MXPA01004292A - Process for making a free flowing detergent composition - Google Patents

Abstract

A non-tower process for preparing a granular detergent composition, the process comprising the following steps:(i) fluidising powder materials in a high-speed mixer/granulator having both a stirring action and a cutting action, the powder materials comprising:particulate solid water-soluble alkaline inorganic material in an amount in excess of that required for neutralization, optionally in admixture with one or more other particulate solids, and recycled fines, the powder materials having a total surface area;(ii) adding the liquid detersive materials to the high-speed mixer/granulator, the liquid detersive materials comprising:a liquid acid precursor, optionally in admixture with one or more other liquid materials, whereby neutralization of the acid precursor by the water-soluble alkaline inorganic material occurs;and (iii) granulating the mixture inthe high-speed mixer/granulator to form detergent particles, wherein the ratio of the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials in step (ii) is from about 0.02 to about 140.

Description

PROCEDURE TO MAKE A COMPOSITION DETERGENT OF FREE FLOW FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a process without towers for producing a detergent composition formed of particles. The process produces a free flowing detergent composition whose density can be adjusted for a wide range of consumer needs, and which can be sold commercially as a conventional detergent composition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Recently, there has been considerable interest within the detergent industry for laundry detergents that are "compact" and therefore have low dosage volumes. To facilitate the production of these so-called low dosage detergents, many attempts have been made to produce high density density detergents, for example, with a density of 600 g / l or greater. Low dosage detergents are currently in high demand because they conserve resources and can be sold in small packages that are more convenient for consumers. However, the degree to which modern detergent products need to be "compact" in nature has not yet been established. In fact, many consumers, especially in developing countries, still prefer higher dosage levels in their respective laundry operations. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to produce modern detergent compositions for flexibility in the ultimate density of the final composition. In general, there are two main types of procedures by which granules or detergent powders can be prepared. The first type of process involves spray drying an aqueous detergent suspension in a spray-drying tower to produce very porous detergent granules. In the second type of process, the different detergent components are mixed dry after which they are agglomerated with a binder such as a nonionic or anionic surfactant. In both processes, the most important factors that govern the density of the resulting detergent granules are the density, porosity and surface area, shape of the different starting materials and their respective chemical composition. However, these parameters can only be varied within a limited scale. Therefore, the flexibility in the substantial volumetric density can be achieved only by additional processing steps that lead to a lower density of the detergent granules.

