Low-phosphate detergents

Skin irritation has been encountered after prolonged occupational dermal contact. Skin dryness, irritation, and contact dermatitis have all been seen after varying degrees of exposure. Eye exposure to most anionic and nonionic detergents results in momentary eye irritation with no permanent eye damage. Eye exposure to low-phosphate detergents, which tend to be more alkaline may produce eye injury. 

In the workplace, occupational asthma has been reported. Aspiration may result in upper airway edema and considerable respiratory distress. Again, low phosphate detergents will produce oral, esophageal, and respiratory tract burns due to their alkaline nature. 

B. Low-phosphate detergents and electric dishwasher soaps often contain alkaline corrosive agents such as sodium metasilicate, sodium carbonate, and sodium tripolyphosphate. 

The polycarboxylate builders inhibit the growth of inorganic crystals, which would be formed in their absence during the washing process when phosphate-free or low-phosphate detergents are used. Another function of the polycarboxylates is their ability to disperse soil as well as prevent redeposition of the soil and minimize incrustations of insoluble salts on the fabric. Polycarboxylates are also used as dispersants and to provide shine in formulations for automatic dishwashing machines. 

At higher detergent concentrations (0.9% in the tables), even the low-phosphate detergent has enough phosphate left in solution to cope with the wash hardness and with the soils. The contribution of the 10 parts of zeolite is sufficient to hold the performance at the original level. However, because the zeolite does not provide any additional alkalinity reservoir for the detergent formulation when the phosphate is reduced by 10... 

With time, several countries that used to market low-phosphate detergents decided to move, again some voluntarily, some under effect of national laws, to zero-phosphate detergents. Many tests were run to assure the fit of those new detergents to the consumer s washing habits. 

Synonyms Cetyloleyl ether phosphoric acid PEG cetyl/oleyl ether phosphate Formula [R0(CH2CH20)n]xP0(0H)3-x, R = cetyloleyl, n = 2-10, x = 1-2 Uses Emulsifier, lubricity additive, corrosion inhibitor for metalworking fluids surfactant for low-foaming detergents and cleaners... 

The data developed for this section are based on regular, noncompact detergents, where the low phosphate/polymer mixed builders were first developed. Historically, polycarbox-ylated polymers have been employed initially to develop low-phosphate formulations in several European countries where actual or expected phosphate restrictions precluded the formulators from using high-phosphate (more than 25%) levels. 

The only system which can restore the performance of the 25% phosphate in both Tables 5 and 6 is a ternary builder system with low phosphate, low carbonate and poly-carboxylates. This will allow one to compensate for all the performance negatives associated with a 10-part tripolyphosphate reduction and also to exploit at their best the two additional components, actually improving the performance level of the original 25% tri-polyphosphate detergent. Note, again, that due to the presence pf sodium carbonate in the formulation, the short homopolymer is directionally better than the long copolymer. 

When the detergent formulator has to exclude the zeolite from the new zero-phosphate builder systems, the intrinsic difficulty of replacing phosphate in an automatic dishwashing product becomes evident. These objective technical difficulties have stopped the market from moving to low- and zero-phosphate detergents for at least a decade. The initial attempts were directed at zero-phosphate formulations, where some polymers, hav-... 

F Gauthier. Low phosphate dishwashing detergents. XXIV jomadas del CED, Barcelona, 1993. 

Uses Phosphate-free biological low-foam detergent powd. 

The tetramethylol derivative of DABT, prepared by reaction of DABT with alkaline aqueous formaldehyde, polymerized readily on cotton. It imparted excellent flame retardancy, very durable to laundering with carbonate- or phosphate-based detergents as well as to hypochlorite bleach. This was accomphshed at low add-on without use of phosphoms compounds or antimony(III) oxide (75—77). 

Sulfuric acid is the most heavily produced inorganic chemical worldwide, the annual production in the United States alone being more than 4 X 1(J10 kg. The low cost of sulfuric acid leads to its widespread use in industry, particularly for the production of fertilizers, petrochemicals, dyestuffs, and detergents. About two-thirds is used in the manufacture of phosphate and ammonium sulfate fertilizers (see Section 15.4). 

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