Abstract: A washing and/or cleaning article which is reversibly flexible, shear and compression elastic, with at least one layer comprising at least one treatment, washing or cleaning active substance and at least one binder. The layer(s) is/are arranged on a support or in a sandwich manner between two supports. The above offers a range of advantages, notable ease of handling, avoidance of skin contact with the substance(s) and an optimized washing performance based on the serial release of the treatment, washing and/or cleanng active substances.

Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid distributor in the form of a channel distributor with drainage outlets. To ensure that the uniformity of distribution of the liquid is largely independent of disturbance factors, for example blockages of the drainage outlets, the drainage outlets are in the form of drainage pipes having a cross-section which tapers in the shape of a nozzle. The inner wall of the nozzle-like tapering of the drainage outlets being made of plastic, or another material resistant to the adherence of solids which would block the flow of liquid through the outlet.

Abstract: A method for the removal of a spent catalyst from a fixed-bed reactor is disclosed, wherein a suction hose, in which a high pressure hose comprising a high-pressure nozzle is integrated, is introduced into the reactor, the catalyst is then size-reduced by water under high pressure passed through the nozzle, the catalyst/water mixture is removed under suction and is optionally collected in a separator.

Abstract: The invention is an improved palladium-containing catalyst and process for preparing the catalyst. The catalyst is prepared by impregnating a dry activated carbon with a pH above 8 with a solution of palladium salt, separating the aqueous phase from the impregnated activated carbon when the aqueous phase has reached a pH of at least 1 and reducing the palladium which is supported on the activated carbon.

Abstract: The aliphatic primary alcohols are reacted with a glycose, more especially glucose, in the presence of an acidic catalyst in certain process steps so that particularly light-colored and alkali-stable alkyl glucosides are obtained after a subsequent, compulsory bleaching step, which represents an improvement over known direct synthesis processes. The process may be carried out both on a laboratory scale and also on an industrial production scale.

Abstract: A process for the production of free-flowing detergent granules or partial granules comprising the steps of:(a) providing an interiorly baffled, rotatable drying apparatus capable of rotating at high speeds;(b) introducing water-containing alkyl or alkenyl oligoglycoside pastes into the rotatable, drying apparatus;(c) introducing into the drying apparatus detergent components selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, detergent builders, and mixtures thereof; and(d) simultaneously drying and granulating the water-containing alkyl or alkenyl oligolycoside pastes and detergent components.

Abstract: The crude reaction products from the synthesis of alkyl glycosides are bleached by kneading the material substantially freed from the excess fatty alcohol and containing at most limited quantities of water with an oxidizing agent at such elevated temperatures that the reaction mixture lends itself to plastic processing. Temperatures of from about 50.degree. to 150.degree. C. are particularly suitable, although it is best to apply temperatures in the range from about 80.degree. to 100.degree. C. using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent. Bleaching is carried out under basic conditions, optionally by addition of an alkaline compound, such as for example 50% sodium hydroxide solution. The bleached product accumulates in the form of a solid. It is preferably mixed with typical compatible solids, more particularly typical constituents of detergents and cleaning preparations, to form a solid and preferably free-flowing alkyl glycoside compound.

Abstract: Storage stability of finely divided sodium percarbonate is improved by melt-coating of water-insoluble encapsulation agents.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of native fats, oils and fat derivatives, such as fatty acids and fatty acid esters, to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor, more particularly in co-current, hydrogen being recirculated in a stoichiometric excess, more particularly in an excess of 10 to 100 fold, and the fat, oil or fat derivative passing through the reactor only once. To minimize the specific hydrogen demand without having to accept significant losses in regard to specific reactor load, product selectivity and catalyst life, the hydrogen is passed successively through at least two fixed-bed reactors 4,10 without the gas issuing from the reactors 4 and entering the following reactors 10 being cooled and the fat, oil or fat derivative is simultaneously introduced into the reactors 4,10.

Abstract: By reacting 1,3-propanediol with oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas in an aqueous alkaline solution in the presence of a palladium containing catalyst substrate, alkaline salts of 3-hydroxypropionic acid are produced in good yield when the catalyst is used in an amount that corresponds to 0.1 to 3.0% by weight of palladium, based on the 1,3-propanediol.