There have been many attempts in the art to provide methods that increase the density of granules or detergent powders. Particular attention has been given to the densification of spray-dried granules by post-tower treatment. For example, an attempt involves an intermittent procedure in which spray-dried detergent powders or granules containing sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium sulfate are densified and spheronized in a Marumerizer®. This apparatus comprises a substantially horizontal, rough rotating table, placed inside and at the base of a substantially vertical, smooth-walled cylinder. However, this process is essentially an intermittent process and, therefore, is less suitable for the large-scale production of detergent powders. More recently, other attempts have been made to provide continuous processes to increase the density of "post-tower" or spray-dried detergent granules. Typically, such procedures require a first apparatus that pulverizes or grinds the granules and a second apparatus that increases the density of the pulverized granules by agglomeration. Although these procedures achieve the desired increase in density by treating or densifying "postorre" or spray-dried granules, they do not provide a process that has the flexibility to provide lower density granules. further, all the aforementioned processes are mainly directed to densify or otherwise process spray-dried granules. Currently, the relative amounts and types of materials subject to spray drying processes in the production of detergent granules has been limited. For example, it has been difficult to achieve high levels of surfactant in the resulting detergent composition, a feature that facilitates the production of detergents in a more efficient manner. Therefore, it would be advisable to have a process by means of which detergent compositions can be produced without having the limitations imposed by conventional spray drying techniques. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the use of high speed mixer / granulators for the preparation of high volume density detergent granules. In said process, the fine material that is generated during the process is generally recycled. In most cases, the fine material is recycled and added with the initial powder materials. Based on the foregoing, there is a need to ensure a balance of the amount of fine material generated with the amount of fine material recycled so that the excessive accumulation of fine material generated does not paralyze the process for making detergent granules. None of the existing technique provides all the advantages and benefits of the present invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a non-towers process for preparing a granular detergent composition, the process comprising the following steps: (i) fluidizing powdered materials in a high-speed mixer / granulator having both stirring and cutting action, the powdered materials comprising: solid water soluble alkaline inorganic material formed of particles in an amount greater than that required for neutralization, optionally in admixture with one or more solids formed from different particles, and fine recycled material, powder materials having an area of total surface; (I) add the liquid detersive materials to the high-speed mixer / granulator, the liquid detersive materials comprising: a liquid acid precursor, optionally in admixture with one or more different liquid materials, by means of which neutralization of the acid precursor occurs by the alkaline inorganic material soluble in water; and (iii) granulating the mixture in the high-speed mixer / granulator to form detergent particles, wherein the ratio of the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials in step (i) is from about 0.02 to about 140. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Although this specification concludes with claims that clearly state and specifically claim what is considered to be the invention, it is believed that the invention can be better understood through a careful reading of the following detailed description of the invention. In this specification, all percentages, ratios, and proportions are by weight, all temperatures are expressed in degrees Celsius, molecular weights are on average by weight, and decimal is represented by the period (.), Unless Indicate something else. As used herein, "understand" means that other steps and other ingredients may be added that do not affect the final result. This word includes the terms "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of". All references mentioned are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The mention of any reference does not constitute an admission referring to any determination as to its availability as a prior art to the invention being claimed. The present invention meets the aforementioned needs in the art by providing a process that produces a detergent composition from a liquid acid precursor of anionic surfactant and inorganic alkaline materials. The present invention also meets the needs in the prior art by providing a process that produces a granular detergent composition for flexibility in the ultimate density of the final composition of the agglomeration process (eg, without towers). The process does not employ conventional spray drying towers currently used which is limited to producing loading compositions with high content of surfactant. In addition, the procedure has more responsibility for environmental concerns because it does not use spray-drying towers that typically emit particles and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. As used herein, the term "agglomerates" refers to particles formed by binder agglomerating materials such as surfactants and / or inorganic solutions / organic solvents and polymer solutions. As used herein, the term "granular" refers to fluidizing agglomerates completely to produce granular agglomerates with round shape and free flowing. As used in this, the term "average residence time" refers to the following definition: "average residence time (hr) = mass (kg) / flow yield (kg / hr)". All viscosities described herein are measured at 30-J0 ° C. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a no-tower process is provided for preparing detergent agglomerates. The process comprises the following steps: (i) fluidizing powdered materials in a high-speed mixer / granulator having both stirring and cutting action, the powder materials comprising: solid water-soluble inorganic alkaline material formed from particles in a amount greater than that required for neutralization, optionally in admixture with one or more solids formed from different particles, and recycled fine material, the powder materials having a total surface area; (ii) add the liquid detersive materials to the high-speed mixer / granulator, the liquid detersive materials comprising: a liquid acid precursor, optionally in admixture with one or more other liquid materials, by means of which the neutralization of the acid precursor by the alkaline inorganic material soluble in water; and (iii) granulating the mixture in the high-speed mixer / granulator to form detergent particles, wherein the ratio of the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials in step (ii) is about 0.02 to about 140. The present invention provides many benefits. Although it is not wanted to be limited by theory, it is believed that by controlling the ratio of the average surface area of the powdered materials, which includes the fine recycled matepal, to the amount of liquid detersive materials, the generation of fine material can be controlled. In a typical procedure, fine material is generated from a fluid bed cooler by a mixer, collected in a container, and then fed back into the mixer. If more fine material is generated than it is fed back (or recycled again), this imbalance would cause the accumulation of fine material in the container and eventually paralyze the system over time. It has surprisingly been found that by controlling the average surface area of powdered materials and the amount of liquid detersive materials, an equilibrium can be made of the amount of fine material generated with the amount of fine material recycled so that excessive accumulation of fine material do not stop the detergent process. In addition, a method is provided for continuously producing a free flowing detergent composition whose density can be adjusted for a wide range of consumer needs, directly from starting detergent ingredients. The present invention is directed to a process that produces free flowing detergent agglomerates having a broad density scale, for example, from about 300 g / l to about 1000 g / l, especially for high density detergent agglomerates, for example. example, from approximately 600 g / l to approximately 850 g / l.

