a divalent cation selected from the group consisting of Ca.sup.++ and Mg.sup.++, the amount of surfactant present in the composition as a salt of the divalent cation being at least 30% by weight of the mixture of surfactants;
- (c) adding an auxiliary foam stabilizing surfactant to the mixture.
- 30. A detergent composition comprising:
- (a) about 4 to 10% by weight of a salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester of a fatty acid having an average of from about 12-14 carbon atoms;
- (b) about 3 to 21% by weight of alkyl ethoxy sulfate having a degree of ethoxylation of about 3;
- (c) about 5 to 20% by weight of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate having an alkyl chain of 10-13 carbon atoms; and
- (d) about 1-6% by weight of a nonionic surfactant.
- 31. A detergent composition comprising:
- (a) about 2 to 10% by weight of a salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester of a fatty acid having an average of from about 12-14 carbon atoms;
- (b) about 15 to 28% by weight of alkyl ethoxy sulfate having a degree of ethoxylation of about 3; and
- (d) about 1-6% by weight of a nonionic surfactant.
- 32. A detergent composition comprising:
- (a) about 3 to 10% by weight of a salt of an alpha-sulfonated methyl ester of a fatty acid having an average of from about 12-14 carbon atoms;
- (b) about 0.05 to 20% by weight of alkyl ethoxy sulfate having a degree of ethoxylation of about 3;
- (c) about 5 to 25% by weight of alkyl sulfate having an average alkyl chain of 8-18 carbon atoms;
- (d) about 1-6% by weight of a nonionic surfactant.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a continuation-in-part of International Application No. PCT/US94/11525 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 11, 1994, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/135,288, filed Oct. 12, 1993.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4772426 |
Koch et al. |
Sep 1988 |
|
5409640 |
Giret et al. |
Apr 1995 |
|
5454981 |
Sherry et al. |
Oct 1995 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
135288 |
Oct 1993 |
|