Enzyme-containing heavy duty liquid detergent

A heavy duty, enzyme-containing, aqueous liquid detergent. The detergent includes surfactants, enzymes and an enzyme-stabilizing system. The detergent has a neat liquid pH of 9.5 or greater, a solution pH or 8.5 or greater at 0.2% weight use level and a titratable alkalinity of at least 0.5% weight per gram of product when expressed as % Na.sub.2 O as measured to pH 7.

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Claims

1. A heavy duty liquid detergent composition comprising:

a) at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting essentially of synthetic anionic detergents, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and zwitterionic surfactants, at a level of up to 60% by weight,
b) a neat liquid pH of 9.5 or greater,
c) a solution pH of 8.5 or greater at 0.2% weight use level,
d) titratable alkalinity of at least 0.5% weight per gram of product when expressed as % Na.sub.2 O as measured to pH 7.
e) an effective level of from 0.001% to 10% by weight of at least one alkaline protease capable of providing stain removal in a wash solution of pH 8.5 or greater,
f) an effective enzyme stability system including components selected from the group consisting of i) about 0.1 to about 8% by weight of polyol, ii) 0.1 to 10% by weight of a boron compound selected from the group consisting of boric oxide, boric acid and alkali metal borates, iii) from about 0.0001% to about 1% by weight, calcium ion, over and above any metal ion present in the enzyme, iv) 0.5 to 10% of alkanolamine and v) mixtures thereof, and
g) 5-80% water, said heavy duty detergent exhibiting at least 25% of initial enzyme activity after 2 weeks at 105.degree. F., all weights being based on total product.

2. The heavy-duty liquid of claim 1 wherein said alkanolamine comprises at least 0.2% weight monoethanolamine buffer.

3. The heavy-duty liquid of claim 1 wherein the surfactant includes anionic and nonionic surfactants in a ratio of 1:1 to 10:1.

4. The heavy-duty liquid of claim 1 wherein the neat liquid pH is about 10 or above.

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the liquid is isotropic.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein said protease is selected from the group consisting of Alcalase.RTM., Savinase.RTM., Maxatase.RTM., and Maxacal.RTM..

7. The composition of claim 1 wherein said protease is selected from the group consisting of Savinase and Maxacal.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the formulation is essentially phosphate-free.

9. The composition of claim 1 further comprising from about 3 to about 40% of builder.

10. The composition of claim 2 further comprising from about 3 to about 40% builder.

11. The composition of claim 1 having a protease activity of 0.001 to 1 kilo Novo Protease Units per gram of product.

12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the surfactant is an anionic selected from the group consisting of alkylaryl sulfonates and alcohol ethoxy sulfates.

13. The composition of claim 1 wherein the stabilizers are selected from and boric acid.

14. The composition of claim 1 wherein the stabilizer is calcium ion.

15. The composition of claim 1 wherein the stabilizer is borax.

16. The composition of claim 1 wherein the stabilizer is a polyol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, glycerine and mixtures thereof.

17. The heavy duty liquid detergent composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is essentially free of pentaborates.

18. A heavy duty liquid detergent comprising:

a) anionic surfactants consisting essentially of synthetic detergents said anionic surfactants being present at a level of 10-25%,
b) 2-12% nonionic surfactant,
c) 0.5 to 10% monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine or mixtures thereof,
d) a neat liquid pH of 9.5 or greater,
e) a solution pH of 8.5 or greater at 0.2% weight use level,
f) 3 to 25% builder,
g) titratable alkalinity of at least 0.5% weight per gram of product when expressed as % Na.sub.2 O as measured to pH 7,
h) from 1-8% of a polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and glycerine,
i) an effective level of enzymes to provide stain removal including at least one alkaline protease at an activity of 0.001 to 1 KNPU per gram of product capable of providing stain removal in a wash solution of pH 8.5 or greater at a 0.2% wt. use level,
j) from 0.1 to 10% borax, boric acid or mixtures thereof, and
k) 5-80% water.

