PRODUCTION OF LOW SUDS DETERGENT

Heng Joe Shen

A Course Work Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Course KKEK 3156 Plant Engineering Chemical Engineering Department University of Malaya Academic Year 2013

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 2. STUDIES 2.1. 2.2. 2.3. 2.4. 2.5. 2.6. 2.7. 2.8. 2.9. SPECIFICATIONS AND USE OF THE PRODUCT IDENTIFY RAW MATERIAL PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY EVALUATION PROCESS FLOW SPECIFICATION OF MAJOR EQUIPMENT CAPACITY AND RUNNING HOURS OVERALL MASS AND ENERGY BALANCE (APPROXIMATE) FACILITIES REQUIREMENT PLANT LAYOUT

2.10. SUPPORTING FACILITIES REQUIREMENT 2.11. WORKFORCE 2.12. SAFETY AND SECURITY MANAGEMENT 2.13. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2.14. WASTE MANAGEMENT 2.15. QUALITY CONTROL AND MONITORING 2.16. REGULATORY REQUIREMENT 2.17. START UP, SHUTDOWN AND COMMISSIONING 2.18. MAINTENANCE 2.19. WORKERS WELFARE 2.20. OTHER 3. SUMMARY

1. INTRODUCTION This course (plant engineering) is the study about all the processes involved in running a successful chemical plant. At the end of this course, a student is expected to perform the following tasks: Synthesis a layout plan, produce a complete flow diagram, select appropriate electrical and fire fighting requirement, produce commissioning procedures, select main maintenance, generate start-up and shut down systems; and select main controlling and monitoring requirements. Each student is assigned a different product to be studied in detail. In this case, I was selected to study the production of low suds detergent.

2.

STUDIES 2.1. SPECIFICATIONS AND USE OF THE PRODUCT

There are numerous companies that formulated their own low suds detergent product. Some international industries that are involved in the production of low suds detergent are Fresh Start, Fab, Amway SA8, Tide HE, Wisk HE and Equator. The product chosen here is Fresh Start Heavy Duty Powder Laundry Detergent (Regular) [1]. This product is manufactured by the Phoenix Brands company, which is specializes in production of a broad range of laundry care products. These include Niagara Spray Starch, Rit Dye, Final Touch Fabric Softener and Fab, Dynamo, Ajax, Arctic Power, and ABC Laundry Detergents. Its product is exported to more than 40 countries worldwide. As an international industry player, Phoenix constantly enhances their product performance, shelf impact and brand appeal. It even brings customized solutions to its retail partners from product formulas, packaging and merchandising to sales solutions. Phoenix Brands headquarter is located at 1437 West Morris Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46221 USA. The product, Fresh Start Heavy Duty Powder Laundry Detergent (Regular) is one of their top sales products. Special features of this product are: Powder formula, low sudsing, clean rinsing, easy to pour and measure, cleans in all water temperature, super concentrated, heavy duty cleaning power and 6 bottles per pack.

Figure 1: Fresh Start Heavy Duty Powder Laundry Detergent (Regular) Dimensions Packaging Weight Form Colour Fragrance pH (concentrate) pH (ready to use) Solubility 1.02 H x 0.95 W x 1.23 D 6 x 4.14 pound bottles per case 32 lbs Powder Blue granular beads Mild floral 10.6 11.4 10.6 11.4 Completely dissolve in water Biodegradable Detergency Rinsability Storage / Stability Application Applicable Product code Sales Rank Stock keeping unit (sku) Complete Excellent Excellent 2 years Laundry Fabric 5267 167204 230367530

Detergent is categorized under the class of molecules that able to manipulate (disrupt or form) hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions among molecules in biological samples and dirt. Thus, the main function of detergent is to remove any organic and inorganic compound that is attached to clothes. Since we wear cloth most of the time, cloth is easily exposed to stain either biologically or chemically. The most common stain is sweat, which causes our clothes to be smelly. A study has shown that sweat is composed of water, lactate, urea, sodium (0.9g/l), potassium (0.2g/l), calcium (0.015g/l) and magnesium (0.0013g/l) as well as other trace metals [2] . In biological research, detergent is used to lyse cells (release soluble proteins), solubilize membrane proteins and lipids, control protein crystallization, prevent nonspecific binding in affinity purification and immunoassay procedures, and as additives in electrophoresis [3]. In domestic consumption, modern detergent has been modified to remove protein-based stains, bleaches, add fragrance smells, and add smoothness as well as to cater to different fabric material. Future detergent is expected to be multi-functional and improves the quality of the clothes while maintaining the quality of environmental friendly.

