TECHNICAL INFORMATION
ADDITIVES FOR DETERGENTS, CLEANING AND CARE PRODUCTS

HC-TI 1

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care productsContents
03 Introduction
04 Additives for polishes: Care and protection of surfaces
11 Additives for cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces
19 Additives for detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles

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Introduction
Cleaning and care are essential for maintaining hygienic conditions
in our daily lives. The use of care and cleaning products also ensuresthat surfaces last longer and thus contributes to a more sustainable
way of life. In addition to the high demands on the performance andefficiency of the products used, the safety of their use for people
and the environment also plays an increasingly important role.

BYK additives are very versatile and help to clean and protect awide range of hard and soft surfaces. They achieve a wide rangeof effects such as an improved spray pattern, product stability or
improved production and application processes. At the same time,
BYK additives tolerate a very wide range of conditions (aqueous –solvent-based, acidic – alkaline).

With the aim of meeting all these requirements, BYK offers a rangeof additives that help to improve cleaning and maintenanceperformance. At the same time, the development of our products
focuses on health and sustainability aspects.

This makes them the optimal raw material for cleaning agents innumerous applications for private households as well as forcommercial cleaning and care. In the following chapters you willfind the appropriate recommendations divided according to thespecific application as well as the desired effect.

Additive recommendations
for the for cleaning, care anddetergents can be found here:“ADDITIVE SELECTION CHART
DETERGENTS, CLEANING AND
DETERGENTS“ (HC-AG 1)
Note
To ensure the best appearance
and full functionality, please
open in Adobe Acrobat.

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products

Additives for polishes: Care and protection of surfaces
In order to improve the surface properties, care products
designed for the specific application are required. These areused on a wide variety of materials such as metal, stone,
wood, leather or even plastics. These include polishes forvehicles, leather products, furniture and floors.

Rheology additives are used to adjust the desiredconsistency of care products. These are either pasty,
creamy or liquid.

For the production of high-quality care products, BYK offersa range of wax additives, defoamers and surface
additives to achieve the best possible surface wetting andeffective protection.

The benefits of using waxes have been known to mankind
for thousands of years. Various properties have been
improved by the use of waxes. Gloss and surface protection
are just two of them.

Wax additives for use in polishes

In order to make waxes suitable for use in polishes, BYK
produces wax additives from them that are easy to handle
and dose and have the particle size suitable for theapplication in question. In these wax preparations, the wax
particles are finely dispersed in a liquid phase (here: water)or as micronised waxes in powder form. Finely dispersed
emulsions in water are offered by BYK under the tradename AQUACER. AQUAMAT wax dispersions are wax
dispersions with coarser particles (> 1 μm) that are ideal for
gloss reduction. Micronised waxes from BYK are offeredunder the trade name CERAFLOUR.

Overview of BYK wax additives for polishes and their particle sizes
High gloss

The industry
demandsfunctional andready-to-use wax
additives withthe right particle
sizes

Matting

Particle size (µm)
0.05

0.1

0.3

AQUACER

1

5

10

AQUAMATCERAFLOUR

25

aqueousmicronized

AQUACER: Wax emulsions with particle sizes < 1 µm
AQUAMAT: Wax emulsions with particle sizes > 1 µm

CERAFLOUR: Micronized waxes
G. 01

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Wax products based on synthetic polymers, such aspolyethylene and polypropylene, have proven themselves asadditives in polishes due to their numerous good properties
that contribute to the protection and adjustment of theproperties of surfaces. For reasons of sustainability and theassociated efforts to avoid microplastics, additives based onnatural waxes are also increasingly in focus. BYK alreadyoffers a wide range of different, mainly plant-based wax
additives. The respective recommendations for specificapplications are described in more detail below.

Wax additives for floor care
Waxes are among the main components of theseformulations and improve these important properties:• Polishability• Abrasion resistance• Shoe sole resistance• Dirt resistance• Gloss• Hydrophobicity• Filling properties in case of scratches• Slip balancing
AQUACER 1075 and AQUACER 1510 as well as
AQUACER 8059* and AQUACER 8940* have been
specially developed for floor care products and are tailoredto the requirements of the market. AQUACER 1075/
AQUACER 8059* is a high-density polyethylene wax thatprovides very good mechanical resistance of the floor
coating and also improves resistance to disinfectants andcleaning agents. If a reduction of surface slip (anti-slip) is
desired in floor care products, this can be well adjusted with
wax additives. AQUACER 1510/AQUACER 8940* is a
polypropylene-based wax additive that is particularly well
suited for this purpose. By combining these two wax
additives, the desired balance between surface protection
and slip resistance can be achieved.

