United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 4,537,604 Dawson 45 Date of Patent: Aug
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United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 4,537,604 Dawson 45 Date of Patent: Aug. 27, 1985 54 ABRASIVE AGGLOMERATES FOR USE IN 4,111,666 9/1978 Kalbow ................................. 51/298 4,122,025 10/1978 Kiewert et al. ...... ... 252/55 SCOURING CLEANING COMPOSITIONS 4,157,387 6/1979 Benedict ............................... 51/298 75 Inventor: Peter L. Dawson, Upton-by-Chester, 4,181,633 1/1980 Colodney et al. 252/174.25 England 4,302,347 fi/1981 Straw et al. ...... ... 252/155 4,355,067 10/1982 Neveu ................................... 51/298 73 Assignee: Lever Brothers Company, New York, 4,396,525 8/1983 Rubin et al. ......................... 252/13 N.Y. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 21 Appl. No.: 528,186 955081 4/1964 United Kingdom. 22 Filed: Aug. 31, 1983 13451 19 1/1974 United Kingdom. 30 Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Paul Lieberman Assistant Examiner-Willie Thompson Sep. 1, 1982 GB United Kingdom ................. 8224.944 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Milton L. Honigi; James J. Jul. 19, 1983 GB United Kingdom ................. 8319441 Farrel 51) Int. Cl. ................................................ C09K3/14 52 U.S. Cl. ........................................ 51/298; 51/309; 57 ABSTRACT 252/88; 252/174.23; 252/174.25 Scouring cleaning compositions are disclosed in which 58. Field of Search .................... 51/298, 309; 252/88, the abrasive agent consists of agglomerates of finely 252/140, 155, 174.23, 174.25 divided abrasive material and an organic binder for agglomerating such material. Compositions of the in 56 References Cited vention have good soil-removing properties and in U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS proved non-scratching behavior. They are useful as 3,387,956 6/1968 Blue ...................................... 51/298 powdered or liquid household products as well as skin 3,955,942 5/1976 Cordon et al. ........................ 51/298 cleaning products. 4,005,027 1/1977 Hartman .......... ... 252/155 4,089,943 5/1978 Roberts et al. ....................... 51/298 23 Claims, No Drawings 4,537,604 1. 2 nology, which are large enough and strong enough to ABRASIVE AGGLOMERATES FOR USE IN abrade soils, such as grease, jam, bath scum, etc., yet SCOURING CLEANING COMPOSITIONS deform or disintegrate when the substrate is contacted. In a preferred embodiment the present invention pro The present invention relates to scouring cleaning 5 vides non-scratching, scouring cleaning compositions in compositions in dry or liquid form. It is concerned with which the abrasive agent is formed by friable, deform compositions in which the abrasive material does not able agglomerates consisting essentially of abrasive scratch or damage weak or soft materials but still exhib material, the particles of which have initial sizes all its excellent abrasive properties. below 20 microns, at least 80% by weight thereof being In the prior art, many scouring cleaners have been 10 below 10 microns, and an organic binder agglomerating described. Normally, scouring compositions consist of said abrasive material. one or more abrasive materials, usually water-insoluble, The abrasive materials that can be used in the compo one or more inorganic salts, usually alkaline, and op sitions according to the present invention may be any of tionally one or more surface-active materials. Other those known in the prior art. compounds, for example oxidizing or reducing 15 It is preferred that the maximum particle size is 10 bleaches, stabilizers for any bleach constituent, perfume microns, but it can be tolerated that up to 20% by and agents especially directed to thickening, colouring, weight of the mineral has sizes above 10 microns, pro complexing, soil-suspending, can be included if desired. vided all sizes are below 20 microns. The abrasive particles conventionally used are irregu Preferably 25 to 80% by weight of the abrasive parti larly shaped, powdered or ground materials of average 20 cles have sizes below 2 microns. As particles of such particle diameter of about 10 to 100 microns. smallness are non-scratching, irrespective of their hard However, it is not desirable for the abrasive particles ness on Moh's scale, a wide range of minerals may be to scratch or damage the substrate from which soil has used. Thus, dolomites, aragonites, feldspars, various to be removed and thus they are selected by virtue of forms of silica, aluminas, gypsum, clays, kaolins, etc., or their being softer than the substrate, yet harder than the 25 mixtures thereof are all suitable basic abrasive materials. soils they are intended to remove. Particularly suitable is calcite, for instance limestone, Cheap and effective minerals selected from abun chalk or marble, such as those forms of calcite referred dantly occurring constituents of the earth's crust, such to in British Patent Specification No. 1 345 119. as calcite, chalk, marble, dolomite, feldspar