Process for manufacturing aqueous compositions comprising peracids

A process for manufacturing an aqueous composition comprising a peracid, or mixture thereof, wherein said peracid is emulsified in a surfactant system comprising at least a hydrophilic surfactant having an HLB a bove 11, and a hydrophobic surfactant having an HLB below 11, said process comprising the steps of:

• 1--preparing an aqueous peracid-comprising composition by a process which comprises the step of forming said peracid by reacting the corresponding anhydride with a solution of hydrogen peroxide comprising at least about 3 moles of said hydrogen peroxide per molar equivalent of said corresponding anhydride, wherein said corresponding anhydride is selected from anhydrides having the following formula:
• ##STR4## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are linear or branched alkyl groups having of from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, said anhydrides being symmetric anhydrides or asymmetric anhydrides;
• -- preparing a hydrophobic mixture which comprises at least said hydrophobic surfactant;
• 3--preparing a hydrophilic mixture which comprises at least water and said hydrophilic surfactant;
• 4--mixing the composition obtained in step 1 in said hydrophilic mixture if said corresponding anhydride used in step 1 is an anhydride having the following formula:
• ##STR5## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are linear or branched alkyl groups having of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, said anhydrides being symmetric anhydrides or asymmetric anhydrides or in said hydrophobic mixture if said corresponding anhydride used in step 1 is an anhydride having the following formula:
• ##STR6## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are linear or branched alkyl groups having of from 5 to about 20 carbon atoms, said anhydrides being symmetric anhydrides or asymmetric anhydrides
• -- then mixing together said hydrophobic mixture and said hydrophilic mixture, and wherein steps 2 and 3 may be performed in any order.