Method of Dispersing Hydrophobic Substances in Aqueous Cleansing System
This disclosure relates to a method for making a dispersion, comprising preparing an aqueous phase comprising water and a surfactant; combining a hydrophobic substance and a plurality of particles comprising cellulose to form a concentrate; and mixing the aqueous phase and concentrate to provide a dispersion. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.
1 . A method for making a dispersion, the method comprising:
(a) preparing an aqueous phase comprising water and a surfactant;
(b) combining a hydrophobic substance and a plurality of particles comprising cellulose, wherein the particles have:
i. a mean particle size of from about 0.1 to about 100 microns;
ii. an aspect ratio of from about 1 to about 1.5; and
iii. a non-spherical shape,
wherein at least a portion of the cellulose is type-II cellulose,
thereby providing a concentrate; and
(c) mixing the aqueous phase and the concentrate,
thereby providing the dispersion.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles comprise lignin.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the weight % of lignin in the particles is from about 1 to about 30.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles have a crystallinity determined by x-ray diffraction (XRD) of 60% or more.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles have a d 75 of less than about 25 microns and/or a d 50 of from about 0.5 microns to about 20 microns.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous phase, the concentrate, and the dispersion are substantially free of volatile organic solvent.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (a) through (c) are carried out in an environment that is substantially free of volatile organic solvent.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrate is not contacted with a surfactant prior to step (c).
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant has a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) number of greater than 10.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is a sulfate, sulfonate, isethionate, carboxylate, sarcosinate, amino acid-based surfactant, non-ionic surfactant, soap, sulfoacetate, or a combination thereof.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic substance is synthetic or derived from a plant or other organic matter.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic substance comprises an oil, a silicone, a fat, an emollient, a triester of glycerol, or a combination thereof.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight % of the hydrophobic substance in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 40 to about 60.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight % of the particles in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 0.05 to about 10.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of hydrophobic substance to particles in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 10:1 to about 6:1.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight % of cellulose in the particles is from about 40 to about 100.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic substance and the plurality of particles are combined with water during step (b).
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight % of water in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 25 to about 50.
19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of hydrophobic substance to water in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 1:1 to about 2:1.
20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic substance and the plurality of particles are combined with glycerin, a glycol, a hydroxy ester, or a combination thereof during step (b).
21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic substance and the plurality of particles are combined with a preservative during step (b).
22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight % of the hydrophobic substance in the dispersion is at least about 10.
23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersion is a homogeneous dispersion.
24 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersion is an emulsion.
25 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersion is a stable emulsion.
26 . A method for making a dispersion, the method comprising:
(a) preparing an aqueous phase comprising water and a surfactant;
(b) combining a hydrophobic substance, water, and a plurality of particles comprising lignin and cellulose, at least a portion of which is type-II cellulose, wherein the particles have:
i. a mean particle size of from about 0.1 to about 100 microns;
ii. an aspect ratio of from about 1 to about 1.5; and
iii. a non-spherical shape,
thereby providing a concentrate; and
(d) mixing the aqueous phase and the concentrate,
thereby providing the dispersion;
wherein the weight % of the hydrophobic substance in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 40 to about 60;
wherein the weight % of water in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 20 to about 50; and
wherein the weight % of particles in the concentrate prior to step (c) is from about 0.05 to about 30.
27 . A dispersion prepared by the method of claim 1 .
28 . A powder, grain, paste, concentrate, or foam comprising the dispersion of claim 27 .
29 . A cleaning product comprising the dispersion of claim 27 .
30 . A personal care or beauty product comprising the dispersion of claim 27 .