Concentrated aqueous surfactant compositions

Claim 2

A pumpable aqueous surfactant composition consisting essentially of up to 50% by weight of water, up to 80% by weight of surfactant, up to 5% by weight of non-surfactant organic matter and up to 6% by weight of non-surfactant electrolyte, wherein said surfactant consists essentially of at least 5% each by weight of the composition, of different surfactant products selected respectively from at least 2 of the classes consisting of alkyl sulphates; alkyl ether sulphates; olefin sulphonates; alkyl benzene sulphonates; alkyl sulphosuccinates; alkanolamide sulphosuccinates; paraffin sulphonates, fatty carboxylates; alkyl ether carboxylates; alkyl phosphates; alkyl ether phosphates; alkyl phenol sulphates; alkyl phenol ether sulphonates; fatty ester sulphonates; fatty acid sulphonates; acyl sarcosinates; and acyl taurides; wherein, in each case, there are alkyl, alkenyl or aycl groups which have an average total of from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and any other groups comprise glyceryl groups and/or polyoxyalkylene groups, which polyoxyalkylene groups comprise from 1 to 20 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide units; said mixture in the presence of water exhibiting a "G" phase at a temperature below 23° C., and the active concentration of said mixture corresponding to that at which the composition can exist, at least predominantly in the "G" phase.

Claim 3

A pumpable aqueous surfactant composition consisting essentially of up to 50% by weight of water, up to 80% by weight of surfactant, up to 5% by weight of non-surfactant organic matter and up to 6% by weight of non-surfactant electrolyte, wherein said surfactant consists essentially of at least 5% each by weight of the composition, of different surfactant products selected respectively from at least 2 of the classes consisting of alkyl sulphates; alkyl ether sulphates; olefin sulphonates; alkyl benzene sulphonates; alkyl sulphosuccinates; alkanolamide sulphosuccinates; paraffin sulphonates, fatty carboxylates; alkyl ether carboxylates; alkyl phosphates; alkyl ether phosphates; alkyl phenol sulphates; alkyl phenol ether sulphonates; faatty ester sulphonates; fatty acid sulphonates; acyl sarcosinates; and acyl taurides; wherein, in each case, there are alkyl, alkenyl or acyl groups which have an average total of from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and any other groups comprise glyceryl groups and/or polyoxyalkylene groups, which polyoxyalkylene groups comprise from 1 to 20 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide units; and a minor amount, based on the weight of the composition, of a non-ionic or amphoteric surfactant; said mixture in the presence of water exhibiting a "G" phase at a temperature below 23° C., and the active concentration of said mixture corresponding to that at which the composition can exist, at least predominantly in the "G" phase.

Claim 4

A pumpable aqueous surfactant composition consisting essentially of up to 50% by weight of water, up to 80% by weight of surfactant, up to 5% by weight of non-surfactant organic matter and up to 6% by weight of non-surfactant electrolyte, wherein said surfactant consists essentially of at least 5% each by weight of the composition, of different surfactant products selected respectively from at least 2 of the classes consisting of alkyl sulphates; alkyl ether sulphates; olefin sulphonates; alkyl benzene sulphonates; alkyl sulphosuccinates; alkanolamide sulphosuccinates; paraffin sulphonates, fatty carboxylates; alkyl ether carboxylates; alkyl phosphates; alkyl ether phosphates; alkyl phenol sulphates; alkyl phenol ether sulphonates; faatty ester sulphonates; fatty acid sulphonates; acyl sarcosinates; and acyl taurides; wherein, in each case, there are alkyl, alkenyl or acyl groups which have an average total of from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and any other groups comprise glyceryl groups and/or polyoxyalkylene groups, which polyoxyalkylene groups comprise from 1 to 20 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide units; and a minor amount, based on the weight of the composition, of a non-ionic or amphoteric surfactant; said mixture in the presence of water exhibiting a "G" phase at a temperature below 23° C., and the active concentration of said mixture corresponding to that at which the composition can exist, at least predominantly in the "G" phase.

Claim 5

A composition according to either of claims 1 or 2 having n active components wherein n is an integer greater than 1, and wherein the active components are each capable of forming a "G" phase with water at concentrations respectively of g 1 . . . g n and are present in the composition respectively at concentrations of C 1 . . . C n such that ##EQU2##

Claim 6

A composition according to claim 1, wherein the graph of viscosity against the concentration of active mixture in water exhibits a minimum value corresponding to the formation of the "G" phase and wherein the proportion of active mixture present in the composition lies within ±10% of the concentration corresponding to the minimum value.

Claim 7

A composition according to claim 4, wherein the concentration of the active mixture lies within ±5% of the concentration corresponding to the minimum.

Claim 8

A composition according to claim 5, wherein the concentration or the active mixture lies within ±2.5% of the concentration corresponding to the minimum.

Claim 9

A composition according to either of claims 1 or 2, wherein at least two different surfactant products are each present in proportions of more than 10% by weight of the composition.

Claim 10

A composition according to claim 2 containing up to about 36.5% based on the weight of the composition of non-ionic surfactant.

Claim 11

A composition according to claim 8 containing less than 2% of non-surfactant organic material based on the weight of the total composition.

Claim 12

A composition according to claim 9 substantially free from non-surfactant organic solvent.

Claim 13

A composition according to claim 8 wherein said non-ionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of alkoxylated alcohols, alkylolamides and mixtures thereof.

Claim 14

A composition according to claim 11, containing less than 2% by weight of non-surfactant electrolyte based on the weight of the total composition.

Claim 15

A composition according to either of claims 1 or 2 containing less than 5% of non-surfactant electrolyte based on the weight of the active mixture.

Claim 16

A composition according to claim 2, containing up to about 5% by weight of the active mixture of non-ionic and/or amphoteric surfactants.

Claim 17

A composition according to either of claims 1 or 11, wherein the active mixture comprises at least 10% by weight of an alkyl ether sulphate and at least 10% by weight of an alkyl benzene sulphonate.