WO2001038468A1 - Use of dirt-removing formulations for treating surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of formulations containing selected tensides, for repeatedly treating solid surfaces during or after cleaning processes in order to make subsequent stains or contamination easier to remove from the treated surfaces using conventional products than they would be were they to bond with surfaces that had not been treated with the inventive formulations.

Description

 "Use of formulations for the treatment of surfaces to temporarily improve the dirt release behavior"

The invention relates to the use of formulations containing selected surfactants for the repeated treatment of solid surfaces during or after cleaning operations, with the result that subsequent soiling or contamination from the surfaces thus treated are easier to remove using conventional means than if the soiling or contaminations adhere to surfaces that have not been treated with the formulations according to the invention.

When cleaning surfaces, especially surfaces that are contaminated with stubborn dirt, great effort is often required to remove all residues from the surfaces as far as possible. From the chemical side, the cleaning agent manufacturing industry offers agents which, because of their good effectiveness, are largely suitable for removing most impurities. The manufacturers of cleaning machines or systems help to remove impurities from a wide variety of surfaces through clever system design and coordinated processes.

Although this interaction of detergents, mechanics, temperature and time works without problems in many cases, there is a need, for economic and ecological reasons, for cleaning processes with less and / or better tolerated detergents and / or in a shorter time and / or at a lower temperature and / or with less mechanical / mechanical and / or manual effort. In practice, it is common for a process parameter, such as time, chemistry, temperature or mechanics, to simultaneously increase another process parameter. This has the disadvantage that an improvement can be achieved in one criterion, for example in the use of chemicals, but this means that a deterioration in other criteria must be accepted, for example in the case of temperature or excessive energy consumption or lengthening of the entire process.

The provision of surfaces with permanently adhesive connections would reduce the cleaning effort. However, it has been found in practice that the compounds used for this permanent equipment based on fluoroaliphatic silyl ethers or other systems based mostly on silicon compounds or fluorine compounds generally have various disadvantages. On the one hand, this permanent equipment is removed from the surface over several cleaning processes contrary to its task, which leads to a loss of the dirt-repellent effect. The fact that in this way the strongly adhering connections, for example during the mechanical process, get into the washing device and into the lines and other peripherals, results in disadvantages such as deposits and precipitations up to fist-sized conglomerates of the coating in the cleaning device. The result is disruptions in the cleaning process right up to machine standstill. In addition, the silicon or fluorine compounds usually used for permanent equipment are generally hardly degradable and are therefore of concern for ecological reasons.

Therefore, the object of the present invention was not to achieve permanent equipping of surfaces with dirt-repellent compounds, but instead to look specifically for formulations for the treatment of surfaces that can be applied during or after a cleaning process, and for as long as the surface in to put a condition that Dirt or contamination from the surfaces treated in this way can be removed more readily using customary agents than with surfaces that are just so contaminated or contaminated, the surfaces treated in this way being to lose the desired effect if the treatment is not renewed during or after the next cleaning process.

The present invention thus relates to the use of formulations for the repeated treatment of solid surfaces during or after a cleaning process, the formulations comprising one or more components selected from the group of non-alkoxylated surfactants containing alkyl groups with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group Contain with 8 to 22 C atoms, in order to remove the contamination or contamination with later means in the event of later contamination or contamination of the surfaces treated in this way using conventional means than with identical contaminated or contaminated identical surfaces which have not been treated with the claimed formulations ,

The present invention understands conventional agents to be alkaline, neutral or acidic agents which, depending on the surface and cleaning method, can be mixed with different ingredients, such as surfactants, enzymes, oxidants, complexing agents, chlorine derivatives, antimicrobial agents, corrosion inhibitors or other ingredients.

In the use according to the invention, it is preferred that in the formulations to be used according to the invention one or more components selected as the non-alkoxylated alkyl group-containing surfactant from the groups of a) alkyl sulfates having a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, particularly preferably with 10 to 16 C atoms and very particularly preferably sodium lauryl sulfate, b) alkyl glucosides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms, particularly preferably with 10 to 16 C atoms and very particularly preferably lauryl glucoside . c) Fatty acid ethanolamides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms, particularly preferably with 10 to 16 C atoms and very particularly preferably laurylethanolamide, are contained.

