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Microemulsion Formation and Detergency with Oily Soil: IV. Effect of Rinse Cycle Design

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Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

Abstract

The objective of this work was to apply a microemulsion-based formulation for the removal of motor oil in laundry detergency at low salinity. To produce the desired phase behavior, three surfactants were used: alkyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate (ADPODS), sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sorbitan monooleate (Span 80). The mixed surfactant system of 1.5% ADPODS, 5% AOT and 5% Span 80 (13 parts ADPODS, 43.5 parts AOT, and 43.5 parts Span 80 of the total actives) was found to form a middle phase microemulsion (Type III) at a relatively low salinity of 2.83% NaCl. When this formulation was diluted, detergency performance increased with increasing total surfactant concentration and leveled off above about 0.1% total actives on the three types of fabrics studied (pure cotton, 65/35 polyester/cotton blend, and pure polyester). Detergency was found to improve with increasing hydrophilicity of the fabric with cotton being cleanest after washing and polyester the most difficult to clean. To achieve a specified oil removal, less rinse water can be used if a higher number of lower-volume rinses are employed. An interesting characteristic of microemulsion-based formulations is that a substantial fraction of oil removal occurs during the rinse cycle. In this work, this removal is shown to be due to the low oil/water interfacial tension during initial rinsing and is therefore strongly correlated to residual surfactant concentration in the rinse steps. As a result, the number of rinses and the volume of water per rinse can profoundly affect detergency in these systems.

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Acknowledgments

Research facilities and financial support for this work was provided by the Petroleum and Petrochemical Consortium, Ministry of Education, and the Research Unit of Applied Surfactants for Separation and Pollution Control, Rachadapisek Somphoch Fund, Chulalongkorn University, respectively. In addition, the industrial sponsors for the Institute of Applied Surfactant Research, University of Oklahoma are acknowledged. They are Akzo Nobel, Clorox, Conoco/Phillips, Church and Dwight, Dow, Ecolab, Halliburton, Huntsman, Oxiteno, Procter & Gamble, Sasol North America, Shell Chemical, and Unilever.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Petroleum and Petrochemical College, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Parichat Tanthakit & Sumaeth Chavadej

  2. Institute for Applied Surfactant Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    John F. Scamehorn & David A. Sabatini

  3. Environmental Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Chantra Tongcumpou

  4. National Research Center for Environmental and Hazardous Management, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Chantra Tongcumpou

Authors
  1. Parichat Tanthakit
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  2. Sumaeth Chavadej
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  3. John F. Scamehorn
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  4. David A. Sabatini
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  5. Chantra Tongcumpou
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Correspondence to Sumaeth Chavadej.

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Tanthakit, P., Chavadej, S., Scamehorn, J.F. et al. Microemulsion Formation and Detergency with Oily Soil: IV. Effect of Rinse Cycle Design. J Surfact Deterg 11, 117–128 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-008-1062-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-008-1062-x

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