Figure 2: Molecular structure of detergent In order to understand the idea behind the innovation of low suds detergent, there is a need to study the types of washers available in market. Typically, there are 2 types of washers: Vertical-axis washer (top loaders) and horizontal axis washer (front loaders). Horizontal-axis washers are actually quite popular especially in Europe countries because it requires less water. This means that it consumes less power, less detergent and reduces the time to dry the clothes. It rotates less vigorously but tends to create more suds as compared to vertical-axis washers. During rotation, air is added into the water when the clothes move in and out of the water surface and suds are formed when the surface tension of the soapy water is break. As the result, these excess suds can damage the washers. On the other hand, reducing the amount of detergent can reduce the amount of suds formed but this will affect its performance in cleaning the cloth. Consequently, low suds detergent is designed with addition of anti-foam to solve this problem [3].

Figure 3: Horizontal-axis and Vertical-axis washers

2.2. IDENTIFY RAW MATERIAL A broad range of raw materials can be used in the production of detergent. In fact, the detergent ingredients market can fetch up to 3 billion kilograms with sales of US 7 billion dollars. This highly competitive market and reduced margin of benefits create the space for research and systematic production of detergent. There are multiple factors that determines the composition of a detergent such as surface to be cleaned (types of clothes), soil, water hardness and temperature. Typically, it is a complex combination of inorganic salts of alkaline metal called builders and a system of surfactants composed of anionic or non-ionic organic molecules. Despite the great variety of raw materials used, there are certain components that are found in common among most of the products. Each component has its own function in ensuring that a cloth is properly clean [5]. Surfactants / To Improve the wet-ting ability of water, loosen and remove soil with the aid of cleaning agents wash action, then emulsify, solubilize, or suspend soils in the wash solution until soils are washed away. Builders To bind the calcium and magnesium ions coming mainly from the water and in part from the dirt or the textiles to enhance or build the cleaning efficiency of the surfactant by inactivating water hardness minerals. Enzymes To break down the pep-tide bonds by enzymatic hydrolysis of complex stains and soils, including protein-based stains (grass and blood) and starch-based stains common to many foods. Enzymes can also improve the appearance and feel of fabrics. Polymers To capture and hold soils and dyes, sending them down the drain to avoid redepositing on washed fabrics. Bleach Decolour oxidatively the stains that have an affinity to fibre and cannot be washed out through degradation of the chromophore systems. We can distinguish two main oxidative processes, peroxide (typical in Europe) and hypochlorite based one respectively. Softeners Reduce fabric friction or static electricity, and help to provide a soft, fluffy appearance for fabrics. Stabilizers Maintain high-sudsing function, where suds level is an important indicator of cleaning power. They also help maintain stability of the product and its shelf life, especially the enzymes and oxygen bleach. Preservatives To protect against natural effects of product aging, e.g., decay, discoloration, oxidation, and bacterial attack. They can also protect colour and fragrance. Solvents Prevent separation or deterioration of ingredients in liquid products. Fragrances Provide pleasant and fresh scent to fabrics and over the odours of the alkaline wash liquor generated in the washing solution. Colorants Added to lend individuality to the product, or dramatize a special additive contributing to product performance. Favourite colours are pink, blue and green Table 1: Composition of powdered laundry detergent formulations in Europe (1997) [4]

2.3. PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY EVALUATION Table 2: Statistics of detergent production in Malaysia [6]

