Method for treating feedwater, feedwater treatment composition, and apparatus for treating feedwater

Abstract

A method for treating feedwater is provided. The method includes steps of introducing a treatment composition into a feedwater stream to provide a treated feedwater stream containing scale inhibitor at a concentration of at least about 0.1 ppm, and combining the treated feedwater stream with a detersive composition. The scale inhibitor can include a phosphate scale inhibitor, a carbonate scale inhibitor, or a combination of a phosphate scale inhibitor and a carbonate scale inhibitor. The detersive composition can be provided as a cleaning composition, a rinse agent composition, or a drying agent composition. A treatment composition and an apparatus for treating feedwater are provided.

1 . A method for treating feedwater comprising: 
 (a) introducing a treatment composition into feedwater to provide treated feedwater containing a scale inhibitor at a concentration of at least about 0.1 ppm; and    (b) combining the treated feedwater stream with a detersive composition to provide a use composition.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the treated feedwater comprises the scale inhibitor at a concentration of about 0.1 ppm to about 200 ppm.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the scale inhibitor comprises carbonate scale inhibitor, phosphate scale inhibitor, or mixture of carbonate scale inhibitor and phosphonate scale inhibitor.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein the treated feedwater comprises about 1 ppm to about 100 ppm of a mixture of the carbonate scale inhibitor and the phosphate scale inhibitor.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein the phosphate scale inhibitor comprises a polymer resulting from a reaction of an olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and copolymerizable monomer comprising sulfonated monomer, nonionic monomer, or mixture of sulfonated monomer and nonionic monomer.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer comprises a C 3 -C 40  monocarboxylic acid, a C 3 -C 40  dicarboxylic acid, or a C 3 -C 40  polycarboxylic acid.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer comprises an acid, a salt, or an anhydride.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid comprises acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, alpha-chloro-acrylic acid, alpha-cyano acrylic acid, beta methyl-acrylic acid, alpha-phenylacrylic acid, beta-acryloxy propionic acid, sorbic acid, alpha-chloro sorbic acid, angelic acid, cinnamic acid, p-chloro cinnamic acid, beta-styryl acrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid, citraconic acid, mesaconic acid, glutaconic acid, aconitic acid, fumaric acid, or tricarboxyethylene, or mixture thereof.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the carboxylic monomer comprises monoolefinic acrylic acid having a substituent selected from hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, C 1 -C 20  alkyl, C 6 -C 12  aryl, C 6 -C 16  aralkyl, C 7 -C 16  alkaryl, C 5 -C 16  cycloaliphatic, or mixture thereof.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the scale inhibitor comprises a carbonate scale inhibitor comprising phosphonate, polycarboxylate, phosphinocarboxylate phosphonocarboxylate, phosphinocaboxylate, or mixture thereof.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 (a) contacting the use composition with an article.    
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein the article comprises motor vehicle exterior, textile, food contacting article, clean-in-place (CIP) equipment, hard surface, or mixture thereof.  
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the scale inhibitor comprises a mixture of carbonate scale inhibitor and phosphate scale inhibitor at a weight ratio of the carbonate scale inhibitor to the phosphate scale inhibitor of about 1:1 to about 1:10.  
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 (a) rinsing the use composition from the article.    
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the detersive composition comprises a cleaning composition, a rinse agent composition, or a drying agent composition.  
     
     
         16 . A treatment composition comprising: 
 (a) about 5 wt. % to about 95 wt. % of a scale inhibitor;    (b) at least about 5 wt. % of: 
 (i) a solidifying agent to provide the treatment composition as a solid; and  
 (ii) a diluent to provide the treatment composition as a flowable liquid.  
   
     
     
         17 . A treatment composition according to  claim 16 , wherein the treatment composition is provided as a solid and comprises about 10 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the scale inhibitor and about 10 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the solidifying agent.  
     
     
         18 . A treatment composition according to  claim 16 , wherein the treatment composition is provided as a liquid and comprises about 5 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the scale inhibitor and about 25 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the diluent.  
     
     
         19 . A treatment composition comprising: 
 (a) about 10 wt. % to about 100 wt. % of a scale inhibitor; and    (b) the treatment composition being provided in the form of a compressed block having a size of about 1 pound to about 10 pounds.    
     
     
         20 . A treatment composition according to  claim 17 , wherein the solidifying agent comprises polyethylene glycol, a mixture of polyethylene glycols, urea, or a salt of an alkaline metal hydroxide  
     
     
         21 . A treatment composition according to  claim 18 , wherein the diluent comprises water.  
     
     
         22 . An apparatus for treating feedwater comprising: 
 (a) a feedwater inlet for providing feedwater;    (b) a treated feedwater outlet for providing treated feedwater;    (c) a treatment composition reservoir comprising a treatment composition comprising a scale inhibitor; and    (d) a treatment composition delivery line for introducing the treatment composition from the treatment composition reservoir into the feedwater to provide the treated feedwater comprising about 0.1 ppm to about 200 ppm of the scale inhibitor.    
     
     
         23 . An apparatus according to  claim 23 , further comprising a venturi for drawing the treatment composition from the treatment composition reservoir into the feedwater.  
     
     
         24 . An apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the treatment composition delivery line comprises a valve for controlling the flow of the treatment composition into the feedwater.  
     
     
         25 . An apparatus according to  claim 22 , further comprising a pump for introducing the treatment composition from the treatment composition reservoir into the feedwater.