A fundamental property of surfactants is to reduce surface tension and to increase the hydrophilicity on surfaces. Those skilled in the art, who are given the object of the present invention and who believe that they can simply use any surfactant to achieve the desired effect, are quickly taught another. As can also be seen from the examples, the effect achieved by the present invention cannot be achieved by every surfactant.

In the event that the formulations to be used according to the invention contain lauryl glucoside, these formulations are preferably used in such a way that the treated surface receives additional antimicrobial protection due to the antimicrobial properties of lauryl glucoside.

The formulations to be used according to the invention preferably additionally contain one or more antimicrobial components selected from the groups of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobial acids, carboxylic acid esters, acid amides, phenols, phenol derivatives, diphenyls, diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen and nitrogen acetals and formals, benzamidines , Isothiazolines, phthalimide derivatives, pyridine derivatives, antimicrobial surface-active compounds, guanidines, antimicrobial amphoteric compounds, quinolines, 1, 2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane, iodo-2-propynyl-butyl-carbamate, iodine, iodophores, peroxides, it being particularly it is preferred if the formulations according to the invention as antimicrobial components one or more compounds selected from ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, 1, 3-butanediol, phenoxyethanol, 1,2-propylene glycol, glycerol, undecylenic acid, citric acid, 2-benzyl 4-chlorophenol, 2,2'-methylene-bis- (6-bromo-4-chlorophenol), 2,4,4'-trichloro- 2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether, N- (4-chlorophenyl) -N- (3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea, N, N '- (1, 10-decanediyldi-1-pyridinyl-4-ylidene) bis (1-octanamine) dihydrochloride, N , N'-bis (4-chlorophenyl) -3.12-diimino-

2,4,11, 13-tetraaza-tetradecanediimidamide, quaternary ammonium compounds or alkyl amines, guanidines, amphoterics.

It is further preferred that the formulations additionally contain one or more further surfactants selected from the groups of the anionic, cationic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactants, the alkylamine oxides, the phosphoric acid esters and their salts and the silicone compounds, it being particularly preferred that the inventive formulations to be used as a further nonionic surfactant contain an alkoxylated alkyl alcohol with 8 to 22 C atoms in the alkyl chain, particularly preferably from the group of the mixed ethoxylates / propoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols with 8 to 22 C atoms in the Alkyl chain and the end group-capped ethoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols with 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and very particularly preferably from the group of ethoxylated and propoxylated alkyl alcohols with 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl part, butyl ether of an ethoxylated alkyl Alcohol with 12 to 22 C- Atoms in the alkyl part and methyl ether of an ethoxylated alkyl alcohol with 12 to 22 C atoms in the alkyl part, it also being preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention as a further nonionic surfactant have at least one alkyl polyglucoside with 8 to 14 C atoms in the alkyl group and Contain 1 to 5 glucose units and, in a very particularly preferred embodiment, the surfactants contained in the formulations to be used according to the invention have defoaming properties, this embodiment being particularly preferred when, for example, the elimination of surfactants with defoaming properties causes strong foaming and the cleaning or rinsing process in any form would be hindered.

In a further preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention additionally contain solubilizers, for example Cumene sulfonate, monohydric alcohols, such as isopropanol, butanol, ethanol, and polyhydric alcohols, such as glycols or glycerol and their ethers and esters.

It is further preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are present in a dosage form selected from aqueous solution, gel, emulsion, paste, dispersion, powder, granules, flakes, beads, tablets, block-like shaped bodies, extrudate, it being particularly preferred if the formulations used consist of a non-aqueous dosage form and a water-soluble casing, which is preferably based on polyvinyl alcohol, and if the water-soluble casing contains a part of the formulation components with very particular preference.

