Detergent Manufacturing and

Formulation
Liquid Detergents
 Product forms
• Liquid detergents

• They are quick to dissolve and do not have a tendency to cause

product gels in dispenser draws or machines

• The lack of inorganic components reduces the residues on fabrics

for an improved fabric feel

• Big challenge is the ingredient compatibility, especially between

enzymes and bleach stability in an aqueous matrix, as well as phase
stability
 Product forms
• Liquid detergents

• Possible for ingredients to separate out on aging and thus provide

poor performance for the consumer

• One advantage is that capital investment for small-scale operations

can be much lower than for the spray dried granules, and

• Thus, small producers can enter the market more easily with this
form.
 HEAVY-DUTY LIQUID DETERGENTS
• Final product quality comes from the choice and control of the
formulation

• Small changes in key ingredients (e.g., solvents) or impurities (e.g.,

salts) can affect the phase behavior of the product
– leads to poor physical properties, appearance, and stability

• Process complexity comes from demands to make a wide range of

products with high efficiency, a large degree of flexibility, and
ultimately at high volumes
 Transformation requirements
• Chemical transformations in the final production are generally
limited to some bulk neutralization and pH adjustment
– unneutralized form (e.g., HLAS).
– Surfactant-phase transitions

• Process options are batch and continuous

• Batch
• Simplest and most often utilized process - simple agitated tank
– Processes can be adapted to the market size and labor costs in the
region
– Disadvantage is their fixed scale – once a batch tank size is chosen, it is
difficult to run smaller batch sizes
– Each weighing/metering approach has a minimum amount that can be
added accurately and there is a minimum level that can be properly
mixed
 Automatic Liquid Dishwash Detergent
Ingredient • 1. Charge Deionized Water.
Deionised waterDiluent 80.38% • 2. Add Sodium Hydroxide and mix.
• 3. Slowly add LAS and mix until
NaOH 1.95%
pH Adjuster homogenous. The solution will give off
Linear Alkyl Benzene 7.29%
Sulfonic Acid Primary Surfactant heat during the neutralization.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate 5.00% • 4. Add SLES 3EO and Sodium
with 3 moles Ethylene Xylenesulfonate and mix.
Oxide Primary Surfactant
• 5. Add L/MAAO, mixing until
Sodium Xylenesulfonate 0.75%
homogenous.
Lauryl/Myristyl 3.33%
Amidopropyl Hydrotrope • 6. Slowly add Sodium Chloride to
Amine Oxide thicken. The amount of Sodium
NaCl Secondary Surfactant
1.30% Chloride will vary depending upon the
Preservative qs target viscosity. Mix until clear.
• 7. Adjust pH as necessary with Sodium
Viscosity Builder Hydroxide or LAS.
• 8. Add Preservative and mix until
homogenous.
 Liquid Detergents
• Dishwashing liquid - Quality Control Tests
– Appearance at 25°C
– Viscosity at 25°C, cps
– Actives, %
– Solids, %
– pH, as is
– Density at 25ºC, lbs/gal
– Flash Point, °F (PMCC)
 Automatic Machine Liquid Dishwashing Detergents
Ingredient % Composition
A B
Deionised water 50.9% 10%
Alkali Soluble acrylic polymer Emulsion 6.9% -
Sodium hypochlorite (15%) - 5%
Alcohols, C8-C10, ethoxylated propoxylated 3.00% -
Poly(ethylene oxide)
KOH (45%) 1.2% 35%
TKPP (60%) 25% 20%
Sodium silicate, clear 13.0% -
Potassium silicate - 30%
 Hardsurface Cleaners (Institutional & Industrial)
Ingredient % Composition
A B
Deionised water 71.4% 28%
TSP 1.6% -
Sodium xylene sulfonate (40%) - 30%
C9-C11 linear alcohol, 6 moles EO 2.8% -

C9-C11 linear alcohol, 6.5 moles EO 7.0%

C9-C11 linear alcohol, 2.5 moles EO 1.2%
NaOH (50%) 4.0% 5%
EDTA, tetrasodium (37%) - 20%
Phosphate ester 5.0% -
Sodium silicate, clear - 10%
 DRAIN CLEANER
Ingredient %Weight
A B
Water 71%
Sodium metasilicate beads 5%
Sodium carbonate -
Sodium hydroxide (50%) 20%
Chlorinated TSP -
C12-C13 linear alcohol, 5 moles - 4%
EO
 Metal Degreaser - Liquid
Ingredient %Weight
Sodium carbonate 3.0 %
Borax 0.3 %
1,2,3-Benzotriazole 0.3%
C12-C15 Alcohol ethoxylate (EO 9) 4.0%

C12-C15 Alcohol ethoxylate (EO 7) -

Acrylic acid polymer 0.5%

NaOH 0.5%
Sodium silicate 2.0%
Sodium nonanoate 6.5%
Water Add to 100%
 Metal Degreaser - Liquid
Ingredients %Weight
Water 62%
METSO BEADS® 2048 sodium metasilicate 8%
EDTA, tetrasodium (37%) 10%

Phosphate ester 10%

C9-C11 linear alcohol, 6 moles EO 5%

C9-C11 linear alcohol, 2.5 moles EO 5%

 Engine Cleaner - Powder
Ingredients %Weight
Sodium carbonate 40%
TSPP 20%
C9-C11 linear alcohol, 6 moles EO 15%

METSO PENTABEAD® 20 sodium metasilicate 25%

 Fabric Softeners
• 3 main types of fabric softeners, namely, the
– most frequently used rinse cycle softeners which are added during the last rinse
cycle,
– dryer cycle softeners which are added in form of dryer sheets to the fabrics, and
– wash cycle softeners which are an integral part of the detergent used for the
main wash

• fabric softeners contained ditallow dimethylammonium chloride as

active ingredient but now been replaced by the easily hydrolyzing
esterquats

• calcium or magnesium chloride (to adjust the viscosity), sulfuric or

phosphoric acid (to adjust pH),
 Fabric Softeners
Ingredient % Composition
A B C
Triethanolamine esterquat (85%) - -
Distearyldimethylammonium chloride (77%) 17.3% -
Imidazoline quat (90%) - 5.6
Benzalkonium chloride IPA ethanol - 15.0
Oxoalcohol 8-EO (80%) - 1.0
Laurylalcohol 6-EO - -
Stearylamine 25-EO 2.0% -
Phosphoric acid 9.5% 1.0% -
Magnesium chloride (10% in water) 17.3% -
Water, Fragrance, Dye balance balance
 Product forms
• Tablets

• Compaction is kept to the minimum required to form a strong

enough tablet, and

• Various coatings and ingredients are added, respectively to improve

the fracture resistance during transportation and

• To enhance dissolution by causing the tablet to swell and crack once

it hits the water
 Product Forms
• Syndet Bars
• solid bar is anything but rapidly soluble, which is beneficial for hand
wash and long usage life as the bar is used to scrub clothes as well
as generate high concentrations for difficult soil removal.

• Primary cleaning power comes from anionic surfactants e.g. LAS

(also with SLS) along with phosphate builders such as sodium
tripolyphosphate (STPP) and tetra sodium pyrophosphate (TSPP).

• STPP is the preferred builder as it offers excellent hardness binding

capacity, very good processability and control of in-use physical
properties such as bar wear rate and sogginess or mushiness
 Product Forms
• Typical Formulation
Ingredient Example % Composition
Low-priced Premium
Surfactant LAS/SLS (50:50- 10-15 20-30
85:15)
Builders STPP/TSPP 0-3 15-30
Humectants
Fillers
carbonates 10-15
Deionised
water