19. The heavy duty liquid of claim 18 comprising 0.2 to 5% weight monoethanolamine.

20. The heavy duty liquid of claim 18 further comprising from about 0.5% to about 25% of an alkali metal carbonate.

21. The heavy duty liquid of claim 18 further comprising from about 0.5% to about 25% of an alkali metal silicate.

22. An amine-free heavy duty liquid detergent comprising:

a) surfactants selected from the group consisting essentially of synthetic anionic detergents, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and zwitterionic surfactants,
b) a neat liquid pH of 9.5 or greater,
c) a solution pH of 8.5 or greater at 0.2% weight use level,
d) titratable alkalinity of at least 0.5% weight per gram of product when expressed as % Na.sub.2 O as measured to pH 7,
e) an effective level of from 0.001% to 10% by weight of an enzyme to provide stain removal including at least one alkaline protease capable of providing stain removal in a wash solution of pH 8.5 or greater,
f) an effective enzyme stability system including components selected from the group consisting of i) about 0.1% to about 8% by weight of a polyhydric alcohol, ii) 0.1 to 10% by weight of a boron compound selected from the group consisting of boric oxide, boric acid and alkali metal borates, iii) from about 0.0001% to about 1% by weight calcium ion, and iv) mixtures thereof, and
g) 5-80% water, said heavy duty detergent exhibiting at least 25% of initial enzyme activity after 2 weeks at 105.degree. F.

23. The heavy duty liquid of claim 22 further comprising from about 0.5% to about 25% of an alkali metal carbonate.

24. The heavy duty liquid of claim 22 further comprising from about 0.5% to about 25% of an alkali metal silicate.

25. The composition of claim 22 wherein the stabilizers are selected from borax or boric acid.

26. The composition of claim 22 wherein the stabilizer is calcium ion.

27. The composition of claim 22 wherein the stabilizer is borax.

28. The composition of claim 22 wherein the stabilizer is a polyol selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, glycerine and mixtures thereof.

29. The composition of claim 22 wherein the polyhydric alcohol is propylene glycol.

30. A heavy duty liquid detergent comprising:

a) surfactant at a level of up to 60% by weight, of which about 1-30% comprise anionic surfactants, said anionic surfactants consisting essentially of synthetic detergents.
b) a neat liquid pH of 9.5 or greater,
c) a solution pH of 8.5 or greater at 0.2% weight use level,
d) titratable alkalinity of at least 0.5% weight per gram of product when expressed as % Na.sub.2 O as measured to pH 7,
e) an effective level of from 0.001% to 10% by weight of an enzyme to provide stain removal including at least one alkaline protease capable of providing stain removal in a wash solution of pH 8.5 or greater,
f) an effective enzyme stability system including components selected from the group consisting of i) about 0.1% to about 8% by weight of a polyhydric alcohol, ii) 0.1 to 10% by weight of a boron compound other than pentaborate selected from the group consisting of boric oxide, boric acid and alkali metal tetra borates, iii) from about 0.0001% by weight over and above any metal ion present in the enzyme calcium ion, and iv) 0.5 to 10% of alkanolamines and
g) 5-80% water, said heavy duty detergent exhibiting at least 25% of initial enzyme activity after 2 weeks at 105.degree. F.

31. The heavy duty liquid detergent of claim 30 wherein the composition is essentially free of pentaborates.

Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
B458819 April 1976 Weber
4142999 March 6, 1979 Bloching et al.
4239659 December 16, 1980 Murphy
4261868 April 14, 1981 Hora et al.
4318818 March 9, 1982 Letton et al.
4404115 September 13, 1983 Tai
4456544 June 26, 1984 Lupova et al.
4462922 July 31, 1984 Boskamp
4497718 February 5, 1985 Neiditch et al.
4507219 March 26, 1985 Hughes
4518694 May 21, 1985 Shaer
4528039 July 9, 1985 Rubin et al.
4532064 July 30, 1985 Boskamp
4652394 March 24, 1987 Inamorato et al.
4670179 June 2, 1987 Inamorato et al.
4767562 August 30, 1988 Fry
Foreign Patent Documents
0162033 November 1985 EPX
2369339 May 1978 FRX
2369338 May 1978 FRX
2533601 February 1978 DEX
2162242 March 1984 GBX
2178054 February 1987 GBX
2178055 February 1987 GBX
Other references
  • EP Search Report EP 89 30 6277 (no date). Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Tech. (1978), vol. 4, p. 85. Maxacal.RTM., Technical Bulletin, International Bio-Synthetics (no date). Savinase.RTM., Technical Data, Novo Industri A/S (no date).
Patent History
Patent number: H1776
Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 6, 1995
Date of Patent: Jan 5, 1999
Inventors: Jack E. Linard (Ramsey, NJ), Daniel J. Fox (Hawthorne, NJ)
Primary Examiner: Stephen M. Johnson
Assistant Examiner: Meena Chelliah
Application Number: 8/470,643
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Enzyme Composition (510/530); Detergent Builder Composition (510/531)
International Classification: D06M 1600;