Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02380021 2002-O1-18
The invention relates to a method for cleaning drains for fatty waste water
from households or
industrial enterprises whereby nitrogenous compounds are added to the fat-
reducing and/or
fat-emulsifying bacteria contain~i in the water.
A method of the above described type is evident from EP-B-236 989, which,
however, urgently
requires the use of supplines, in form of nitrogenous compounds, for example.
Said known
proposal stems from the knowledge that micro-organisms have frequently
specialized themselves
to such a degree that they require supplines in order to live. Supplines are
essential substances
which are part of the basic material of a cell and which cannot themselves be
synthesized by
individual organisms. Involved are for example, amino acids, purines,
pyrimidines, organic acids,
carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, in particular involved are phenylalanine,
arginine,
asparinic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, malonic acid and propionic acid. With
respect to
function and concentration, supplines clearly differ from nutrients. They
correspond to vitamins
in animal and human nutrition. The following compounds may be mentioned as
nutrients which
basically differ from supplines: Ammonia-, nitrate- and phosphate ions,
glucose, polysaccharides,
proteins and carbohydrates. For cleaning drains for fatty waste water from
houxholds or
industrial enterprises, the addition of supplines for fat-reducing and/or fat-
emulsifying bacteria,
prevems formation of a plug and/or if a plug should already have been formed,
its dissolution is
easily effected. Within the framework of the known proposal, biological
decomposition of the
fat is achieved by the bacteria which are present in the waste water. Suppline
combinations for
CA 02380021 2002-O1-18
z
promotion of fat-reducing (and/or fat emulsifying) bacteria are applied alone
or in combination
with a detergern to the plug in the waste water pipe. The suppline combination
facilitates rapid
growth of the desired bacteria, which leads to a dissolution of the
interfering fatty plug in the
drain pipe. With respect to the fat-reducing and/or fat emulsifying bacteria,
we are dealing with a
broad spectrum of bacteria, which are normally contained in the waste water
itself. In order to
promote penetration of the supplines into the fat plug and to support the
microbial dissolution of
the fat, it is possible to add a detergent. The same purpose is served by
addition of a
C02-developing powder, either alone or in combination with the detergent, for
e~mple, an
effervescent powder which consists of approximately 50% by weight of sodium
bicarbonate
and approximately 50% by weight of tartaric acid.
The above mentioned proposal has proven extremely valuable in actual practice,
but requires
refinement. Another method within the state of the art is apparent from DE 44
17 809 Al .
Accordingly, a method is described for sanitary cleaning with a sanitary
cleaning agent in liquid
or solid form, which contains a minimum contents of germ-inhibiting organic
substances, aside
from the standard calcium dissolving water-soluble acids, germ-promoting
organic substances and
other additives, whereby for example, urea is contained as germ-promoting
organic substance.
This application discloses a two-stage effective system, according to which,
in a first phase, the
germ-inhibiting substances cause cleaning of the waste water and in a second
phase, the
germ-promoting substances cause cleaning of the waste water.
According to the teaching of EP 0 184 416 Az, a cleaning block for toilets is
known, which is
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3
dissolved in the flushing basin and which has a composition from 5 to 85 by
weight of one or
several anionic surface-active agents, 2 to 50% by weight of one or several
agents for
control of the solubility as well as 0.5 to 50% by weight of at least one
water-soluble
multivalent metallic salt, such as for example crystal water containing
magnesium sulfate.
The methods according to the state of the art, however, do not provide
satisfactory results.
Therefore, it is desirable to improve the effect upon drain-blocking plugs and
their parts in such
fashion, that easier and more rapid physical as well as biological-chemical
dissolution of plugs or
their parts can be effected in the drain and the waste water. It has been
shown, quite surprisingly,
that the use of supplines, in particular of the above mentioned type, is not
requiral if
the following are additionally added to a liquid drain cleaning agent:
urea, a urea derivative, a salt of the urea and/or a salt of the urea
derivative and
2. the following are additionally added to a solid drain cleaning agent:
urea, a urea derivative, a salt of the urea and/or a salt of the urea
derivative and/or
waterless magnesium sulfate, whereby gowth factors in form of supplines are
largely exch~ded and a small amount of germ-inhibiting organic matter may be
present.