It is further preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention, depending on the type of soiling, process, machine and other conditions, are applied in undiluted or diluted form to the surface, it being particularly preferred that the surface to be treated is immersed is treated. In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are used in undiluted or diluted form on the surfaces to be treated using auxiliaries which can be selected from brushes, sponges, rollers, cloths, rags, brushes, wipers, Rubber, pug, flat mop covers, spray devices is applied.

It is further preferred to dilute the formulations to be used according to the invention with water to concentrations below 15000 ppm, particularly preferably to 15 to 10000 ppm and very particularly preferably to 50 to 1000 ppm and to apply to the surfaces to be treated in this concentration. The contact time between the formulations to be used according to the invention and the surfaces to be treated is preferably at least the time is necessary to wet the surface to be treated, it being particularly preferred if the contact time is longer than 5 seconds and is particularly preferred if there is no rinsing with water after the contact. The treatment temperature is preferably 5 to 95 ° C and is particularly preferably between 20 and 85 ° C.

The formulations to be used according to the invention are preferably used for the treatment of surfaces made of plastic and / or glass and / or ceramic and / or porcelain and / or quartz and / or granite and / or metal and / or wood, it being particularly preferred that the surfaces to be treated of dishes, windows, tiles, floor coverings, wood and stone surfaces and floors and walls as well as coated or uncoated tanks or other containers, lines, conveyor belts, containers, such as reusable bottles made of glass, plastic, such as PET, or textiles.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, when using the formulations to be used according to the invention, it can be observed that, over a longer period of time, the wear, the susceptibility to scratching and the corrosion of plastics can be reduced.

It is also preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are brought into contact with the surfaces to be treated during or after manual or automatic dishwashing and / or cleaning operations, it being particularly preferred to use the formulations to be used according to the invention as rinse aid.

Another object of the present invention is a method for cleaning dishes, in which in at least one process step the dishes are brought into contact with agents which make the dishes treated in this way easier to clean after soiling in a next cleaning process than dishes who has not come into contact with these agents. - o -

Preferably, in the process according to the invention, foaming and non-foaming or weakly foaming surfactants come into contact with the dishes simultaneously or in succession. It is not important for the solution of the problem whether the foaming and non-foaming or low-foaming surfactants are added in the process in the form of a single agent or by adding several agents separately.

The present invention understands by foaming surfactants preferably non-alkoxylated alkyl group-containing surfactants with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 carbon atoms and particularly preferably non-alkoxylated alkyl group-containing surfactants selected from the groups of a) alkyl sulfates with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms, very particularly preferably with 10 to 16 C atoms and in particular sodium lauryl sulfate, b) alkyl glucosides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms, quite particularly preferably with 10 to 16 carbon atoms and in particular lauryl glucoside, c) fatty acid ethanolamides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 carbon atoms, very particularly preferably with 10 to 16 carbon atoms and in particular laurylethanolamide.

According to the present invention, nonionic or low-foaming surfactants are preferably nonionic surfactants based on the group of mixed ethoxylates / propoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, particularly preferably 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and / or on the basis of the end group-capped ethoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, particularly preferably 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, it being very particularly preferred if the end group capping of the ethoxylated alkyl alcohol represents a butyl ether or methyl ether function. The preferred embodiments of the agents to be used in the method according to the invention correspond to the preferred embodiments of the formulations to be used according to the invention.

Another object of the present invention is an agent for use in the method according to the invention, in which a foaming surfactant and a non-foaming or weakly foaming surfactant are present next to one another in the agent, sodium lauryl sulfate and / or lauryl glucoside and / or lauryl being used as the foaming surfactant -ethanolamide are included.

In a preferred embodiment, the agent according to the invention contains an alkoxylated alkyl alcohol from the group of the mixed ethoxylates / propoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, particularly preferably 12 to 22 carbon atoms, as the non-foaming or low-foaming surfactant in the alkyl chain.

In a further preferred embodiment, the agent according to the invention contains, as a non-foaming or low-foaming surfactant, an end-capped ethoxylate of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, particularly preferably 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, it being very particularly preferred is when the end group capping of the ethoxylated alkyl alcohol is a butyl ether or methyl ether function.