Procedure The powder materials are first fluidized in a high-speed mixer / granulator that has both shaking and cutting action. The powder material includes a solid water soluble alkaline inorganic material formed of particles in an amount greater than that required for neutralization. Optionally, the powder materials can be mixed with the inorganic alkaline material, such is the fine material. Next, the liquid detersive ingredients are added to the high-speed mixer / granulator, whereby a liquid acid precursor is added so that neutralization of the acid precursor by the water soluble alkaline inorganic material occurs. Other liquid detersive ingredients, such as a neutralized anionic surfactant, for example, coconut fatty alcohol sulfate, a liquid chelator, and / or a nonionic surfactant, may be optionally added at the same time. The liquid detersive ingredients may include paste forms. The mixture is subsequently granulated to form detergent particles, wherein the ratio of the total surface area of the powdered materials to the liquid detersive materials is from 0.02 to about 140. Preferably, the ratio is from about 0.03 to about 70; most preferably, the ratio is from about 0.04 to about 50. In a typical example, the detergent particle is then agglomerated in a moderate speed granulator / densifier, with or without a separate powder stream, and then dried and / or cooled using, for example, a fluid bed dryer / cooler, to form a granular detergent composition formed of particles. The powder materials include solid water-soluble inorganic alkaline materials formed from particles. Such examples of inorganic materials include sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, bicarbonates, and mixtures thereof. There must be a stoichiometric excess of alkaline inorganic material soluble in solid water formed of particles on the liquid acid precursor. Other powder materials include recycled fine material, zeolite, phosphate, phosphonate, sulfate, silica, silicates, polymers including copolymers of maieic and acrylic acid, carboxymethylcellulose, optical brighteners, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and mixtures thereof. Other suitable ingredients, including additional surfactants, can be handled as solids as described in detail below. In addition to the carbonate salt, the starting fine powder of the present process is preferably selected from the group consisting of ground soda ash, sodium tripolyphosphate powder (STPP), hydrated tripolyphosphate, ground sodium sulphates, aluminosilicates, crystalline layer silicates, nitrilotriacetates (NTA), phosphates, precipitated silicates, polymers, citrates, powdered surfactants (such as powdered alkanesulfonic acids) and the internal powder recycle stream that occurs from the process of the present invention. In the case of using hydrated STPP as the fine powder of the present invention, STPP which is hydrated at a level not less than 50% is preferred. The aluminosilicate ion exchange materials used herein as a builder preferably have both a high calcium ion exchange capacity and a high exchange rate. Preferably, the aluminosilicate ion exchange material is in the "sodium" form since the potassium, hydrogen forms of the aluminosilicate of the present do not exhibit as high a rate and exchange capacity as those provided by the sodium form . In addition, the aluminosilicate ion exchange material is preferably in excess dried form to facilitate the production of curling detergent agglomerates as described herein. Preferably, the aluminosilicate ion exchange material has the formula Naz [(Al? 2) z- (Si? 2) y] xH2O where z and y are integers of minus 6, the molar ratio of zay is from about 1 to about 5 and x is from about 10 to about 264. Most preferably, the aluminosilicate has the formula Nai2 [(Al? 2) i2- (Si? 2) i2] H2? wherein x is from about 20 to about 30, preferably about 27. These preferred aluminosilicates are commercially available, for example, under the designations Zeolite A, Zeolite B and Zeolite X. Alternatively, natural aluminosilicate ion exchange materials or synthetically suitable derivatives for use herein may be made as described in Krummel et al, US Patent No. 3,985,669, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Liquid detersive materials include liquid materials having a viscosity from about 0 cps to about 5,000 cps, preferably from about 0 cps to about 3,000 cps and include some paste shapes. Examples of liquid acid precursors include anionic surfactant acids, aminopolyphosphates, chelating agents, such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and additional anionic surfactants (such as neutralized salts), nonionic, cationic, ampholytic, zwitterionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof. Useful anionic surfactant acids include organic sulfuric reaction products having in their molecular structure an alkyl group containing from about 9 to about 20 carbon atoms and a sulfonic acid. Examples of this group of synthetic surfactants are alkylbenzenesulfonic acids in which the alkyl group contains from about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms in straight or branched chain configuration. Especially suitable anionic surfactant acids are linear alkylbenzene sulphonates in which the alkyl group contains from about 11 to about 13 carbon atoms. Other useful surfactant acids include methyl esters of alphasulfonated fatty acid, olefin sulphonates and beta-alkyloxyalkanesulfonates. You can also use a mixture of the above. A preferred liquid acid precursor is linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS). A preferred liquid material is coconut fatty alcohol sulfate (CFAS). In a preferred composition, the ratio of CFAS: HLAS is from about 4: 1 to about 8: 1.