Subject of the invention is consequently a method for the cleaning of drains
for fatty waste water
from households or industrial enterprises, whereby nitrogenous compounds are
added to the
fat-reducing and/or fat-emulsifying bacteria contains in the waste water, said
method being
characterized in that
to a liquid drain cleaning agern is/are additionally added urea, a urea
derivative,
a salt of the urea and/or a salt of a urea derivative and
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4
2. to a solid drain cleaning agent is/are additionally addal urea, a urea
derivative, a salt of
the urea andlor a salt of a urea derivative andlor waterless magnesium
sulfate, whereby
growth factors in form of supplines are largely excluded and in 1. and 2; the
amount of
germ-inhibiting organic substance lies below O. S,g/kg, preferably below
approximately
0.3 g/kg, in particular below approximately 0.1 g/kg of drain cleaning agent.
The discussed addition in form of the germ promoting organic substance can
accordingly contain
an open-chain or cyclical compound of the formula (I) R1R2N-CO-NR3R4~, wherein
Rl to R4 respectively are present independently from each other, in open chain
form or
cyclisized and may have the following importance: hydrogen, a Iower alkyl
group with 1 to
4 carbon atoms, a cyclo-alkyl group with 3 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group in
form of a phenyl
or naphtyl residue, an aralkyl group with 7 to 18 carbon atoms, or an O-, S,
or N-containing
heterocyclical group with 2 to 5 carbon atoms, whereby a compound of the
formula (I) exists
either wholly or partially in form of a salt.
The following urea derivatives shall be classified under the above formula
(I):
R1RZN-CO-N N-CO-N and R1N-CO-NRZ
In formula (1) the respective residues Rl, RZ, R3 and R4 are preferably
hydrogen, since
the corresponding starter compounds are commercially available and/or easier
to produce.
Suitable within the framework of the invention are in particular the
substituents which are
specified in the preceding definition of the invention. Being considered as
lower alkyl groups
with 1 to 4 carbon atoms are in particular the methyl-, ethyl-, n-propyl-, as
well as the
different isomers of the butyl group. Classified under the cyclo-alkyl group
with 3 to 6
CA 02380021 2002-O1-18
carbon atoms are, in particular, the cyclo-propyl-, cyclo-butyl-, cyclo-pentyl
as well as the
cyclo-hexyl residue, under the aralkyl group with 7 to 18 carbon atoms, in
particular the benzyl-
and phenethyl-group, under the alkylaryl group with 7 to 18 carbon atoms, in
particular the
tolyl group, as well as under the heterocyclicat group with 2 to 5 carbon
atoms in particular such
in whose heterocyclical ring is present at least one oxygen, sulfur or
nitrogen atom, whereby the
radicals of oxirane, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane as well as pyran can be
mentioned as suitable
examples.
Basically, it is possible to employ the compounds of formula (I) also in form
of their salts or other
prior stages, which may promote solubility. In individual instances, this may
then result in the
desired sohxbility. Compounds may be considered, which will cause the release
the compounds of
Formula (I) only in watery medium, and/or unfold their effectiveness there.
The specified
quantities which follow always relate to the compounds of Formula (I) as such
and/or their
percentage within the appropriate derivatives andlor compounds.
Within the framework of the invention, among the named areas and/or urea
derivatives, suitable
salts, randomly chosen, may be ufi1izs1 if they do not interfere with the
desired effectiveness
mechanism. Given consideration for utilization are, for example, chlorides,
sulfates, in particular
hydrogen sulfate, phosphate, in particular the hydrogen phosphates. Especially
effective is the
urea phosphate. Urea phosphate in its pure form crystallizes, is colorless,
has a melting poim
from 118 to 119°C, is soluble in water, alcohol, acetic acid,
glycerine, ethyleneglycol and similar.
The watery solution reacts sour ( 1 percent solution pH-value 1.8). Aside from
broad application
as fertilizer (N!P source) it offers another beneficial practical application
based on its acidic effect
in soldering materials, melting flux agents, pickling agents, mete! cleaning-
and rust removing
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6
agents and as catalyst for acid catalyzed artificial resins {compare page
1723, Roempp Chemie
Lexicon, Publisher Thieme, volume 3, 1990 edition). There is no proposal
within the state of the
art for application as a solid or liquid drain cleaning agent for solving the
aforementioned object,
nor is there air pertinent suggestion to that end.