Abstract: A process for the production of compacted granules for use in a detergent composition by providing a homogeneous, solid, free-flowing premix to which a plasticizer or lubricant is added, and extruding the mixture through a perforated die under a pressure of from about 25 bar to about 200 bar to form strands of the mixture. The perforated die has an opening width corresponding to a predetermined size of the granules. After emerging from the perforated die, the strands are cut to the predetermined size of the granules by means of a cutting unit. The process enables the preparation of detergent compositions containing increased contents of surfactant components.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of colloidal, stabilized silica sol as an auxiliary for stabilizing and/or increasing the activity of catalysts which show a tendency towards activity-reducing sintering under high-temperature conditions.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of alkali metal salts of ether-carboxylic acids by oxidation of etheralcohols in an aqueous phase with oxygen or gases containing oxygen at elevated temperatures in the presence of alkali metal hydroxides and noble metal catalysts, in which an aqueous solution, containing an alkali metal hydroxide solution, of the ether-alcohols is brought into contact in a thin layer on a solid carrier or in the form of fine particles with oxygen or the gases containing oxygen as a continuous phase, the concentration of the ether-alcohols in the aqueous phase being in the range from 0.1 to 15% by weight, based on the total weight of the aqueous phase, enables aqueous solutions of the alkali metal salts of the ether-carboxylic acids in high concentrations to be prepared.

Abstract: The invention is a process for manufacturing granules of a washing or cleaning agent from an at least partly solid mixture of granules by admixing plasticizers or lubricants with the granules and passing the mixture through a mixing zone at an elevated temperature and pressure to form a plastic flowable material and passing the plastic flowable material through a plurality of orifices of small diameter and cutting the extruded material at predetermined lengths to form a particulate washing or cleaning agent.

Abstract: A method for the production of granular sodium perborate tetrahydrate is disclosed herein. The method includes the steps of adding 0.3-5% by weight of a sodium salt or a potassium salt of a polymeric carboxylic acid to powdered perborate tetrahydrate, softening the mixture by heating under pressure to form a plastically deformable mass, deforming the plastically deformable mass into thin strands by pressing, and comminuting the strands into granular form. The perborate tetrahydrate may be de-watered to produce granular perborate monohydrate. The final granular products exhibit high abrasion resistance and are preferably used in washing and cleaning agents.

Abstract: A process for the transformation of glycerol into 1,3-propanediol by microorganisms comprising fermenting the microorganisms in media having a glycerol content of from about 5% to about 20% by weight under standard anaerobic fermentation conditions and recovering the 1,3-propanediol. The microorganisms according to the invention do not suffer catabolic repression by the large amount of 1,3-propanediol produced by the process.

Abstract: A process for the continuous production of fatty acid soaps by reaction with solid metal oxides, hydroxides, hydrogen carbonates and carbonates of Mg, Ca, Ba, Pb, Al, Zn, Co, Fe, Cd and Zr, in which the fatty acids are subjected to a rotational movement by mechanical transport and the metal compounds are subjected to rotation in the opposite direction by mechanical transport, the two reactants are combined in the reaction zone of a tube reactor and are reacted in 0.5 to 50 seconds.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the catalytic hydrogenation of liquid saturated and unsaturated C.sub.6-24 fatty acid methyl esters for the production of saturated fatty alcohols and methanol in the presence of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogenation catalysts under pressures of 50 to 300 bar and at temperatures in the range from 160.degree. to 250.degree. C., characterized in that the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in a tube bundle reactor in which isothermal conditions are established by a cooling or heating fluid, the liquid phase and gas phase being passed together as a co-current trickle phase over catalyst packings in the individual tubes of the reactor without any back-mixing, and in that the load per unit volume of the reaction is between 0.2 and 2.5 liters starting material per liter reactor volume per hour and the load per unit area of each individual tube of the reactor is between 1.5 and 24 m.sup.3 starting material per m.sub.

Abstract: This invention relates to an extruder having a granulating head for the granulation of a plastic molding compound which does not flow under gravity, more particularly an enzyme concentrate suitable for detergents, to granules having a particle size of at most 1 mm and, more particularly, at most 0.8 mm. To obtain uniform distribution of the molding compound to be processed over the entire cross-section of the molding plate, the granulating head has an externally arranged die plate support carrying perforated disks, a displacement cone arranged behind the die plate support and a preliminary distributor in the form of a perforated plate arranged between the die plate support and the displacement cone.

Abstract: When used in a washing machine, a particulate detergent packed in portions in a flexible bag of a flat, water-permeable textile material leads to an improved detergency performance and/or saving of detergent by comparison with the conventional addition of detergent via the dispensing compartment of the washing machine if the bag material satisfies certain criteria in regard to the nature of the fibers used for its production and, optionally, the permeability to air and the adsorption capacity of the bag material, the geometric dimensions of the bag and its filling level.