Albright & Wilson Limited

Other

Douglas E Mather

Edward T Messenger

Brinley M Phillips

Thomas A Williams

Frank Michael Cussons

Bryn M Phillips

Edward Messenger

Surfactant mixtures are prepared in a fluid 'G' phase of more than 50% concentration, the mixtures comprise different surfactant products selected respectively from at least two of the following classes, that is to say alkyl sulphates, alkyl ether sulphates, olefin sulphonates, alkyl benzene sulphonates, alkyl sulphosuccinates, alkyl ether sulphosuccinates, alkyl sulphosuccinamates, paraffin sulphonates, fatty carboxylates, alkyl ether carboxylates, alkyl phosphates, alkyl ether phosphates, alkyl phenol sulphates, alkyl phenyl ether sulphates, alkyl phenyl ether sulphonates, fatty ester sulphonates, fatty acid sulphonates, acyl sarcosinates and acyl taurides.

Concentrated aqueous surfactant compositions

Aqueous surfactant mixtures comprising a first amphoteric surfactant and at least one non-ionic surfactant and/or at least one amphoteric surfactant non-homologous with the first amphoteric surfactant, are obtained at a concentration substantially higher than previously obtainable by preparing them in the presence of sufficient water to form a 'G' phase.

It is known to prepare olefin sulphonates by neutralizing olefin sulphonation products with dilute aqueous bases. This invention provides a method of preparing more concentrated solutions of certain olefin sulphonates by determining the position of the viscosity minimum which occurs at concentrations above the critical limit where gel formation is normally observed and which corresponds to the formation of a `G` phase, and reacting the olefin sulphonation product with the base in the presence of sufficient water to provide a product having a concentration corresponding substantially to this minimum.

Concentrated organic sulphonate solutions

Mixtures of amphoteric and anionic surfactants are obtained as concentrated aqueous systems in the G phase.

In the manufacture of detergent powders containing alkoxylated alcohols, the problem arises that the alcohols cannot be spray-dried with the rest of the constituents. The invention provides a method of incorporating the alcohols into the spray-dried powder in such a way that staining of the packages does not occur. This is done by adding the alcohols in the form of a solution which combines with the residual water in the powder to form a gel.

Manufacture of detergents

Alkyl sulphates are prepared in a high concentration by mixing together an alkyl sulphuric acid and ammonium or an amine in the presence of sufficient water to maintain the product in the G phase above the minimum concentration at which gel formation is encountered.

Highly concentrated alkyl sulphate solutions pourable at ambient

Phosphate values can be recovered from an organic extract which is formed by contact of wet process phosphoric acid and a water immiscible solvent, in a process in which the extract is treated with an inorganic base or a dihydrogen phosphate salt to give an acid free solvent and an aqueous solution of phosphoric acid and phosphate salt with a cation to P usually in the 0.1 - 0.5 : 1 region. The aqueous solution represents a concentrated soluble phosphate source for subsequent neutralization and conversion to e.g. tripolyphosphates.

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Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Douglas E Mather