Unilever Home and Personal Care USA, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Andreas Theodorus Groot

William Derek Emery

Cornelis Paulus Montanus

Johannes Hendrikus Akkermans

Roland Wilhelmus Pomeren

Michael Frederick Edwards

Korkut Ahmet Yuregir

Seeng Djiang Liem

Terry Instone

Gilbert Martin Verschelling

Kenneth Metcalfe

Richard George Smith

Roland Wilhemus Van Pomeren

A low shear mechanical granulation process for the production of detergent granules, the process comprising contacting an acid precursor of an anionic surfactant, a non-surfactant acid and a solid carbonated neutralising agent wherein the solid carbonated neutralizing agent has a daverage particle size no more than 90 &#x3bc;m, preferably no more than 80 &#x3bc;m, more preferably no more than 70 &#x3bc;m, still more preferably no more than 60 &#x3bc;m, yet more preferably no more than 50 &#x3bc;m and especially no more than 40 &#x3bc;m.

Process for the production of detergent granules

A process for preparing a free-flowing granular detergent composition with improved storage stability involves granulation of a solid starting material comprising a hydratable salt with a liquid binder and treating the resulting granules in a low shear mixer with from 0.5 to 20 wt % of water.

Process for preparing granular detergent compositions

A process for the production of detergent particles, comprises feeding an acid precursor of an anionic surfactant and a neutralising agent into a horizontal thin-film evaporator/drier comprising a mixing region, a drying region and a cooling region. The resultant detergent particles are graded to separate an oversize granule fraction in which at least 70 wt % of the particles have a minimum diameter of 1000 &mgr;m. This fraction is fed back into the process.

Production of anionic surfactant granules by in situ neutralisation

In process for producing detergent particles, an acid precursor of an anionic surfactant and a neutralizing agent are fed into a horizontal thin-film evaporator/drier where they are neutralized, granulated and dried. The neutralizing agent is present in an amount equal to or in excess that required for stoichiometric neutralization and has a D50 mean particle size of less than 40 &mgr;m.

Production of anionic surfactant granules by in situ neutralization

A process for the production of detergent particles comprises feeding an acid precursor of an anionic surfactant, a neutralizing agent and aluminosilicate detergency builder into a horizontal thin-film evaporator/drier. The evaporator/drier comprises a mixing region, a drying region and a cooling region. Neutralization of the acid precursor is effected, together with granulation, drying and cooling, to form the detergent particles. At least some of the aluminosilicate builder is fed into the thin-film evaporator/drier between the drying region and the cooling region and/or into the cooling region. When all of he aluminosilicate builder is fed into the cooling region, the aluminosilicate is in an amount of more than 20% by weight of the particles exiting the cooling region.

A granular detergent product is made by spraying a liquid binder to contact a particulate solid starting material in a low shear granulator such as a fluidized bed apparatus. The d average droplet diameter of the liquid binder is not greater than ten times the d average particle diameter of that fraction of the solid starting material which has a d particle diameter of from 20 &mgr;m to 200 &mgr;m provided that if more than 90% by weight of the solid starting material has a d average particle diameter less than 20 &mgr;m then the d average particle diameter of the total solid starting materials shall be taken to be 20 &mgr;m. If more than 90% by weight of the solid starting material has a d average particle diameter greater than 200 &mgr;m than the d average particle diameter of the total starting solid material shall be taken to be 200 &mgr;m.

Production of detergent granulates

A granular detergent product is made by spraying a liquid binder to contact a particulate solid starting material in a low shear granulator such as a fluidised bed apparatus. The d,average droplet diameter is not greater than ten times the d,average particle diameter of that fraction of the solid starting material which has a d,particle diameter of from 20 &mgr;m to 200 &mgr;m provided that if more than 90% by weight of the solid starting material has a d,average particle diameter less than 20 &mgr;m then the d,average particle diameter of the total solid starting materials shall be taken to be 20 &mgr;m. If more than 90% by weight of the solid starting material has a d,average particle diameter greater than 200 &mgr;m then the d,average particle diameter of the total starting solid material shall be taken to be 200 &mgr;m.

Free flowing detergent composition containing high levels of surfactant

A process of forming a granular detergent products, is effected in a gas fluidisation granulator. A fluidised particulate solid material is contacted with a spray of liquid binder. The excess velocity (U.sub.e) of fluidisation gas relative to the mass or volume flux of the spray (q.sub.mliq or q.sub.vliq) when determined at the normalised nozzle-to-bed distance (D.sub.0) is set so that the flux number (FN.sub.m or FN.sub.v) as determined by ##EQU1## (where .rho..sub.p is the particle density) is at a critical value of at least 2 for at least 30% of the process.

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Vlaardingen, Netherlands

Andreas Theodorus Groot