Compact powder detergents

Only one detergent lipase, ie, Lipolase introduced by Novo in 1988, has been marketed. The first household powder detergent containing Upase was introduced in Japan in the same year in Europe and the United States in 1990—1991. Lipase is often incorporated into the new compact powder formulations. 

Supercompact detergents have made their way worldwide since 1992 and are meanwhile state of the art in many countries. The market shares vary significantly from country to country and from region to region. In the USA compact powders accounted for 80% of total detergent powders, whereas their share in Japan was even 92% in the total powder category in 1998. 

Conventional detergents are manufactured in two main trade forms - as powders [101] and liquids [102], while the term liquid is interpreted rather broadly. Usually, these are not only viscous liquids but also concentrated suspensions and flowing pastes, as well as gel-like products. Powdered detergents usually contain 8 to 15 wt% surfactants, the rest is fillers and auxiliaries. Liquid detergents can contain between 15 and 30 wt% surfactants. In the last 5-10 years, there was a clear tendency to develop and establish productions of so-called compact and overcompact detergents containing more than 40 wt% of active matter [103],... 

Advances in genetic and protein engineering have led to new classes of enzymes with novel benefits for use in compact products. In 1988, lipase appeared in one of the first compact powders to hit the Japanese market. Since then lipase has found broad application in the global detergent market. Second-generation lipases with improved cleaning efficiency were developed in the compact detergent market [19]. 

The introduction of concentrated laundry detergent powders in Japan during 1986-1987 produced a substantial increase in the consumption of LAB in the subsequent 3-4 years as the market changed from low-density, spray-dried powders to the concentrated (compact) products. In these products, which may contain up to 40% surfactant, the cost/performance advantages of LAS are of significance. In addition, LAB sulfonic acid is well suited for the production of high-active, high-density (about 1.0 g/cm3) laundry powders by routes other... 

Various presentations on the technology for manufacturing compact detergent powders). GEA Niro A.S., Soeborg, Danmark, 3rd issue (1993). 

The use of volume-effective preformed peracids should be facilitated by the current trend toward more compact formulations. Stability problems in alkaline compositions and economic reasons, however, still prevent more widespread use. The only peracid of commercial importance is PAP. In mid-2007, a color detergent powder containing PAP was introduced in Switzerland, claiming the color-safe properties of the peracid. The future of PAP is currently seen in liquid applications, especially when dual-chamber bottles are used. A PAP-containing HDL was intensively test-marketed some years ago in North America, and a similar concept has been used successfully in a Swiss liquid detergent since 2006. 

Hydrous sodium silicate granules can be prepared from the spray-dried powders by compaction operations to enlarge bulk density to about 500-900 g/L (see Table 22.1). This property is essential for many applications, for example, automatic dishwash detergents [65,66]. 

Prior to the introduction of compacts, the use of enzymes in detergents was limited primarily to one class of enzymes—the proteases. Proteases catalyze the hydrolysis of protein-based soils like blood and grass. Most powder and liquid laundry detergents on the market today, both low density and compacts, employ a protease [18]. Recently, protein engineering has been used to construct detergent proteases with improved stability and performance characteristics. 

Incorporation of antifoam in neutral or mildly alkaline water-soluble salts (e.g., anhydrous sodium sulfate) and subsequent compaction yields granules for post-dosing into detergent powder... 

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