Soap and Detergent Operation

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In cationic surfactant the hydrophilic group is positively charged. A cationic surfactant cannot be mixed with oppositely charged surfactant (anionic surfactant). The molecules interact with each other, producing a gooey mess that drops out of solution thus will reduce the efficiency of the cleaning process. In addition, they are not good foaming agent. However, they are extremely used for some specific uses because of their positive charge enable them to operate as a corrosion inhibitor as well as solid particle dispersant. The examples of cationic surfactants are mono alkyl quaternary system and esterquats.

In amphoteric surfactant, the hydrophilic group carries both negative and positive charge. The amphoteric surfactant has a unique property because it can be anionic or cationic or amphoteric. In most cases, pH of the solution determines the category of the surfactants. The amphoteric surfactants are generally mild, with lower skin irritation compared to anionic and nonionic surfactants. The mixture of amphoteric and anionic surfactant can provide a thickening and a high foam property to the soap. The examples of amphoteric surfactant are betaines and sulfobetaines.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The major problems of this project are:

There are some properties are still not up to the standard of commercial detergent. For example, the poor foam ability, the cloudy appearance, low viscosity and specific gravity. In terms of economic point of view, it is required to find out the most cheapest and effective methodology for the formulation of detergent. In addition, in order to enhance the quality of products the methodology for the manufacturing process needs to be modified. Previously, the dishwashing detergent that was produced has a poor quality in terms of foaming conditions, appearance, cloudiness, viscosity and specific gravity.

SCOPES

The main scopes of this study are:

The effects of raw materials on the properties of detergent by varying the amount of them and observe the changes in physical and chemical aspects.

OBJECTIVE

1) The main objective of this project is to formulate a better quality of dishwashing detergent in terms of better foaming ability, transparent appearance, highly viscous and high specific gravity.

2) The other objective is to reduce the cost of production, to improve the productivity and to gain more profit.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials

The raw materials used in the research are water, LABSA, SLES, CDE, SXS, sodium carbonate (light), perfume, dye, EDTA, ethyl alcohol and CMC. The raw materials used for the manufacturing of detergent were industrial grade.

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Figure 1: The molecular structure of LABSA.

Experimental

Preparation of dishwashing detergent

Nearly 890 ml of water was added in a plastic jug by using a measuring cylinder. After that the CMC was added into the jug and stir using a laboratory paddle stirrer at rpm of 1000 for about 30 min until the CMC is completely dissolved in water. The rpm should be high enough to create a vortex in the water solution. The maximum speed used to create the vortex was 2500 rpm. After properly dissolved, the other raw materials like ethanol, SLES, SXS, CDE, EDTA and perfume were added considering a fixed amount into the solution. Minimum 10 min was given after adding one raw material into the solution for better mixing. The perfume need to put after the EDTA, otherwise it may disturb the pH and make cloudy solution. This is happened due to the acidic nature of the perfume (pH 3-5). After that sodium carbonate was added into the solution and the pH of the solution become 10.5. After this, LABSA was added into the mixture to neutralize the solution. These substances (LABSA and sodium carbonate) need longer time duration to dissolve than other substances. This is because of the better interaction between component to component and with water. The final pH for this solution is measured and recorded. Finally, the dye was added into this mixture for about 1 g. After the blending process, it is required to wait 2 hours to reduce the foam produced during the process. The final clear solution was pour into the sample bottle as a finished product (dishwashing liquid detergent).

pH value

The pH values test is considered as the quantitative test. For the measurement of pH value for the raw materials (liquid form), the measurement is done by using a pH meter(METTLER TOLEDO), for the raw materials (solid form), the substance itself need to be dissolved with a distilled water .Before start the measurement, the pH meter need to be calibrated with a distilled water. This will ensure that the measurement is accurate.

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Viscosity value

The viscosity test is considered as the quantitative test. The viscosity value of dishwashing liquid samples was measured by using a Programmable Rheometer. The spindle used is 31. The recommended rpm used is 10 rpm. This is because at the higher rpm the viscosity of dishwashing liquid cannot be identified by the Programmable Rheometer.

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Specific gravity

The specific gravity test is considered as the quantitative test. The value of specific gravity of dishwashing liquid was measured by using a Mettler-Toledo Densito 30PX Digital Hydrometer. This device need to washed with an ethanol after being used .This is because the ethanol will reduce the viscosity of dishwashing liquid thus make it easier to clean.

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Foaming ability

The foaming ability test is considered as the qualitative test. For foaming ability measurement, nearly 500ml water and 5 ml of dishwashing liquid was added in a plastic jug by using a measuring cylinder. The mixture was then stirred for 30 seconds. The amount of water, dishwashing liquid and the time to stir the solution were fixed for all the samples. The same procedure was repeated for different types of samples and recorded for the analysis.

Cleaning performance

The