or quartz An important economical advantage of the present have been found suitable for cleaning ceramic, stone, 30 invention is the possibility to use and upgrade poor vitreous enamel, chromium and stainless steel surfaces, mineral material. Thus, material rejected for current but these abrasives are not suitable for cleaning more abrasive cleaners on the grounds of scratching or being sensitive surfaces like perspex, paint work, polished too soft when used at a conventional particle size of e.g. woodwork, melamine-faced laminates and PVC, with 50 microns, may be produced or obtained very cheaply out severe concurrent scratching and dulling. Reducing 35 at sizes below 10 microns for use in the present inven the particle size of the abrasive to below 10 microns tion. reduces scratching and dulling considerably, but soil In choosing suitable agglomerating agents, both me removal is also considerably diminished. chanical and chemical considerations should be taken The utilisation of softer particles in the preferred size into account. range for cleaning may prevent substrate damage, but 40 From the mechanical point of view, suitable binders for example a soft mineral such as pure gypsum (cal for the present invention are selected on the basis of two cium sulphate) is too weak to abrade typical soils effi criteria applied to a cast bar of the agglomerate: ciently and has the further disadvantage of being solu (a) the flexural strength and (b) the elastic and plastic ble in water, whereas the pure, naturally occurring properties. These properties are influenced by the clays and talcs break down to platelets very easily and 45 binder and its ratio to the mineral in a complicated neither scratch nor clean. The use of powdered poly manner and are believed to be important for the non mers as abrasives does satisfy the criteria for good de scratching behaviour of the agglomerated particles. tergency of the soils found on modern plastic surfaces Thus, the scratch-determining property is both a func with little or no substrate damage. Polyethylene, poly tion of the elasticity/plasticity of the agglomerates, i.e. styrene and polyvinylchloride powders have been sug 50 the amount of deformation that is possible when the gested as suitable. These, however, are relatively very agglomerates are brought into contact with the sub expensive for use in general household or institutional strate, and the friability relating to the mechanical cleaning compositions and are further ecologically un strength of the agglomerates, i.e. the tendency to break desirable agents in terms of disposal and waste of valu when brought into contact with the substrate. able natural resources. 55 The flexural strength of the agglomerate can be mea It has now been found that non-scratching abrasive sured by means of a 3-point breaking force test. In this particles having good cleaning properties can be made test, semi-circular cross-section bars of the agglomer by agglomerating substantial proportions of finely di ated material with radius 4 mm are supported horizon vided mineral material with organic binder. Accord tally (curved side up) on piers 17 mm apart. A gradually ingly, it has been found that compositions containing 60 increasing downward force is applied to the middle of said abrasive agglomerates have good soil-removing the bar until it breaks. Materials exhibiting flexural properties, yet are substantially non-scratching. strengths above about 1.5 kg have been found suitable It has also been found that inclusion of said abrasive to provide abrasive powders of sufficient strength to agglomerates in a cosmetically acceptable base provides clean typical soils efficiently. Flexural strengths of a very mild cosmetic scouring composition which does 65 about 3 to 6 kg are preferred and in particular 4 to 5.5 not roughen or abrade the human skin. kg. The achievement of such strengths in combination By choosing a binder with the correct mechanical with a non-scratching behaviour has been found to be properties, particles can be made by using simple tech by way of careful selection of the organic binder with 4,537,604 3 4 due regard to its elastic or plastic behaviour and the dolomites and gypsum. Some minerals, e.g. the feld selection of particle size distributions giving optimal spars and carbonates, exhibit amphoteric behaviour. packing, which can be suitably quantified by the micro Suitable anionic oil-soluble polar compounds include hardness of the agglomerates. In general, the agglomer fatty acids which preferably have more than 18 carbon ates should have a microhardness on the Vickers hard atoms in the alkyl chain; oxidized paraffins preferably ness scale in the range of 3 to 10, preferably 6 to 8. with chain lengths of 20 to 40 carbon atoms and acid An important consideration in selecting suitable bind numbers of about 100 to 150; polyethylene waxes (mol. ers is also the chemical stability of the agglomerates, for weights of about 2000) preferably having acid numbers instance when used in an aqueous alkaline surfactant of about 10 to 30; montanic acids preferably having acid suspending medium.