Other liquid detersive materials include aminopolyphosphates, chelating agents, such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and additional anionic surfactants (such as neutralized salts), nonionic, cationic, ampholytic and zwitterionic surfactants. Other liquids may be sprayed into the high shear mixer including aminopolyphosphates, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and additional surfactants (such as neutralized salts), nonionic, cationic, ampholytic and zwitterionic surfactants. Particularly suitable aminopolyphosphonates include diethylenetriaminepentamethylenephosphonic acid and etiiendiaminotetramethylenephosphonic acid. Especially suitable additional anionic surface-active agents are water-soluble salts of the higher fatty acids. This includes water soluble salts of the higher fatty acids, ie, "soaps", are anionic surfactants useful in the compositions herein. This includes alkali metal soaps such as the sodium, potassium, ammonium, and alkylammonium salts of higher fatty acids containing from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, and preferably from about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms. Soaps can be made by direct saponification of fats and oils or by neutralization of free fatty acids. Particularly useful are the sodium and potassium salts of the fatty acid mixtures derived from coconut oil and tallow, that is, sodium or potassium tallow soap and coconut soap. Useful anionic surfactants also include the water soluble salts, preferably the alkali metal, ammonium and alkylammonium salts, of organic sulfuric reaction products having in their molecular structure an alkyl group containing from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms and an ester group of sulfonic acid or sulfuric acid (the alkyl portion of the acyl groups is included in the term "alkyl"). Examples of this group of synthetic surfactants are the sodium and potassium alkyl sulphates, especially those obtained by sulfating the higher alcohols (Cs-C-is) such as those produced by reducing the glycerides of tallow or coconut oil. Other anionic surfactants herein are the sodium and potassium salts of alkylphenolethelene oxide ether sulfates containing from about 1 to about 10 ethylene oxide units per molecule and wherein the alkyl groups contain from about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms. carbon; and sodium or potassium salts of alkylethylene oxide ether sulfates containing from about 1 to about 10 ethylene oxide units per molecule and wherein the alkyl group contains from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms. Water-soluble nonionic surfactants are also useful as a secondary surfactant in the compositions of the invention. A particularly preferred paste comprises a mixture of nonionic and anionic surfactants having a ratio of about 0.01: 1 to about 1: 1, most preferably about 0.05: 1. The nonionic surfactants can be used up to an equal amount of the main organic surfactant. Such nonionic materials include compounds produced by the condensation of alkylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobic compound, which may be aliphatic or alkylaromatic in nature. The length of the polyoxyalkylene group that is fused to any particular hydrophobic group can be easily adjusted to produce a water-soluble compound having the desired degree of equilibrium between hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements. Suitable nonionic surfactants include the polyethylene oxide condensates of alkylphenols, for example, the condensation products of alkylphenols having an alkyl group containing from about 6 to 16 carbon atoms, in either straight chain or branched chain configuration, with from about 4 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mol of alkylphenol. Preferred nonionic surfactants are the water-soluble condensation products of aliphatic alcohols containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, in either straight chain or branched chain configuration, with from 4 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. Particularly preferred are the condensation products of alcohols having an alkyl group containing from about 9 to 15 carbon atoms with from about 4 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol; and condensation products of propylene glycol with ethylene oxide. Semi-polar nonionic surfactants include water-soluble amine oxides containing an alkyl portion of about 10 to 18 carbon atoms and 2 portions selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups and hydroxyalkyl groups containing from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, water-soluble phosphine oxides containing an alkyl portion of about 10 to 18 carbon atoms and 2 portions selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups and hydroxyalkyl groups containing from about 1 to 3 carbon atoms; and water soluble sulfoxides containing an alkyl portion of about 10 to 18 carbon atoms and a portion selected from the group consisting of alkyl and hydroxyalkyl portions of about 1 to 3 carbon atoms. Ampholytic surfactants include aliphatic derivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines in which the aliphatic portion can be either straight chain or branched chain and wherein one of the