Dishwashing

LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGETffiNT SYSTEMS] (Vol 14) Automatic dishwasher compounds... 

Washing and cleaning agents containing salts of maleic acid—furan copolymers (106) form complexes with alkaline-earth ions. These cleaning compositions do not contain phosphoms or nitrogen and find use in metal, foodstuff, and machine dishwashing products. 

Sodium peroxoborate hexahydrate is an important ingredient of many household detergents, working best at temperatures above 60°C. It is also used in dishwasher detergents, denture cleaners, as well as foot and bath salts. The textile industry generally uses hydrogen peroxide for bleaching, but there are a few areas in which sodium peroxoborate hexahydrate is preferred. 

Trisodium phosphate is strongly alkaline many of its appHcations depend on this property. For example, many heavy-duty cleaning compositions contain trisodium phosphate as a primary alkalinity source. The crystalline dodecahydrate itself is marketed as a cleaning compound and paint remover. Traditionally, trisodium phosphate has been used in water softening to remove polyvalent metal ions by precipitation as insoluble phosphates. Because the hypochlorite complex of trisodium phosphate provides solutions that are strongly alkaline and contain active chlorine, it is used in disinfectant cleaners, scouring powders, and automatic dishwashing formulations. 

About 264,000 metric tons of elemental capacity is available in North America, plus another 79,000 t (P equivalent) of purified wet phosphoric acid (14). About 85% of the elemental P is burned to P2 5 hydrated to phosphoric acid. Part of the acid (ca 21%) is used direcdy, but the biggest part is converted to phosphate compounds. Sodium phosphates account for 47% calcium, potassium, and ammonium phosphates account for 17%. Pinal apphcations include home laundry and automatic dishwasher detergents, industrial and institutional cleaners, food and beverages, metal cleaning and treatment, potable water and wastewater treatment, antifree2e, and electronics. The purified wet acid serves the same markets. 

Acid cleaners based on sulfamic acid are used in a large variety of appHcations, eg, air-conditioning systems marine equipment, including salt water stills wells (water, oil, and gas) household equipment, eg, copper-ware, steam irons, humidifiers, dishwashers, toilet bowls, and brick and other masonry tartar removal of false teeth (50) dairy equipment, eg, pasteurizers, evaporators, preheaters, and storage tanks industrial boilers, condensers, heat exchangers, and preheaters food-processing equipment brewery equipment (see Beer) sugar evaporators and paper-mill equipment (see also Evaporation Metal surface treati nts Pulp). 

Abbreviations of prominent use properties of the various classes of commercial surfactants are shown in Table 1. Antimicrobial activity includes germicidal, bactericidal, and bacteriostatic effects emolliency describes lubrication or a soft feel imparted to skin by surfactants a hair conditioner is a substantive surfactant appHed from aqueous solution to impart a lubricating or antistatic effect and opacifters are used to thicken hand-dishwashing products and cosmetic preparations to convey an appearance of high concentration and to retard solvent drainage from foam. 

These products are marketed under the trade name Hostapur. Hostapur SAS 60, a 60% active paste, is used at low levels ia some European Hquid hand-dishwashing products. 

Historically, these sulfonates have been difficult to produce in good quaUty and to formulate into laundry powders because of thermal and hydrolytic stabihty problems. Used basically as an anionic, oleochemically sourced replacement for LAS, FAE sulfonate benefits include good detergency at low concentration, low environmental load, and good supply of high quaUty material (71). To avoid possible thermal stabihty problems, these sulfonates have found apphcation in Hquid products. They are used in at least one U.S. dishwashing Hquid, and the cocoyl derivative, Alpha-Step MC48, is marketed by Stepan Chemical Company. 

The use of chlorinated trisodium phosphate is declining. It has been largely replaced by chlorinated isocyanurates in powdered abrasive cleansers and automatic dishwash detergents to reduce cost, improve performance, or comply with restrictions on the use of phosphates. Some chlorinated trisodium phosphate is stiU used in commercial laundries and in disinfectant cleaners. 

Mixtures containing sulfated castor oil were used to increase the lubricity of water base drilling fluids (123). Sulfated castor oil is also used in dishwashing compounds as a hand softener. A typical cleaning composition contains sodium dodecylben2ene sulfonate, sulfated castor oil, ethanol, and water. A sulfated derivative of castor oil is used as a dispersant for plaster of Paris, reducing the water needed to form a plastic slurry (124). Pesticide emulsions can be stabilized using ethoxylated castor oil (125). 

Economic Aspects. Sodium hypochlorite—trisodium phosphate complex was commercialized in 1930. Chlorinated TSP is manufactured by Stauffer (a subsidiary of Rhc ne-Poulenc, Inc.). The consumption, steadily decreasing since 1980, dropped sharply in 1985 because of reduced use in dishwasher detergents. The estimated demand in 1987 was 37,360 t (220). In 1988 it sold for 0.32/lb ( 0.70/kg) for tmddoad quantities of 660 kg (300-lb) dmms. 

Appllca.tlons. The principal uses are in scouring cleansers and acid metal cleaners for dairy equipment. Use in dishwasher detergents has been supplanted by chlorinated isocyanurates, which are more cost-effective, more stable in hot water, and possess water softening properties. 

Other Clay Uses. Other appHcations for clays include use as a suspending agent, eg, montmorillonite and attapulgite in Hquid fertilizers and dishwasher detergents in pharmaceuticals (qv), eg, kaoHnite and attapulgite for diarrhea control in cosmetics, montmorillonite and attapulgite and in water impedence where bentonite linings are used for reservoirs and waste disposal areas. 

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