Detergent-making process using a high active surfactant paste containing mid-chain branched surfactants

A process for preparing detergent agglomerates comprising the steps of:

• (A) providing a non-linear viscoelastic surfactant paste including, by weight of said surfactant paste, form about 70% to 95% of a longer alkyl chain, mid-chain branched surfactant compounds of the formula:
• Ab—X—B
• wherein:
• (a) Ab is a hydrophobic C9 to C22, mid-chain branched alkyl moiety having:
• (1) a longest linear carbon chain attached to the —X—B moiety in the range of from 8 to 21 carbon atoms;
• (2) one or more C1-C3 alkyl moieties branching from this longest linear carbon chain;
• (3) at least one of the branching alkyl moieties is attached directly to a carbon of the longest linear carbon chain at a position within the range of position 2 carbon, counting from carbon #1 which is attached to the —X—B moiety, to position ω−2 carbon, the terminal carbon minus 2 carbons;
• and (4) the surfactant composition has an average total number of carbon atoms in the Ab—X moiety in the above formula within the range of greater than 14.5 to about 18;
• (b) B is a hydophilic moiety selected from the group consisting of sulfates, sulfonates, amine oxides, polyoxyalkylene, alkoxylated sulfates, polyhydroxy moieties, phosphate esters, glycerol sulfonates, polygluconates, polyphosphate esters, phosphonates, sulfossuccinates, polyalkoxylated carboxylates, glucamides, taurinates, sarcosinates, glycinates, isethionates, dialkanolamides, monoalkanolamides, monoalkanolamide sulfates, diglycolamides, diglycolamide sulfates, glycerol esters, glycerol ester sulfates, glycerol ethers, glycerol ether sulfates, polyglycerol ethers, polyglycerol ether sulfates, sorbitan esters, polyalkoxylated sorbitan esters, ammonioalkanesulfonates, amidopropyl betaines, alkylates quats, alkylated/polyhydroxyalkylated quats, alkylated quats, alkylated/polyhydroxylated oxypropyl quats, imidazolines, 2-yl-succinates, sulfonated alkyl esters, and sulfonated fatty acids;
• and
• (c) X is —CH2—;
• from about 5% to about 30% of water, and an excess amount of an alkali metal hydroxide;
• (B) charging said surfactant paste into a high speed mixer/densifier;
• (C) inputting from about 1% to about 70% by weight of a detergency builder into said high speed mixer/densifier;
• and
• (D) agglomerating said surfactant paste and said builder by treating said surfactant paste and said builder initially in said high speed mixer/densifier and subsequently in a moderate speed mixer/densifier so as to form said detergent agglomerates.