From Table 2, it is found that the production of detergent has been increasing steadily at an approximate rate of 7645.8 tonnes per year. Currently, the total population in Malaysia is 28.3 million and growing at an astonishing rate of 0.47 million people per year since 1980. Thus, it is safe to deduce that the consumption of detergent is projected to be on rise in the future since detergent is a vital household product. With increasing population in Malaysia, the potential of detergent production market is huge. From the list of available plants in India, detergent production plant can operates up 20 tonnes per 8 hours shift capacity. However, by considering the scale limitations and populations in Malaysia, the detergent production plant can be much smaller. By means of calculation and safe assumptions, the annual capacity of my detergent production plant is 3000 tonnes on the basis of production schedule of 300 days per annum, 3 shifts of 8 hours per day. This means the plant will operates on 500 kg/hr, which will contribute to 2% of the total detergent production in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the average retail price of different brands of locally produced detergent powder is roughly RM7 RM20/kg. While some of the raw material can be obtained locally, most of them have to be imported from overseas. From gross consumption cost alone, a low suds detergent requires RM10.47/kg and this is competitive with current detergent product in the market of Malaysia. There is research possibility to alter the composition of the detergents to optimize the cost consumption while providing the same cleaning quality. In conclusion, production of low suds detergent in Malaysia is economically viable. Table 3: Typical composition of low suds detergent Ingredient Components Cost (RM/kg) % Alkylbenzene Sulfonate120-40-1 Surfactant 1.90 10 Sodium carbonate monohydrate Builders 30.00 28 Sodium hypochlorite7681-52-9 Bleach 1.55 10 Sodium sulfate Fillers 0.36 30 Alkaline Protease Enzyme PRAL200 Enzymes 30.00 0.3 Coumarin 99%, Acros Organics Optical whitening agent 225.00 0.1 Akasil Antifoam 10 T Anti-foam agents 10.00 0.1 Water 6.00 22 Total Cost Total (RM/kg) 71.69 24.64 7.51 0.11 15.84 0.23 2.33 1.29 10.47

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Detergent production is a relatively old industry and trace back to the early 20th century. Since then, intensive research has been done to constantly improve the production rate and cater for the variety of demands from the customer. Each raw material is formed individually through various reactions. Detergent is then a mixture of different salts and chemicals that can react differently in the cleaning process. While most of the chemicals are added for cleaning purpose, others are added to enhance the clothes such as softer and more fragrance smell. Below is the formation of each raw material: i. The formation of Alkylbenzene sulfonate is purely through sulfonation followed by neutralization process of alkylbenzene sulphuric acid with sodium hydroxide. The process is exorthermic and change in Gibbs energy is negative.

ii.

The formation of sodium carbonate monohydrate is through Hous process coupled with Haber process. It is then followed by heating to remove the water content.

iii. iv. v.

The formation of sodium hypochlorite is purely by dissolving chlorine in water. The formation of sodium sulfate. Protease is generated by utilizing the microorganism. Then, it is extracted by ammonium sulphate fractionation and dialysis against distilled water and buffer.

Since the final product of detergent is in powder form, it is important to ensure that random mixture is achieved. Random mixture is defined as a mixture in which there is equal probability of finding a particle of any component at all locations and same as the proportion of that component in the mixture as a whole [7]. This is because powder, unlike liquid, does not mix homogeneously upon stirring. In fact, there is tendency for segregation to occur. As the result, all the salts and chemicals are required to be dissolved into a slurry form before pelletized. From the formation of raw materials point of view, the process is feasible. From the formation of detergent powder point of view, the process is feasible at current technology in Malaysia. Since there is no regulatory restricting the production of detergent in Malaysia, the plant is technically viable.