Bio-based wax additives for polishes
AQUACER 565

AQUACER 570

AQUACER 571

CERAFLOUR 1000

CERAFLOUR 1010

(Carnauba wax)

(Mod. sunflower wax)

(Mod. rice bran wax)

(Mod. biopolymer)(Rape seed wax)

• Non-volatile matter:30 %• pH: 6.5
• Emulsifier system:
non-ionic• Biobased carbon
content (ASTM D6866):
87 %• Non-volatile matter:40 %• pH: 5.0
• Emulsifier system:
non-ionic• Biobased carbon
content (ASTM D6866):
91 %• Non-volatile matter:
25 %• pH: 9.5
• Emulsifier system:
non-ionic• Biobased carbon
content (ASTM D6866):
92 %• Non-volatile matter:100 %• Particle size distribution
D90: < 11 µm•B iobased carbon
content (ASTM D6866):> 97 %• Non-volatile matter:100 %• Particle size distribution
D90: 16 μm• Biobased carbon
content (ASTM D6866):
100 %For matting, in
combination with
OPTIGEL-CK

For matting, in
combination
with OPTIGEL-CK

G. 02

Adjustment of the surface properties through wax additives

Surfacehardness
AQUACER 1075

Surfaceslip
AQUACER 1510

G. 03
* only available in NAFTA

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Wax additives based on natural waxes can be a microplasticfree alternative. G. 04 shows that AQUACER 571, which isbased on rice bran wax, protects the surface comparably
well against mechanical abrasion. The increase in slip is also
well balanced and not noticeably increased compared to apolyethylene wax additive.

Surface protection
with AQUACER 571
Gloss

Gloss reduction by using
CERAFLOUR 1000 and CERAFLOUR 1010

Comparable
gloss retention
to HDPE-wax
emulsions after
mechanical load

Gloss 60°

Gloss before
mechanical stress

90

100

As a microplastic-free alternative for matt systems, acombination of the waxy biopolymer CERAFLOUR 1000
produced by fermentation and the natural clay OPTIGEL-CK,
which is added to stabilise the matting biopolymer, issuitable even with small amounts of 1 % CERAFLOUR 1000
and 1.5 % OPTIGEL-CK.

80

90

70

80

20

20

A complement to CERAFLOUR 1000 is CERAFLOUR 1010,
a micronized rape seed wax. When 2 % is used, a silk mattsurface can be achieved (G. 05).

10

10

70

60

60

50

50

40

40

30

30

0

0
Satra

Without wax  

AQUACER 1075  

Crockmeter
AQUACER 571

AQUACER 571

CERAFLOUR 1000

CERAFLOUR 1010

G. 04

G. 05

Test method: Gloss determination after mechanical stress(Satra and Crockmeter test)
System: Floor care based on acrylic copolymer system
Dosage: 3 % solid wax

Excellent

An important component is the wax used. Here, too,
the focus is increasingly on "green" products based onnatural, renewable raw materials that improve botholeophobicity and hydrophobicity. G. 06 shows how
effectively AQUACER 570 (wax additive based on sunflowerwax) and AQUACER 571 (wax additive based on rice branwax) increase surface protection in this respect.

Static hydrophobing
Very effectivehydrophobing

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2

Bad

Wax additives for leather care

1
0
AQUACER 1075

AQUACER 561

AQUACER 565

Test method: Static hydrophobing (IKW 9.1) on leather
System: Leather care   Dosage: 5.4 % solid wax   Application: 0.2 g/100 cm2

AQUACER 570

AQUACER 571
G. 06

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Wax additives for car care
When cleaning and caring for vehicles the variety ofmaterials used must be taken into account, with a large
focus on the care of painted surfaces. In addition to thenumerous products for cleaning vehicles, polishes inparticular are an important component for protecting andmaintaining the appearance of the vehicle.
By using a combination of a carnauba wax additive such as
AQUACER 565 with a low-density polyethylene wax
additive like AQUACER 1031, a hard protective layer can becreated on the surface. In addition, the use of the additives
prevents the so-called hologram effect, as the wax additives
fill the micro-scratches that occur during polishing.
If easy polishing is desired so that the sealant can also be
applied with a cloth, a wax with a lower melting point isused. Natural wax-based products are particularly suitable
for this purpose. Our recommendations are AQUACER 561
based on beeswax, AQUACER 570 based on sunflower wax
or AQUACER 571 based on rice bran wax. In addition togloss and colour freshening, the sealed surfaces also havevery good water-repellent properties (G. 07).

