The product portfolio of BTC Europe includes a wide range of performance boosters that expand or significantly improve various product features. These include performance polymers with outstanding added benefits in formulations such as gloss, hydrophilization, hydrophobization as well as the inhibition of color transfer and protection against graying effects. In addition, there is a wide range of dispersants that are used in formulations for detergents and cleaning agents and are also known as scale inhibitors because they prevent the deposition of water hardness ions. These performance boosters are complemented by effective solutions that prevent color transfer.

 

Performance Polymers

 

Our performance polymers are water soluble polymers.  They are either homopolymers or copolymers of various polymers. Depending on their structure such polymers are anionic, nonionic, or cationic charged. They act mainly as additional additive due to their key performance.

 

Our product portfolio comprises performance polymers providing outstanding added value to the formulation like shine, hydrophilization, hydrophobization, colour transfer inhibition and anti-greying effect.

 

The range includes anionic and cationic thickeners. They refine, stabilize and improve the products and also simplify product development and production processes. Due to their liquid form, they are also optimal in handling and enable cost savings.

 

The products of BTC chemically belong to the class of water-soluble polymers and are either homo-polymers or co-polymers based on acrylic.

 

Dispersing Agents

 

Mainly BTC’s Sokalan® dispersing agents are used to eliminate or reduce the impact of water hardness ions during the application of the detergent or cleaning formulation.

 

State-of-the-art laundry formulations consist of sodium polyacrylates, like our Sokalan® types. High molecular weight polyacrylates like our Sokalan® CP are used as builder respectively co-builder in laundry detergents. They reduce the negative impact of water hardness ions and in addition enhance the performance of the surfactants.

 

Automatic dishwashing (ADW) formulations, either solids or liquids, consist of polyacrylates, like our Sokalan® PA types. They are mostly of medium molecular weight. State-of-the-art ADW products offer more than a cleaning function, like the x-in-1 products (multifunctionality). Sodium polyacrylates and/or modified sodium polyacrylates enable multifunctionality, like

• reducing impact of water hardness ions,
• improved water rinse,
• no spots on the dishes.

 

Cleaners in general are often formulated with

• sodium polyacrylates and/or
• modified sodium polyacrylates,
• in combination with complexing additives to inhibit negative impact triggered by calcium and magnesium ions.

 

In addition our dispersing agents help keeping the crystals dispersed in the liquor phase and inhibiting a re-deposition on surfaces.

 

Our portfolio covers a wide range dispersing agents used in detergents and cleaner formulations. Dispersing agents in the detergents and cleaners industry (industrial and institutional – I&I - and home care) are also known as scale inhibitors or crystal growth inhibitors because they prevent the deposition of water hardness ions.

 

Our products belong chemically to the class of water soluble polymers and are either homopolymers or copolymers of acrylic sources.

 

Dye transfer inhibitors

 

Fading of dyes is more likely for new, not yet washed or rarely washed fabrics. Fabrics with considerable lower colour fastness to washing may continue to bleed during further washes. Thus a release of dye or colourant into the liquor phase is present with the danger to be transferred onto other fabrics. Dye transfer is triggered by higher water temperature, longer cycle time and much higher surfactant concentration in the wash cycle. To avoid a kind of re-deposition of dyes or colourants, dye transfer inhibitor (DTI) are incorporated into the laundry formulation.

 

Solid or liquid laundry formulations designed for colour care are mostly formulated with dye transfer inhibition polymers. The new generation of liquid laundry detergents which are capsules or pouches with less water and high concentration of ingredients (surfactants) often contain dye transfer inhibitors.

 

Our Sokalan® HP types are

• dye transfer inhibition polymers with a medium to high molecular weight.
• They provide an amphiphilic character with polar groups, providing hydrophilic properties and unpolar groups providing hydrophobic properties.

 

Sokalan® HP polyvinylpyrrolidon (PVP) homopolymers are available as liquid grades as well as solid grades (granules). 

The new generation of Sokalan® HP dye transfer inhibitors are copolymers of polyvinylpyrrolidon and vinylimidazole. They are

• liquid or solid polymers,
• easy to formulate into a laundry formulation,
• compatible with anionic surfactants.

 

The Sokalan® HP range covers also polycarboxylates, which prevent the redeposition of soil and inhibit the dye transfer.