aiiphatic substituents contains from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms and at least an aiiphatic substituent contains a solubilization group in anionic water. Zwitterionic surfactants include derivatives of aliphatic quatemyl, phosphonium and sulfonium ammonium compounds in which one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms. Useful cationic surfactants include water-soluble quaternary ammonium compounds of the form R-tRsReF-rNTX ", wherein R4 is alkyl having from 10 to 20, preferably from 12-18 carbon atoms, and R5, R6 and R each is C1 to C7 alkyl, preferably methyl, X "is an anion, for example, chloride. Examples of such trimethylammonium compounds include C12-14 alkyltrimethylammonium chloride and cocoalkyltrimethylammonium methosulfate. Note that some of these compounds can be handled in solid form in which case they should be considered as part of the powder stream rather than liquid binders. It is essential for the present invention that the ratio of the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials be from about 0.02 to about 140. Preferably, the ratio is from about 0.03 to about 70; most preferably, the ratio is from about 0.04 to about 50. The ratio value of the total surface area of the powder materials is measured in kg / m2 and is calculated as the average surface area of the powder materials: total surface of powder materials n "- SSA of each proportion of powder material in m2 / Kg = -, *"., - rr-, proportion of total powder material Given the total surface area of powdered materials as defined above, the ratio from the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials is calculated as follows: Ratio in m / Kg-Kg total surface area of powdered materials = Loading of total liquid detersive material (paste) Typically, the proportion of total powder material used for industrial manufacturing scale ranges from about 500 to about 50,000 kg / hr. Furthermore, preferably, the loading of liquid detersive material is from about 5 to about 50%, preferably from about 10% to about 40%, and most preferably from about 15% to about 25%. If the liquid detersive material is an alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS), then the ratio of the total surface area of the powdered materials to HLAS is from about 0.04 to about 50. If the liquid detersive material comprises a mixture of alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS) and coconut fatty alcohol sulfate (CFAS), and if the ratio of CFAS: HLAS is from about 4: 1 to about 8: 1, then the ratio of the total surface area of the powdered materials to the amount of detersive materials liquids is from about 0.04 to about 50. The total surface area is calculated by any conventional method known in the art. An example is by Malvern, where the method applies the particle-laser scattering theory. Another example is BET, which is a method that uses a vehicle gas, based on the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) theory. To achieve the desired density, generally from about 300 g / l to about 1000 g / l, an agglomeration step is carried out in a high-speed mixer or a series of high-speed mixers. In the case of using a single mixer, examples of a high-speed mixer / granulator for the present invention can be any type of mixer known to those skilled in the art, so long as the mixer can maintain the following conditions. An example can be Lódige CB mixers manufactured by the company Lódige (Germany), for example recycler CB 60 of Lódige. Generally speaking, the average residence time of the starting detergent materials in the high-speed mixer is preferably from about 2 to 45 seconds, most preferably from about 2 to 20 seconds. The scale of operation speed in the high-speed mixer is preferably from 500 to approximately 2000 rpm, most preferably from 650-850 rpm. In the case of using a series of high-speed mixers, examples of a mixer for the present invention may be combinations of any types of mixer known to those skilled in the art, as long as one of the high-speed mixers used for the present invention can maintain the conditions indicated above. An example can be a combination of one of the Lódige CB mixers manufactured by the company Lódige (Germany), and the Flexomic model manufactured by the company Schugi (The Netherlands); that is, the starting detergent mixing materials (which include an acidic form of anionic surfactant, a first carbonate, and a second carbonate) are fed into a CB mixer for agglomeration, subsequently, the resulting agglomerate of the CB mixer is fed into A Flexomic model for additional agglomeration; or the starting detergent mixing materials are fed in a Fiexomic model for agglomeration, subsequently, the resulting agglomerate and the Flexomic model is fed to a CB mixer for further agglomeration. The agglomerates of the process of the present invention can be subjected to an additional mixing process for further agglomeration of the product. This can be achieved by mixing even more in a moderate speed mixer. An example of such a moderate speed mixer can be Lódige KM mixers manufactured by the company Lódige (Germany). Speaking in general terms, the average residence time of the moderate speed mixer may preferably be about 1 to 20 minutes, most preferably about 10 + 5 minutes.