AQUACER natural wax-based products ensurea water-repellent surface

With AQUACER wax additive

Without additive
G. 07

Wax additives for furniture care
BYK's wax additives are also very suitable in the field of
furniture care to protect the wood and to prolong theservice life.
AQUACER 571 and AQUACER 561 in combination with
AQUACER 565 have proven to be particularly suitable
additives for protecting furniture surfaces. A combination
with an oil such as avocado oil is also possible, and thecomposition can thus be individually adapted for each care.

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Surface additives for use in floor care products
In applying floor polish a level coating is essential for both
ideal surface protection as well as appearance. Goodwetting is achieved when the surface tension of the careproducts is lower than or equal to the surface tension of
the substrate (G. 08).

Due to the high surface tension of water (about 70 mN/m
at room temperature), it is necessary, especially with waterbased polishes, to lower the surface tension of the careproducts and thus ensure wetting of the floors. The surface
additives offered by BYK are suitable for this purpose.

Surface wetting and leveling
System 1:
Surface tension: 33 mN/mSystem 2:
Surface tension: 29 mN/mSystem 3:
Surface tension: 25 mN/m

Substrate: Surface tension 30 mN/mAction:Reduce surface tension, then adjust flow
and leveling with less active silicones.

Action:If necessary, adjust flow behavior
with less active silicones.

Action:Increase surface tension by reducing
the amount of active silicones, then adjust
flow behavior and flow.
G. 08

Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Surface additives for floor care
Fluorosurfactants are often used in floor polishes, but they
have a negative environmental impact due to their
persistence. A more sustainable alternative is silicone
surfactants, which also provide excellent wetting andspreading (G. 09). Another advantage of silicone surfactants
is their low foam stabilisation. A comparison of a floor
polish with and without a suitable surface additive isshown in G. 10.

Reduction of
surface tension

Improving the leveling of a care productthrough a silicone surfactant

Surface tension (mN/m)

09

0.05

0.1
Without additive

Dosage (%)
Alcohol alkoxylate

Silicone surfactant

Fluorosurfactant

G. 09

G. 10

Additive selection for floor care productsMW

G. 11 shows an overview of the additives that are
particularly suitable for this application depending on
their properties.

Modified silicone

With BYK additive

BYK-349
BYK-3455
BYK-3456
BYK-3450
BYK-3451
BYK-DYNWET 800

Polarity
Silicone surfactant universal

Silicone surfactant improved levelingTri-silicones 		

Silicone-free surfactants

All products: Cyclic siloxane content below 0.1 %.

Very high
G. 11

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Polishes: Care and protection of surfaces

Defoamer for floor care
When applying floor care products, foam bubbles can form,
which are stabilized by the surface-active substances in thecare product. This prevents good wetting by the polish andthus limits the protection of the surface. Here too, BYK
offers numerous solutions in the form of silicone defoamers
and polymer defoamers to enable optimum results fordifferent systems.

G. 12 shows how much influence a defoamer has on wetting
using the example of a floor polish applied with a microfibremop.

Further information
on defoamers can befound in our BYK ebook"Defoamers andair release agents".

Improvement of surface wetting by BYK-1679

Without defoamer

With BYK-1679
G. 12

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products

Additives for cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces
The surface cleaning sector includes the markets for privatehouseholds and for commercial cleaning.
Rheological additives can influence the properties of theseproducts in various ways and help to make them more
efficient. G. 13 gives an overview of the properties that are
improved by rheological additives.

Other additives such as defoamers or wetting anddispersing additives for cleaners containing solids also
improve the properties, handling and stability of cleaners.
Here, too, BYK offers versatile options for different systems,
as shown in the following chapters.