Detergent comprised of multiple salts and chemicals. Each component, although may look harmless but is a potential hazard to human health when the concentration achieves certain limit. In this plant, most of the raw materials are bought from other chemical industry. This however, requires a large storage tank for the raw materials. As a result, each worker in this plant is expected to study and understand the potential hazard that each chemical bring with them [8]. i. Alkylbenzene sulfonate Eyes May cause irritation, redness, pain and tearing. Skin May cause slight irritation. Inhalation May cause irritation in respiratory tract. Ingestion Cause throat irritation, vomiting and diarrhea. LD50 Oral 404 mg/kg rat ii. Sodium carbonate monohydrate Eyes Irritating to eyes. Skin Irritating and harmful in contact with skin. Inhalation May cause irritation in respiratory tract. Ingestion Cause central nervous system effects, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. LD50 Oral 4090 mg/kg rat iii. Sodium hypochlorite Eyes Corrosive Skin Injures mucous membranes on contact. Inhalation Ingestion Cause nausea, vomiting and burning sensation of the mouth and throat. TLV-C 2 mg/m3 iv. Sodium sulphate Eyes Dust may cause mechanical irritation to eyes. Skin Inhalation May cause irritation in respiratory tract. Ingestion LD50 Oral >5000 mg/kg rat Chronic toxicity Contains greater than 0.1% crystalline silica (Group 1 carcinogen by IARC) Besides the potential health hazard, there is a growing concern about the environmental impact of using detergent. Carbon footprints are an indicator of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced while making, shipping and using a product. It is estimated that around 0.6-0.9kg CO2 per load of laundry is produced and a family does on average of 300 loads per year. In long term, increasing production of CO2 can contribute to global warming. On the other hand, sodium hypochlorite can form chlorinated organic by products after laundry that has inherent toxicity while uses of alkaline protease is highly caustic and cause burns to aquatic organism. There is a need for research in order to reduce its environmental impact. Should the wash water leaks into nearby pond, it can causes eutrophication due to its high organic content. Meanwhile in the case of surfactants, linear alkyl benzene (LAS) is used because of its biodegradability as compared to previously used branched alkyl benzene. The packaging used is polyhydroxy-alkanoate (PHA) based, which is more environmental friendly.

2.4. 2.5. 2.6. 2.7. 2.8. 2.9. 2.10. 2.11. 2.12. 2.13. 2.14. 2.15. 2.16. 2.17. 2.18. 2.19. 2.20.

PROCESS FLOW SPECIFICATION OF MAJOR EQUIPMENT CAPACITY AND RUNNING HOURS OVERALL MASS AND ENERGY BALANCE (APPROXIMATE) FACILITIES REQUIREMENT PLANT LAYOUT SUPPORTING FACILITIES REQUIREMENT WORKFORCE SAFETY AND SECURITY MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WASTE MANAGEMENT QUALITY CONTROL AND MONITORING REGULATORY REQUIREMENT START UP, SHUTDOWN AND COMMISSIONING MAINTENANCE WORKERS WELFARE OTHER

References 1. Phoenix Brands. Fresh Start Heavy Duty Powder Laundry Detergent: Regular. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from http://www.parish-supply.com/powdered-laundry-detergent.aspx 2. Anne, M.H. What is the chemical composition of human sweat or perspiration?. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicalcomposition/f/What-Is-The-Chemical-CompositionOf-Human-Sweat-Or-Perspiration.htm 3. Thermo scientific. Detergents for cell lysis and protein extractin. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from http://www.piercenet.com/browse.cfm?fldID=5558F7E4-5056-8A76-4E55-4F3977738B63 4. Tournet, C.K. (2005). Low sudsing detergent information. The Laundry Alternative Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from http://www.laundry-alternative.com/low_sudsing_detergent.htm 5. Martn, M., Martnez, A., A methodology for simultaneous process and product design in the formulated consumer products industry: The case study of the detergent business. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2012.08.012 6. Department of statistics Malaysia. (2012). Monthly manufacturing statistics. Retrieved March 3, 2013 from http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index 7. Martin, R. (2008). Introduction to Particle Technology. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 8. Ricca Chemical Company. (2007). Material Safety Data Sheet. Retrieved online from http://www.msds.com/servlet/B2BDocumentDisplay?document_version_nri=3714067&manuf_nri=279 3&manuf_name=&supplier_nri=2793&page_number=1&search_source=centraldb&CLIENT_session_k ey=A722854_williammusician&CLIENT_language=2