Example:

In a practical test, a rinse aid is applied to porcelain plates in a dishwasher during the washing process. It is examined how rinse aid, which corresponds to the formulations to be used according to the invention, has an effect on the soil release effect in comparison with commercially available rinse aid.

Carrying out the experiment:

1. Preparation of the plates to be coated In a household dishwasher (e.g. from Miele), dining plates for commercial use with a diameter of 25 cm at at least 70 ° C are completely cleaned with a commercially available dishwasher, such as Perclin Supra. These plates cleaned in this way are used for the experiments.

2. Prepare a one-tank dishwasher

The tank of a one-tank dishwasher (e.g. from Krefft) is filled with softened water and heated to an operating temperature of 60 ° C. The cleaning solution is adjusted so that the concentration of Perclin Supra in the tank is 1 g per liter of water.

The feed line for the rinse aid dispenser is connected between the boiler and the tank of the dishwasher (one-tank dishwasher). The grid position of the dosing device is set so that approx. 0.57 g of rinse aid is added per liter of softened water. The one-tank dishwasher is set to consume about 5 liters of softened water per rinse cycle. The temperature of the water in the rinse aid is set to 75 ° C.

3. Execution of the experiment:

In the single-tank dishwasher, which has now been prepared in this way, 6 cleaned dinner plates are inserted per experiment using a crockery basket. The dinner plates stand upright and offset in the crockery basket. The dishwasher is closed and the plates are subjected to a cleaning step with an aqueous Perclin Supra solution at 60 ° C. for 60 seconds. After the cleaning step, the rinse cycle begins. In experiment 1, the aqueous 70 ° C. solution of a commercial rinse aid 1 and in experiment 2 the aqueous 70 ° C. solution of a rinse aid 2 according to the invention are applied to the dinner plates by a spraying device. After the rinse cycle has ended, the dishwasher is opened and the crockery basket with the plates is removed. After cooling and drying at room temperature, the dinner plates treated in this way are soiled with starch contamination using a standardized test method. An approximately 6% aqueous solution is used for this After boiling, the composition containing corn starch is cooled to 75 ° C. and approx. 4 mL of it are applied to each plate with a brush. The plates treated in this way are left to stand for at least 3 hours and then allowed to dry at about 80 ° C. for 16 hours. After cooling, the plates are processed as described in the following text.

The cleaning step in the one-tank dishwasher is repeated with the dinner plates treated with different rinse aids according to experiment 1 and experiment 2 and then soiled. To do this, the tank of the one-tank dishwasher is again filled with softened water. 1 g of Perclin Supra dishwashing detergent is added per liter of softened water. The one-tank dishwasher is brought to an operating temperature of 60 ° C. The soiled plates are again placed in the dishwasher in an upright position using a crockery basket and the one-tank dishwasher is closed. The cleaning step, each lasting 60 seconds, is repeated five times, so that a total of five minutes are cleaned. Immediately afterwards, the dishwasher is opened and the crockery basket with the dinner plates is removed from the dishwasher. The dinner plates dry and cool at room temperature. To visualize the remaining starch residues, the dinner plates are briefly immersed in an iodine solution prepared as standard by dissolving iodine and potassium iodide in water.

The remaining starch soiling is made visible by means of

Comparators evaluated. The rating scale ranges from 0 = not clean (none

Starch distance recognizable) to 10 = optimally clean.

The dinner plates, which are treated according to experiment 1 with a commercial rinse aid 1, achieve an average value of 3.5.

The dinner plates, which are treated according to experiment 2 with a rinse aid 2 according to the invention and otherwise go through the same conditions, achieve one

Average of 6.5. 4. Rinse aids 1 and 2 and their influence on the result table:

When using a formulation to be used according to the invention, the evaluation of the cleaning result is three points better than in the case of dinner plates which are treated with conventional formulations.

Treatment with a formulation that contains sodium lauryl sulfate thus brings visible relief to the cleaning process of surfaces, as shown in the example of the dinner plate.