Improvement of cleaning agents through rheological additives• Sprayabilty• Pourability•A dhesion to verticalsurfaces• Increased contact timeEasy
handling

Viscosity
increase• “Body effect“

Cling

Productstability• Anti-settling: Suspension ofsolids (e.g. abrasives)• Anti-Synaeresis• Transport and storage stabilty

G. 13

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Aqueous cleaners
Depending on the area of application, such as bathroom or
kitchen, household cleaners are chemically different. BYK
offers additives that are stable in this wide pH range andimprove the desired properties in the cleaner.
Rheology additives
Besides increasing viscosity, an important goal is to makethe cleaning products more stable against settling of solids
or syneresis (phase separation). This is particularly essential
for maintaining the quality of the cleaner. Sufficientstabilisation of the composition is necessary, especiallyduring longer storage or demanding transport.

Often cleaning products should be easy to spray (shear
thinning), and after spraying the viscosity should build up
again quite quickly. Cleaners for sloping or vertical surfaces,
for example, should adhere as long as possible to thesurface to be cleaned in order to achieve the maximum
effect. Rheological additives that produce so-called
thixotropic or pseudoplastic flow behavior are particularly
suitable for this purpose (G. 14).

suitable for use in transparent cleaners. For moredemanding systems (high and low pH values, highelectrolyte content), LAPONITE-EP is suitable.

Two groups of additives in particular are recommended forachieving the effects mentioned.

As illustrated in G. 15, these layered silicates arrange
themselves like a stack of plates when dry. When dispersed
in water, water molecules and other components areincorporated into the interlayer between the platelets. This
swelling will increase the distance between the layers until
the point they separate and discrete disc shaped platelets
are formed in solution.

One is the layered silicates, which include natural bentonites(OPTIGEL) as well as synthetic hectorites (LAPONITE).
LAPONITE additives such as LAPONITE-RD are particularly

Through electrostatic interactions, these platelets form athree-dimensional network (“house-of-cards“ structure),
which leads to the desired rheological effect.

Pseudoplastic flow behavior

Thixotropic flow behavior

Viscosity η

Viscosity η

Newtonian flow behavior

Shear rate

Viscosity ηOverview of the viscosity profiles

Shear rate

Shear rate
G. 14

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Rheology build-up by phyllosilicates: dispersion in water
50 µm

Level 1

Level 2

Wetting

Dispersion

LAPONITE
PowderAggregatedparticle stacks

Individual
stacks of tiles

Level 3
Hydration of
sodium ions

Na+

Na+

H2O

Na+(aq) Na+(aq)

H2O
Na+

Swelling of
the structure

Na+

Level 4

“House of cards“ structure

Seperation into
primary particlesof the phyllosilicates after dispersion in water

0.92 nm

25

nm

G. 15

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

A major advantage of layered silicates over other rheologicaladditives such as polysaccharides is the spray patternproduced. This enables a more even distribution of thecleaner on the surface by generating fine drops.

LAPONITE-RD: Good spray pattern and adhesion to vertical surfaces

With polysaccharide

With LAPONITE-RD
G. 16

An alternative option are specially designed liquidorganic additives, such as RHEOBYK-7420 CA*/ES/ET*.
RHEOBYK-7420 is available in 3 different solvents:
CA based on an alicyclic amide, ES based on amide esterand ET based on amide ether. These are also suitable foruse in transparent products. RHEOBYK-7420 is stable
across a wide pH range and it can easily be incorporated at
any time during production.

Structure formation through hydrogen bonds

RHEOBYK-7420 forms a network through hydrogenbonds. Here, too, a shear-thinning behaviour occurs. Easy
sprayability with subsequent good adhesion to verticalsurfaces is generated as well as an excellent stabilisation of
the product (against syneresis and settling).

G. 17* not available in NAFTA

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Defoamer
Cleaning products usually produce quite a lot of foam dueto the amount of surfactants they contain. This is not always
desirable with regard to handling in production (e.g. filling),
but also for the end user, and can lead to considerable
problems.
BYK has a wide range of defoamers in its portfolio, which
are based on different chemistries. The largest class is madeup of silicone defoamers, whose active components areorganically modified polysiloxanes. As alternatives, BYK
offers silicone-free polymer defoamers and mineral oil

defoamers. Depending on the desired effect, a rapid
breakdown of the resulting foam can be achieved or abuild-up of foam can be prevented.

G. 18 shows the trend of foam formation using different
defoamers in a 1 % sodium lauryl sulphate solution.

In application tests, BYK-1679, an aqueous emulsion of asilicone defoamer, proved to be a particularly effective
defoamer. BYK-1679 is stable in both alkaline and acidic
systems and can therefore be used in a wide range ofapplications. Designed especially for acidic systems, very
good results could be achieved with the ECOLABELcompliant silicone defoamers BYK-1723 and BYK-1724.