Auxiliary detergent ingredients The process herein may include additional detergent ingredients and / or, any number of additional ingredients may be incorporated in the detergent composition during subsequent steps of the process herein. These auxiliary ingredients include other detergency builders, bleaches, bleach activators, foam enhancers or foam suppressors, anti-rust and anti-corrosion agents, soil suspending agents, soil release agents, germicides, pH adjusting agents, sources of alkalinity non-detergency builders, chelating agents, smectite clays, enzymes, enzyme stabilizing agents and perfumes. See the patent of E.U.A. 3,936,537, issued February 3, 1976 to Baskerville, Jr. et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference.

Optional process steps An optional step in the process is drying, if it is desired to reduce the moisture level in the agglomerates of the present process. This can be achieved by a variety of apparatuses, well known to those skilled in the art. The fluid bed apparatus is preferred, and will be called the dryer in the discussion that follows. In another optional step of the present process, the detergent agglomerates exiting the fluid bed dryer are further conditioned by further cooling in a cooling apparatus. The preferred apparatus for cooling in a fluid bed. Another optional step of the process involves adding a coating agent to improve the flowability and / or minimizing the excessive agglomeration of the detergent composition at one or more of the following locations in the present process: (1) the agent Coating can be added directly after the cooler or fluid bed dryer; (2) the coating agent can be added between the fluid bed dryer and the fluid bed cooler; and / or (3) the coating agent can be added between the fluid bed dryer and an agglomeration mixer (i.e., the first mixer or the second mixer in the second step) which is commonly known to those skilled in the art. . The coating agent is preferably selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicates, silicates, carbonates and mixtures thereof. The coating agent not only increases the free-flowing capacity of the resulting detergent composition which is desirable by consumers since it allows easy removal of the detergent during use, but also serves to control agglomeration by preventing or minimizing excessive agglomeration. As is well known to those skilled in the art, excessive agglomeration can lead to highly undesirable flow and aesthetic properties of the final detergent product. Optionally, the method may comprise the step of spraying an additional binder in a mixer (s) used for the present invention or fluid bed dryers and / or fluid bed coolers. A binder is added for purposes of increasing agglomeration by providing an "agglutination" or "sticking" agent for the detergent components. The binder is preferably selected from the group consisting of water, anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, liquid silicates, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone polyacrylates, citric acid and mixtures thereof. Other suitable binding materials including those listed herein are described in Beerse et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,646 (Procter &Gamble Co.), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other optional steps contemplated by the method herein include sifting oversize detergent agglomerates in a screening apparatus that can take a variety of forms including but not limited to limited to conventional screens chosen for the desired particle size of the finished detergent product. Other optional steps include conditioning the detergent agglomerates by subjecting the agglomerates to further drying by the apparatus discussed above. Another optional step of the present method involves terminating the resulting detergent agglomerates by a variety of methods including spraying and / or mixing other conventional detergent ingredients. For example, the finishing step includes spraying perfumes, brighteners and enzymes into the finished agglomerates to provide a more complete detergent composition. Such techniques and ingredients are well known in the art.

Another optional step in the process involves a method of structuring surfactant paste, for example, curing an aqueous anionic surfactant paste by incorporating a paste hardening material using an extruder, prior to the process of the present invention. The details of the surfactant paste structuring process are described in the patent application No. PCT / US96 / 15960 (Procter &Gamble Co.), filed October 4, 1996. The following examples describe and further demonstrate embodiments within the scope of the present invention. The examples are given solely for the purpose of illustration and should not be construed as limitations of the present invention, since many variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 1 The following is an example to obtain agglomerates that have high density (more than 700 g / l), using a Lódige CB mixer (CB-30), followed by a Mixer KM Code (KM-600), and finally using an apparatus of fluid bed to dry / cool. 70 kg / hr of sodium aluminosilicate (average particle size of 2.45 microns), 130 kg / hr of light milled sodium carbonate (average particle size of 18.3 microns), 223 kg / hr of sodium tripolyphosphate (particle size) average of 22 microns), 130 kg / hr of sulphate (average particle size of 165 microns), and 288 kg / hr of recycled fine material (average particle size of 111 microns) are fluidized in a CB-30 mixer. The CB rpms are preferably 900. The total surface area of all powdered materials is 1051 m2 / kg. 226 kg / hr of CFAS and 35 kg / hr of the acid form of alkylbenzene sulfonates (HLAS) are then added, by means of which neutralization of the acid precursor occurs by the water-soluble inorganic alkaline material. The agglomerates from the CB-30 mixer are fed to the KM-600 mixer for additional agglomeration, rounding and increasing the size of the agglomerates. The KM rpms are preferably 100. The KM mixer cutters can be used to reduce the amount of oversized agglomerates. The agglomerates from the KM mixer are fed to a fluid bed drying apparatus for drying and / or cooling. The resulting granules have a density of approximately 700 g / l. The total surface area of the powdered materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials is approximately 4.0. The amount of fine material generated is approximately 262 kg / hr.