Claims

- ι patent claims 1. Use of formulations for the repeated treatment of solid surfaces during or after a cleaning process, the formulations one or more components selected from the group of non-alkoxylated alkyl group-containing surfactants with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms included, in the event of later contamination or contamination of the surfaces treated in this way, better to remove the contamination or contamination using conventional means than with identical surfaces which have been contaminated or contaminated and which have not been treated with the claimed formulations. 2. Use according to claim 1, characterized in that as the non-alkoxylated alkyl group-containing surfactant one or more components selected from the groups of a) alkyl sulfates with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, b) alkyl glucosides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms, c) fatty acid ethanolamides with a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms. 3. Use according to claim 2, characterized in that from group a) sodium lauryl sulfate is contained. 4. Use according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that from group b) lauryl glucoside is contained. 5. Use according to claim 4, characterized in that lauryl glucoside gives the treated surface an additional antimicrobial protection. 6. Use according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that from group c) lauryl-ethanolamide is contained. 7. Use according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the formulations additionally one or more antimicrobial components selected from the groups of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobial acids, carboxylic acid esters, acid amides, phenols, phenol derivatives, diphenyls, diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen -, nitrogen acetals and - formals, benzamidines, isothiazolines, phthalimide derivatives, pyridine derivatives, antimicrobial surface-active compounds, guanidines, antimicrobial amphoteric compounds, quinolines, 1, 2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane, iodo-2-propynyl-butyl-carbamate , iodine, iodophores, peroxides. 8. Use according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the formulations additionally contain one or more further surfactants selected from the groups of anionic, cationic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactants, the alkylamine oxides, the silicone compounds and the phosphoric acid esters and their salts. 9. Use according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that an alkoxylated alkyl alcohol having 8 to 22 carbon atoms is contained in the alkyl chain as a further nonionic surfactant. 10. Use according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the formulations additionally contain solubilizers. 11.Use according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the formulations as an aqueous solution, gel, emulsion, paste, dispersion, Powder, granules, flakes, beads, tablets, block-like shaped bodies, extrudate are present. 12. Use according to claim 11, characterized in that the formulations consist of a non-aqueous dosage form and a water-soluble shell, which is preferably based on polyvinyl alcohol. 13. Use according to claim 12, characterized in that the water-soluble casing contains part of the formulation components. 14. Use according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the formulations are applied to the surface in undiluted or diluted form. 15. Use according to claim 14, characterized in that the surface to be treated is treated by dipping. 16. Use according to claim 14, characterized in that the surface to be treated is treated with aids that can be selected from brushes, sponges, rollers, cloths, rags, brushes, wipers, rubber, mops, flat mop covers, spraying device. 17. Use according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the materials of the surface to be treated are selected from plastic and / or glass and / or ceramic and / or porcelain and / or quartz and / or granite and / or metal and / or wood. 18. Use of formulations according to claims 1 to 17 during or after manual or machine dishwashing and / or cleaning operations. 19. Use according to claim 18, characterized in that formulations according to claims 1 to 15 are used as rinse aid. 20. A method of cleaning dishes, in which in at least one process step the dishes are brought into contact with agents which make the dishes treated in this way easier to clean after soiling in a next cleaning process than dishes which do not contain these agents has come into contact. 21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the agents are selected so that foaming and non-foaming or slightly foaming surfactants come into contact with the dishes simultaneously or in succession. 22. The method according to any one of claims 20 or 21, characterized in that the agents used in the method are selected from one or more of the formulations to be used according to claims 1 to 19. 23. A composition for use in a process according to any one of claims 20 to 22, in which the composition contains a foaming surfactant and a non-foaming or low-foaming surfactant, characterized in that sodium lauryl sulfate and / or lauryl glucoside and / or lauryl is used as the foaming surfactant -ethanolamide is included. 24. Composition according to claim 23, characterized in that an alkoxylated alkyl alcohol from the group of the mixed ethoxylates / propoxylates of branched or unbranched alkyl alcohols having 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl part is present as a non-foaming or low-foaming surfactant. 25. Composition according to claim 23, characterized in that an alkoxylated alkyl alcohol from the group of the methyl- or non-foaming surfactant and / or butyl ether of ethoxylated alkyl alcohols containing 12 to 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl part.