Further information
on defoamers can befound in our BYK ebook"Defoamers andair release agents".

Defoaming behavior of various BYK defoamers
Foaming behavior under agitation (4000 rpm; 30 s)

Dynamic Foam Analyzer DFA, Krüss Co.

Foam height (mm)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80
t (s)

Control  

0.1 % BYK-044  

0.05 % BYK-1679  

0.1 % BYK-1679

G. 18

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Solvent-based cleaners

BYK's portfolio can essentially be divided into two productclasses:Organophilic layered silicates of the GARAMITE productfamily are based on a mineral mixture of rod-shaped
sepiolite and plate-shaped bentonite minerals. They areeasy to incorporate and do not require polar activators forgel formation.

• CLAYTONE: organo-layered silicates based on bentonites.
• GARAMITE: organo-layered silicates based on a mineral
mixtureThe selection of the most suitable organophilic layered
silicate depends on the polarity of the medium and theavailable incorporation conditions.

Alternatively, organically modified layer silicates can be used
to adjust the flow behaviour of solvent-based cleaners.

For solventborne cleaners, various additives offer optimizationof the product properties. In addition to tailoring theviscosity, the stability of cleaners can be improved due tothe anti-settling/anti-syneresis properties of the additives.
In non-polar solvents RHEOBYK-7411 ES is the firstrecommendation, for medium polar systems
RHEOBYK-7410 ET. For alcohols and other water miscible
solvents RHEOBYK-7420 CA/ES/ET can also be used.

Structure and formation of the network of urea-based additives
Chemical structures
RHEOBYK-7410

RHEOBYK-7411

RHEOBYK-7420

Urea groups    Modified groups:

High polarity  Medium polarity  

Low polarity

G. 19

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Cleaning agents containing solids

Anti-settling by using rheological additives

Rheology additives
Some cleaning agents contain insoluble solids. These can beabrasive substances in so-called scouring agents, but also
particles or capsules of a decorative nature or other function.
The particles are suspended and stabilised in solution by
the anti-settling properties of the appropriate rheologicaladditives.
For transparent cleaners, modified ureas can be used.
These are liquid and can be easily added at any time.
BYK offers additives for different polarities. For aqueous
formulations, RHEOBYK-7420 CA/ES/ET is particularly
suitable for effective particle stabilisation.
For scouring milks containing up to 50 % abrasives suchas calcite, layered silicates like organically modified
OPTIGEL-WX prevent settling and syneresis without
excessively increasing viscosity and affecting application
properties.

Control

Stabilized with BYK rheological additive

G. 20

Wetting and dispersing additives
Wetting and dispersing additives such as DISPERBYK-199 BF
improve the flowability of the product in production andapplication. The solids contained in the product are
deflocculated, which results in a finer distribution of theindividual particles. The different properties of a scouring
milk with and without additive are shown in G. 21.

Stabilization of a scouring milk with calcium carbonate
using DISPERBYK-199 BF

ControlWith DISPERBYK-199 BF
G. 21

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Cleaning agents: Cleaning of surfaces

Disinfectants and hygiene cleaners
In household applications, the use of hygienic cleaners is
primarily concerned with reducing harmful microorganisms.
To avert health risks, contamination of surfaces and possible
transmission of diseases by pathogenic microorganisms
should be avoided. The search for products that are assustainable and safe as possible to ensure the hygiene
necessary for our health is more topical than ever.
The extraordinary biomedical potential of hypochlorous acidhas long been recognised. However, simple, water-thin
HClO solutions have the major disadvantage that they run
off surfaces quickly, considerably limiting the antimicrobial
potential. The low viscosity of the solutions reduces thecontact time with the surface to be cleaned, which leads toa shorter effective time. Vertical applications in particular are
challenging. Hydrogels overcome this limitation and lead toan improved and more sustainable use.

