PARTICULATE DETERGENT COMPRISING AGGLOMERATED PARTICLES OF CLAY AND ANIONIC SYNTHETIC DETERGENT

摘要

A particulate detergent composition, preferably of relatively high bulk density, comprises agglomerate particles of clay, such as bentonite, and anionic synthetic organic detergent, of particle sizes in a certain desired range, with each particle thereof comprising individual particles of such clay of a smaller size and anionic detergent absorbed into said particles, on the surfaces thereof and between them, whereby a relatively high bulk density fabric softening detergent composition is obtainable. Such detergent composition is very desirably manufactured by a process in which bentonite or other suitable clay powder is agglomerated into detergent composition particles of desired size by agglomerating such powder with an aqueous medium containing a detersive proportion (for such detergent composition or for a built laundry detergent composition which may be made from it) of anionic synthetic organic detergent, in a process in which excess water from such aqueous medium, which could cause the agglomerate to be sticky and poorly flowing, is removed from the surfaces of the agglomerate particles by absorption, hydration and/or drying during and/or after the agglomeration process. The process in which the clay is agglomerated with the synthetic organic detergent does not adversely affect (by irreversible absorption or any other means) the detersive and fabric softening properties of the individual components used in the agglomeration process. The particulate detergent composition agglomerate particles made can be of desired particle size and can be of relatively high bulk density (at least 0.5 g/cc), and are useful in making built particulate fabric softening synthetic organic detergent compositions by blending with particulate builder particles (often spray dried) which can also be of relatively high bulk density. Such builder particles can be made of relatively high bulk density despite the fact that when anionic detergent composition formulations are spray dried it is often difficult or impossible to make dried beads of high bulk density, because by the present process the anionic detergent is post-admixed with the spray dried builder, as a component of the bentonite agglomerate, and thus is not present with the builder during spray drying thereof.