It is easily possible for the person skilled in the art to adjust the optimum
amount of admixed
material according to the invention, depending upon the respective application
case. As preferred
framework requirement, it might be specified that the wea be employed in an
amoum of
approximately 0.1 to 20 percent by weight, in particular approximately S to 15
percent by weight,
the urea phosphate in an amount of approximately 0.2 to 40 percent by weight,
more particularly
2 to 30 percent by weight, and the magnesium sulfate in an amount of
approximately 5 to 95
percent by weight, more particularly approximately 20 to 70 percent by weight
in proportion to
the solid material and/or the solid cleaning agent.
Core of the invention is, therefore, to admix to the solid or liquid drain
cleaning agent, urea and
its derivatives, among which are also its salts, such as for example urea
phosphate, in particular
also in connection with fat-reducing, protein-reducing and carbon-reducing
enzymes and
micro-organisms. In case of solid drain cleaning agent, it may be of benefit
to additionally
incorporate into same waterless magnesium sulfate. Based on its property
profile, it may
also find isolated application.
The present invention can technologically be explained as follows:
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7
Urea and its specified derivatives, either as such or also in the form of
salt, advance and promote -
based on water-binding and swelling-enhancing as well as protein-dissolving
properties - not only
physically - the hydrophilization of plugs and their parts, but also their
physical breaking apart
and/or their dissolution. In addition, penetration and reduction capability of
natural or admixed
micro-organisms and enzymes is enhanced at the plug or its parts, accelerating
thereby the
biological-chenucal decomposition, for example also in the waste water. At the
same time, the
growth factors (see above proposal according to EP-B-23b 989) in foam of
supplines are largely
omitted and/or replaced by the admixed substances according to Claim 1. It
must come as a
surprise that with elimination of the growth factors, there nevertheless
occurs the desired
technical success.
In addition, there is the fiirther benefit that the percentage of
environmentally harmful detergents
can be reduced for dissolution of plugs. In case of the solid drain cleaning
agent, the beneficially
additionally employed waterless magnesium sulfate leads to a clear temperature
rise at the plug as
a result of strongly positive thermal value during dissolution in water. This
promotes, for
example, the physical break-up by melting the fatty substances and thereby
facilitating their
emulsification (for example by tenside addirion). Furthermore, by means of the
relationship of salt
amount and water amoum, optimal temperature conditions can be established for
the
biologicaUchemical decomposition, both at the plug as well as in the waste
water. In contrast to
the sodium hydroxide present in many drain cleaning agetats, which likewise
presents positive
dissolution heat but is highly alkaline-caustic, waterless magnesium sulfate
is a totally harmless,
consumer- and environmentally-fiiendly neutral salt. Needless to say, it is
obvious to the expert
that the waterless magnesium sulfate can also be replaced by other waterless
neutral salts, which
correspond to the property profile of the magnesium sulfate, and that such
salts thus develop in
solid drain cleaning agents a novel effectiveness principle, which thus far is
not found in the state
of the art.
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g
In the following, the invention is explained in more detail, making use of
exemplary embodiments,
but without constituting any limitation thereto.
The formulae applicable within the scope of the invention are evident from the
following table
comprising both liquid as well as powder-form variation.
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Table
9
Na-hydrogen carbonate28 18 9
Citric Acid, waterless5 5
Urea 5 5 5 10
Urea Phosphate 10 5 1
Mg-sulfate, waterless50 60 75
Solid Tenside 2 2 2
Enzyme Complex 0.1 0.3 0.5
Lipase 0.1 0.3 0.3
Fragrance, coloringas required as required
Filler (NaCI) ad 100g
Filler (Water) ad 100 ml
To 0. 5 g of the above specified mixture are added as detergent 3 g of dodecyl-
sulfate and
as C02-developing agent, an effervescent powder of 5g of sodium hydrogen
carbonate and
g tartaric acid. 13.57 g of the mixture, which corresponds to the volume of
one table spoon,
is mixed with 900 ml of water and 100 ml of an earthy suspension (as source of
bacteria)
and added in a beaker to a cylindrical test sample (dia.32 ml; length 29 ml;
weight 17 g)
having the following components:
27% by weight of water, 3% by weight of hair, 10% by weight of Palmin (cocoa
nut fat),
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17% by weight of pigs fat, 20% by weight of coffee grounds, 6% by weight of
tea leaves.
Addition of the combination {containing a detergent and an effervescent
powder) to the cylindrical
test specimen (fatty plug) is effected at a temperature of lSoC in a beaker.
After several minutes
the test specimen is affected to such extent that upon vigorous shaking or
rinsing with water
it is broken up (simulation of the rinsing thrust in a drain line).
***
