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||||||||||||| US005225095A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,225,095 DiMaio et al. 45 Date of Patent: Jul. 6, 1993 (54) FOAM CONCENTRATE 3,772,195 l/1973 Francen ............................. 252/8.05 a VT 3,929,649 12/1975 Rossiny et al. ......................... 252/3 (75) Inventors: Louis R. DiMaio, Wilmington, Del.: 4,203,850 5/1980 Wirtz et al...... ... 252/8.05 Peter J. Chiesa, Jr., Wallace, Calif. 4,209,407 6/1980 Schuierer et al. ...................... 252/3 4,439,329 3/1984 Kleiner et al. ...... ..... 252/8.05 (73) Assignee: Chubb National Foam, Inc., 4,594, 167 6/1986 Kobayashi et al. ..................... 252/3 Lionville, Pa. Primary Examiner-Richard D. Lovering (21) Appl. No.: 739,648 Assistant Examiner-N. Bhat 22 Filed: Aug. 2, 1991 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Anna E. Mack 51) Int. Cl. ................................ B01J 13/00 57 ABSTRACT 52 U.S. C. ........................................ 252/307; 252/3; An improved foamable protein hydrolysate based con 252/8.05; 252/350; 252/351; 252/352; 252/356; centrate is provided containing multivalent cations and 252/382.252/314 a water soluble polymer, which remains stable in stor 58) Field of Search ................... 252/350, 3, 307, 351, age for at least six months and which, when diluted with 252/352, 382, 8.05, 356, 314 10 to 50 parts of water and mixed with air to generate a (56) References Cited foam, produces a foam which lasts essentially un U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS changed for at least three days. 3,669,898 6/1972. Butler .................................. 252/307 24 Claims, No Drawings 5,225,095 1. 2 glycols, and glycol ethers are often added to enhance FOAM CONCENTRATE foamability. Within the described technology, foams have been made to persist up to 36 hours in some cases. BACKGROUND Other technologies utilizing synthetic surfactants in Foaming concentrates based on protein hydrolysate combinations with hydrocolloids such as polysacca have been known and used since before 1940 for use as rides are known for producing copious stable foams. fire fighting agents, for crop protection and for a vari But there is no established prior art foam demonstrating ety of other applications. Frequently, a specific end use foam persistence for several days which can be made application will require a foam which is copious and available in a practical and stable foam concentrate. persistent. Such foams are commonly achieved by the 10 addition of certain metal salts such as those of calcium, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION zinc, and iron. There are also foaming agents commer For many applications it is desirable to produce a cially available which produce stable foams persistent foam which is persistent for several days. Examples of for up to several hours. Other ingredients are often such applications are as temporary covers for landfills added to impart shelf life stability, lower the freezing 15 and waste piles, covers for spills of hazardous materials point, and/or to alter the viscosity. and crop protection against frost. Beyond these, there In order to achieve additional persistence, beyond are possibilities for use of a foam which drains its water several hours, water soluble polymers (hydrocolloids) very slowly or not at all in fire fighting applications have been added to the concentrate. However, of those such as establishing a fire line in brush fires and forest few polymers which are effective, most are reactive 20 fires. There also can conceivably be a need for such a with the metal ions which are necessarily a part of the foam in industrial applications. formulation. Additionally, the incorporation of a hy This invention allows production of a practical and drocolloid into the concentrate in a sufficient amount to stable concentrate which when diluted 10 to 50 times render the foam persistent for several days (without with water can produce a copious and persistent foam regard to any interactions with other constituents) in 25 creases the viscosity of the concentrate beyond any which can last at least (3) three days and even beyond usefulness. Thus, there is no known prior art protein (6) six days depending on the mode of application, envi hydrolysate based foam concentrate containing an ef. ronmental and climatic conditions. The invention uti fective water soluble polymer which exhibits any prac lizes protein hydrolysate derived from a source of kera tical storage stability. Furthermore, it has been gener 30 tin such as hoof and horn meal, chicken feathers, or ally regarded by those skilled in such art that a protein animal hide. To the hydrolysate is added multivalent hydrolysate concentrate containing multivalent cations metal salts such as ferrous chloride, ferrous sulfate, and an effective polymer is not practical. ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, calcium chloride and/or In the past such polymers were premixed in water zinc chloride. To achieve enhanced foam persistence and added to a foam solution premix of the concentrate 35 beyond that known in the art, a water soluble polysac just prior to use. After premixing, the concentrate was charide polymer is added to the concentrate at a level further diluted for foam production. This two part mix which normally would render a simple aqueous solution ing procedure was inefficient and complex. of the polymer so high in viscosity as to be of no practi For marketing purposes, it is highly desirable to pro cal value. The polymer associates strongly with the duce a concentrate having the polymer contained other metal ion constituents present in the concentrate. therein. Such a product eliminates the end user having The combination of the protein hydrolysate, metal to perform the two part mixing procedure. The new salts and the polysaccharide polymer produces foam concentrate described herein makes it possible to use a able concentrates which are highly concentrated, fluid, one part mixing technique such that the end user need easily transferred, easily dispersed in water and which only dilute the concentrate prior to foam production. 45 generate copious and very persistent foam. Further Commercially available foam concentrates based on more, these concentrates are stable and storable for up protein hydrolysate are available for use at concentra to at least six months. tions ranging from 3% to 6% in water by volume. Such DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE commercial preparations may be used at slightly below INVENTION or above these ranges depending on the application. 50 The hydrolysates are derived from keratin type proteins All percentages or parts measurements discussed which impart the necessary foamability. Collagen or herein are by weight unless stated otherwise. albumin proteins can be cohydrolized or prehydrolized The present invention provides a foamable concen and added later for improved foam stability. Hydrolysis trate composition comprising 300 to 900 parts protein can be accomplished by the use of mineral acids or 55 hydrolysate, 15 to 60 parts of one or more metal based strong bases, but alkaline hydrolysis with line has been salts, 5 to 50 parts of a water soluble polymer, 1-30 parts generally preferred. Subsequent neutralization with of a known imbibing agent and 10 to 40 parts of a cosol sulfuric acid and filtration to remove calcium sulfate vent in which the polymer is essentially insoluble. The renders the clear hydrolysate which may be concen concentrate thus formed remains stable in storage for at trated to a desired gravity by evaporation. Other de least six months and, when diluted with 10 to 50 parts of sired ingredients are then subsequently added. water, produces a persistent foam which lasts for at Foamability is achieved to a large degree by the for least three days. mation of surface active complexes by the association of In the present invention, the foamable concentrate is protein liquids with metal cations such as Ca++, made from a concentrated solution derived from a hy Zn----, Fe----, Fe------. There are undisclosed 65 drolysed protein concentrate base. Such hydrolysed amounts of residual Ca---- from the lime hydrolysis protein bases are well known in the fire fighting foam but formulations usually have additional ions added to art. They are produced by hydrolysing keratin contain achieve the desired effects. Coupling agents such as ing materials such as animal hooves and horns, fish 5,225,095 3 4. scales, hair or feathers. Albumen, bloodmeal, dairy ents and to provide additional foamability and foam derived proteins or proteins from vegetables such as soy stability. Sodium lignosulfonate, sold as Marasperse bean meal, etc. are other sources of proteinaceous start N-22, available from Daishowa Chemicals is preferred, ing materials. but others such as alkyl napthalene sulfonates are The proteinaceous starting materials may be broken known in the art and may be employed. down into peptides, polypeptides and salts of amino Humectants such as sorbitol, glycerine and sodium acids via alkaline hydrolysis with lime or caustic sodium lactate may also be added. These agents impart better hydroxide (NaOH). The resulting protein hydrolysate is wind resistance to the foam by keeping the surface of a major component of the foam concentrate. Other the foam moist longer. methods for producing the protein hydrolysate may 10 The basic foam concentrate formula is diluted to equally well be used. approximately 2.0 to 3.5% with water prior to turbula The protein hydrolysate is commercially available as tion to produce foam. The preferred dilution is approxi a 35-50 weight % solids concentrate having a pH from mately 3% but a relatively wide range is functional. At approximately 7 to 8 and a specific gravity of 1.148 to 3% (i.e. 97 parts by volume of water) dilution, the solu 1.162. It can be obtained from any of a number of manu 15 tion produces a high quality foam which is highly cost facturers of protein based fire fighting foam or it may be effective.