Application of Oxidized Cornstarch as a Nonphosphoric Detergent Builder

摘要

Oxidized cornstarch, which is only composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen elements, was used as a builder in detergent formulations to reduce the hardness of water. Therefore, the calcium binding capacity of these oxidized cornstarch samples was tested and the relative detersive efficiency of the self-made detergent with oxidized cornstarch builder was also evaluated. The results show that higher Ca~(2+) binding capacities 104.5 mg/g can be obtained when the synthesis is carried out at 100 °C for 3 h in conjunction with the addition of 21 g NaOH. The detersive efficiency can reach 1.28 which is equivalent to the other detergent powders. In addition, the bio-degradability of the oxidized cornstarch was judged as being adequate by the China National Center for Quality Supervision and Test of Plastic Products. Compared with the traditional detergent builders, the oxidized cornstarch is water-soluble, environmentally friendly, and cheap, with an equivalent performance to traditional detergent builders.