The newly developed PURABYK-R 5500 is a uniqueadditive which combines the desired properties (thickening,
thixotropy, etc.) with a high purity and an extraordinary
stability against strong oxidising agents such as hypochlorous
acid. This makes PURABYK-R 5500 a perfect additive forthe formation of hydrogels based on HClO. Further
advantages of this product are its high tolerance toelectrolytes and the ability to incorporate it directly into
the hypochlorous acid solution.
The aqueous formulation based on hypochlorous acid
PURABYK-R 5500 forms a hydrogel which exhibits
thixotropic behaviour. This results in a readily sprayable
solution.
Another alternative for the formation of shear-thinninghydrogels from aqueous solutions of hypochlorous acid is
PURABYK-R 5501, which also brings the advantages of
PURABYK-R 5500 mentioned above. In some systems,

Recommended use of PURABYK-R 5500 and PURABYK-R 5501 for the formation of HClO hydrogels
Addition method

Low NaCl (< 2 %)More NaCl (> 2 %)Pre-dispersion

PURABYK-R 5500
PURABYK-R 5501

PURABYK-R 5500

Direct addition

PURABYK-R 5500-

Suitable for applications in HCIO solutions with up to 4 % NaCl content.
• At 2 % NaCl or less, the product can be added directly to the HCIO solution.
• If the NaCl content is higher than 2 %, the product must be pre-dispersed in ultrapure water before being added to the HCIO.
T. 01

better compatibility can be achieved. However,
PURABYK-R 5501 does not tolerate high salt contents
and must be predispersed in water.
Cleaners based on the corresponding hypochlorite in very
alkaline bleaching agents are also frequently used toeliminate microorganisms. Here, the associative thickener(HASE thickener: Hydrophobically, modified Alkali Soluble
Emulsion) RHEOBYK-HV 80 is a very effective and stable
additive to adjust the desired viscosity.

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Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products

Additives for detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles
Detergent
Liquid detergent
Liquid products are increasingly being used in the detergent
sector. These vary in their proportion of water. There are
numerous formulations with water as the main component,
but there are also more and more products on the market
that are available as concentrates.

In these liquid products, rheological additives from BYK are
useful components for improving certain properties. On
the one hand, an adjustment of the desired viscosity is an
important factor. Stabilizing the product against settlingparticles such as opacifiers and fragrance capsules also plays
a major role. The use of additives increases product stability,
especially during storage and transport, while maintaining
ease of handling.

Improvement of detergent products by rheology additives“Body effect“

Viscosity
increase
Flowability due toshear-thinningbehavior

Easy
handling

Productstability

Anti-settling: Suspension of solids(e.g., opacifiers, capsules)

No seperation of liquids
Anti-synaeresis

G. 22

20

Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles

Stabilisation of solids (fragrance capsules andopacifiers)
The liquid rheology additive RHEOBYK-7420 CA/ES/ET is
ideal for stabilizing insoluble solids such as opacifiers or
fragrance capsules in liquid detergents. It can be used intransparent formulations and added at any time.

Stabilization of opacifiers and fragrance capsules by RHEOBYK additives

RHEOBYK-440, which can also be dosed in liquid form,shows excellent anti-settling properties in theseformulations. The following figure shows two examples
where RHEOBYK-440 is successfully used as an anti-settling
additive. On the one hand, it is very good at preventing
floating of capsules in various formulations (G. 23 right).
On the other hand, RHEOBYK-440 is also suitable forpreventing the settling of opacifiers (G. 22 left). In thiscase, CERAFLOUR 1001, a biopolymer produced byfermentation and easily biodegradable, was used.

Opacifier:
CERAFLOUR 1001
in a liquid detergent

Fragrance capsulesin a commercialliquid
detergentG. 23

Adjusting the viscosity
To adjust the viscosity, the liquid associative thickener
RHEOBYK-HV 80 is ideal. RHEOBYK-HV 80 tolerates highsurfactant contents, produces an almost Newtonian flow
behaviour and does not impair the transparency of thedetergent. G. 24 shows that the desired viscosity can be
adjusted stepwise with RHEOBYK-HV 80.
Another alternative is the polyurethane-based associative
thickener RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF, which also comes in liquid
form and leads to a transparent product.

