Method for manufacture of non-gelling, stable zeolite - inorganic salt crutcher slurries

Abstract

Gelation and setting of desirably miscible and pumpable aqueous crutcher slurries comprising zeolite (hydrated sodium aluminosilicate), sodium bicarbonate, sodium silicate and sodium carbonate are retarded and often are prevented by the addition of sodium sesquicarbonate (which also serves as a source of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate) after admixing of the zeolite, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate (if added earlier) and sodium silicate. Desirably, citric acid (and preferbly also, magnesium sulfate) is(are) dissolved in the crutcher medium before addition of the sodium sesquicarbonate but the presence(s) thereof is(are) not necessary. The method of the invention appreciably increases workable crutcher time, stabilizing the mix against gelation, compared to prior methods for the manufacture of similar crutcher mixes of similar contents of water, zeolite, bicarbonate, carbonate and silicate (considering the sesquicarbonate of the present method as a source of carbonate and bicarbonate), whether all the carbonate and bicarbonate are separately added to the crutcher before the silicate or are added partially before and partially after silicate addition. The improved workability and stability of the crutcher mix permit the making of higher solids content crutcher slurries, thereby resulting in significant energy savings and increases in production rates when such slurries are subsequently spray dried to produce free flowing zeolite - inorganic salt base beads, from which beads built or heavy duty detergent compositions may be made by post-spraying onto them a nonionic synthetic organic detergent in liquid state.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.