EXAMPLE 2 The following is an example for obtaining agglomerates having high density (greater than 500 g / I), using a CB Lódige mixer (CB-30), followed by a KM Code Mixer (KM-600), and finally using an apparatus of fluid bed to dry / cool. 500 kg / hr of sodium aluminosilicate (average particle size of 2.45 microns), 2200 kg / hr of light milled sodium carbonate (average particle size of 18.3 microns), 2600 kg / hr of sodium tripolyphosphate (particle size) average of 22 microns), 280 kg / hr of light unground carbonate of sodium (average particle size of 73 microns), and 2100 kg / hr of recycled fine material (average particle size of 146 microns) are fluidized in a mixer CB-30. The CB rpm is preferably 750. The total surface area of all the powder materials is 1415 m2 / kg. 1525 kg / hr of the acid form of alkylbenzene sulfonates (HLAS) are then added, by means of which neutralization of the acid precursor occurs by the water soluble alkaline inorganic material. The agglomerates of the mixer CB-30 are fed to the mixer KM-600 for additional agglomeration, rounded and increasing the size of the agglomerates. The KM rpm are preferably 65. KM mixer cutters can be used to reduce the amount of oversized agglomerates. The agglomerates from the KM mixer are fed to a fluid bed drying apparatus for drying and / or cooling. The resulting granules have a density of about 800-900 g / l. The total surface area of the powdered materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials is approximately 0.93. The amount of fine material generated is approximately 2100 kg / hr. It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that different modifications or changes in light of them will be suggested to the person skilled in the art without departing from their spirit and scope.

Claims (7)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A non-towers process for preparing a granular detergent composition, the process comprising the following steps: (i) fluidizing powdered materials in a high-speed mixer / granulator having both a stirring and cutting action, the powder materials comprising : solid water soluble alkaline inorganic material formed of particles in an amount greater than that required for neutralization, optionally in admixture with one or more solids formed of different particles, and fine recycled material, the powder materials having a total surface area; (ii) add the liquid detersive materials to the high-speed mixer / granulator, the liquid detersive materials comprising: a liquid acid precursor, optionally in admixture with one or more other liquid materials, by means of which the neutralization of the acid precursor by the alkaline inorganic material soluble in water; and (iii) granulating the mixture in the high-speed mixer / granulator to form detergent particles, wherein the ratio of the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials in step (ii) is about 0.02 to about 140.

2. - The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the powder material is selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, bicarbonates, recycled fine material, zeolite, phosphate, phosphonate, sulfate, silica, silicates, polymers including copolymers of maleic and acrylic acid, carboxymethylcellulose, optical brighteners, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and mixtures thereof.

3. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the liquid detersive material has a viscosity of from about 0 to about 5000 cps and is selected from the group consisting of alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, coconut fatty alcohol sulfate, non-surface active agent. Ion, chelating agent, and mixtures thereof.

4. The process according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: (i) agglomerating the detergent particles in a moderate speed granulator / densifier, with or without a separate powder stream; and (ii) drying and / or cooling.

5. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the liquid detersive material is linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS), the ratio of the total surface area of the powdered materials to the amount of HLAS in the step (FIG. i) is from about 0.04 to about 50.

6. - The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the liquid detersive material comprises a mixture of linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS) and coconut fatty alcohol sulfate (CFAS), further characterized in that the ratio of CFAS: HLAS is about 4: 1 to about 8: 1, and further characterized in that the total surface area of the powder materials to the amount of liquid detersive materials in step (ii) is from about 0.04 to about 50. 7.- A detergent composition granulate formed of particles made according to the process of claim 1, the composition having a bulk density of about 300 g / l to about 1000 g / l.