Rheology adjustment of a liquid detergent with RHEOBYK-HV 80
Viscosity η (mPa·s)
2000
1750
1500
1250
1000
750
500
250
0
0.1

1

10

100
Shear rate

(1/s)

Diluted detergent concentrate without additives
Diluted detergent concentrate with 1.4 % RHEOBYK-HV 80

Diluted detergent concentrate with 1.8 % RHEOBYK-HV 80

Diluted detergent concentrate with 1.9 % RHEOBYK-HV 80

Diluted detergent concentrate with 2.0 % RHEOBYK-HV 80
G. 24

21

Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles

Fabric softener
Liquid fabric softeners contain cationic surfactants, mainly
quaternary ester compounds, so-called esterquats. Manyrheological additives such as anionic polyacrylates are
therefore incompatible. Here, neutral thickeners such as
RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF based on a polyurethane structure
and RHEOBYK-7420 CA/ES/ET based on a urea structure
can be used.

These additives cause a strong increase in viscosity in the
low shear range and in addition a thixotropic flow
behaviour. Both products are liquid and can be incorporated
at any point during production. The choice of the mostefficient additive depends on the formulation.
If stabilisation of particles such as opacifiers or fragrance
capsules is desired, RHEOBYK-7420 CA/ES/ET or
RHEOBYK-440 can be used.

Viscosity curve of a commercial fabric softener thickened
with RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF and RHEOBYK-7420 ES

Viscosity curve of a medium viscosity fabric softener,
thickened with RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF

Viscosity η (mPa·s)

Viscosity η (mPa·s)

1

1,8

0,9

1,6

0,8

1,4

0,7

1,2

0,6

1

0,5

0,8

0,4

0,6

0,3
0,2

0,4

0,1

0,2
0

0
0.1

1

10

100

1000
Shear rate

0.1

1

10

(1/s)

100

1000
Shear rate

Commercial fabric softener 1

Commercial fabric softener 2

Commercial fabric softener 1 + 0.5 % RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF

Commercial fabric softener 2 + 0.5 % RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF

Commercial fabric softener 1 + 0.75 % RHEOBYK-H 7625 VF

Commercial fabric softener 2 + 0.2 % RHEOBYK-7420 ES(1/s)

Commercial fabric softener 1 + 0.2 % RHEOBYK-7420 ES
Commercial fabric softener 1 + 0.3 % RHEOBYK-7420 ES
Commercial fabric softener 1 + 0.4 % RHEOBYK-7420 ES
G. 25

G. 26

22

Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles

Improving the soft handle
Typically, the substances responsible for the soft handle oflaundry in fabric softeners are cationic surfactants. In thevast majority of products, these are quaternary ammonium
compounds known as esterquats. Due to their cationiccharacter, they cannot be combined with the anionicsurfactants in detergent products. Therefore, fabric softeners
must always be provided and dosed as a separate product.
To improve sustainability and cost efficiency, 2-in-1 detergents(softergents) are desirable.

Application of 2-in-1 detergentsin household
ent

terg

Sof

Clean andsoft feeling

PURABYK-P 5540

G. 27

These contain the active substances to improve the soft
handle and other properties (e.g. easy ironing) of the textiles
already in one product with the main detergent.

23

Additives for detergents, cleaning and care products / Detergents and fabric softeners: Cleaning and care of textiles

PURABYK-P 5540 has been specially developed for thispurpose. This additive uses the positive effects of bentonites
on the softness of textiles, which have been known sinceancient times. PURABYK-P 5540 prevents incrustation of
the fibres, which is often caused by water hardness. In
addition, the individual platelets of the layered silicate lay
down on the surface of the textiles similar to the mechanismof the esterquats and thus ensure a smoother surface of thelaundry that can be clearly felt. G. 28 shows the mechanismof how the polyanionic silicate platelets align on the textile
surface through divalent cation bridges.

Due to the anionic character of PURABYK-P 5540, theadditive can be combined well with detergent products, incontrast to the classic fabric softener systems. In this way,interaction with the fabric softener is achieved very early inthe washing process. Other beneficial effects of using
PURABYK-P 5540 are protection against greying, easierironing of the laundry and greater comfort throughabsorption of perspiration.

Prevention of incrustations
by PURABYK-P 5540

The additive was specially developed for detergent systems
and is a particularly pure mineral with a high degree ofwhiteness, so that when added to a powder detergent,no visual difference is visible.

Layer silicate interaction withthe textile surface

Encrusted textile fibers

Bentonite prevents incrustation

G. 28

G. 29

04/2023
HC-TI 1

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The information herein is based on our present knowledge and experience. The information merely describes the properties of our products but noguarantee of properties in the legal sense shall be implied. We recommend testing our products as to their suitability for your envisaged purpose prior touse. No warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are made regarding
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This issue replaces all previous versions.