Foam-controlling detergent additive compositions and use thereof in detergent compositions

Claim 2

A detergent additive composition characterized by: (a) a dispersion of polydimethylsiloxane foam-controlling agent in an ethoxylated nonionic surfactant, the nonionic surfactant having a hydrophilic- lipophilic balance (HLB) -in the range from 9 to 13 and a melting point in the range from 5°C to 36°C, wherein the weight ratio of nonionic surfactant to polydimethylsiloxane is in the range from 10:1 to 100 to 1, and (b) a dispersion of hydrophobic silica foam-controlling agent in a water-soluble or water-dispersible organic carrier having a melting point in the range from 38°C to 90°C, wherein the weight ratio of organic carrier to hydrophobic silica is in the range from 10:1 to 100:1, and wherein the weight ratio of dispersion (a) to dispersion (b) is in the range from 1:1 to 50:1.

Claim 3

A composition according to Claim 1 characterized in that the organic carrier comprises a second ethoxylated nonionic surfactant, the second nonionic surfactant having an HLB in the range from 13.5 to 19 and a melting point in the range from 38°C to 60°C.

Claim 4

A composition according to Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that dispersion (a) additionally comprises hydrophobic silica foam controlling agent, and wherein the weight ratio of hydrophobic silica foam controlling agent in dispersion (b) to that in dispersion (a) is greater than about 1:2.

Claim 5

A composition according to Claims 1 to 3 characterized in that dispersion (b) additionally comprises polydimethylsiloxane foam controlling agent, and wherein the weight ratio of polydimethylsiloxane foam-controlling agent in dispersion (b) to that in dispersion (a) is less than about 10:1.

Claim 6

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 4 characterized in that in dispersion (a) the weight ratio of nonionic surfactant to polydimethylsiloxane is in the range from about 15:1 to about 40:1, and in dispersion (b), the weight ratio of organic carrier to hydrophobic silica is in the range from about 15:1 to about 50:1.

Claim 7

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 5 characterized in that dispersion (a) additionally comprises a siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymer dispersing agent having the general formula I wherein a is 0 or an integer from 1 to 3, R is an alkyl group containing from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, or a group of formula II:. wherein R' is an alkylene group containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, b has a value of from 1 to 100; and R" is a capping group which is selected from hydrogen, alkyl, acyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl or alkenyl groups containing up to 20 carbon atoms, sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate, carboxylate, phosphonate, borate or isocyanate groups, or mixtures thereof; Y is a group having the formula III:- wherein R is as defined above and c has a value from 1 to 200; and wherein at least one R group in the compound has the formula II; and wherein the weight ratio of polydimethylsiloxane foam controlling agent in dispersion (a) to siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymer dispersing agent is in the range from about 2:1 to about 20:1, preferably from about 5:1 to about 15:1.

Claim 8

A composition according to Claim 6 characterized in that the siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymer is selected from copolymers having the general formula IV to VII wherein R''' is a C 1-10 alkyl group, Me is methyl, G is the group of formula II, a has a value of 0 or 1, p has a value of at least 1, q has a value of 0 to 50 and r has a value of 1 to 50.

Claim 9

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 7 characterized in that dispersion (b) additionally comprises microcrystalline wax foam-controlling agent wherein the weight ratio of microcrystalline wax to hydrophobic silica is in the range from about 20:1 to about 1:1, preferably from about 15:1 to about 2:1.

Claim 10

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 8 characterized by a total of from about l% to about 30% polydimethylsiloxane foam controller and from about 0.005% to about 2% hydrophobic silica wherein the weight ratio of polydimethylsiloxane foam controller:hydrophobic silica is in the range from about 3:1 to about 100:1, preferably from about 10:1 to about 60:1.

Claim 11

A composition according to any of Claims 2 to 9 characterized in that the first nonionic surfactant has an HLB in the range from about 10 to about 12.5 and a melting point in the range from about 10°C to about 28°C, and the second nonionic surfactant has an HLB in the range from about 15 to about 17.5 and a melting point in the range from about 40°C to about 55°C.

Claim 12

A detergent composition characterized by from about 3% to about 30% of anionic surfactant and additionally comprising from about 1% to about 30% of a detergent additive composition according to any of Claims 1 to 10 wherein the total level of anionic and ethoxylated nonionic surfactants is in the range from about 12% to about 50 % .

Claim 13

A granular detergent composition according to Claim 11 characterized by (i) from about 30% to about 99% of base powder comprising from about 3% to about 30% of anionic surfactant and from about 5% to about 96% of detergency builder, ii) from about 0.9% to about 25% of dispersion (a) sprayed in fluent form onto at least part of the base powder, and (iii) from about 0.1% to about 5% of dispersion (b) dry-mixed in powder form.

Claim 14

A composition according to Claim 11 or 12 characterized by from about 5% to about 20% anionic surfactant, from about 3% to about 20% of dispersion (a) and from about 0.3% to about 2% of dispersion (b), and wherein the total level of anionic and ethoxylated nonionic surfactants is in the range from about 14% to about 30%.