FC-12.3-M
Oxygen Bleach Powder
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Function | % w/w |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium percarbonate (coated, 13.0–13.5% AvO₂) | Solid peroxygen source | 40.0–50.0 |
| TAED (granulated, 92% min.) | Bleach activator | 8.0–12.0 |
| Sodium carbonate | Alkalinity source, filler | 20.0–30.0 |
| Sodium bicarbonate | Buffer | 5.0–10.0 |
| Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate | Anionic surfactant | 3.0–5.0 |
| Sodium silicate | Builder | 2.0–4.0 |
| Sodium CMC | Anti-redeposition agent | 0.5–1.0 |
| Optical brightener | Whiteness enhancement | 0.1–0.2 |
| Enzyme granules (protease, amylase) | Stain pre-treatment | 1.0–2.0 |
| Total | 100.0 | |
| Final specifications: AvO₂ = 5.0–6.5%; moisture <5.0% |
Formulation Notes
Powdered oxygen bleach delivers hydrogen peroxide in solid form through sodium percarbonate (2Na₂CO₃·3H₂O₂, CAS 15630-89-4), with tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED, CAS 10543-57-4) as a bleach activator for low-temperature performance at 30–60 °C.
Formulation Card FC-12.3-M: Oxygen Bleach Powder
The percarbonate-TAED system proceeds through perhydrolysis: under alkaline conditions (pH 10–11), one mole of TAED reacts with two moles of perhydroxide anion to generate two moles of peracetic acid (PAA) and biodegradable diacetylethylenediamine (DAED) :
PAA is a substantially more potent oxidant than H₂O₂ below 60 °C. Each gram of TAED releases 0.67 g PAA (0.14 g active oxygen) . Optimal perhydrolysis requires pH 10–11, while optimal PAA bleaching occurs near its pKₐ of 8.2 . In practice, the initial high pH from sodium carbonate ensures rapid TAED activation, then pH drifts downward as acetic acid byproduct forms. TAED at 2–4% of product weight (0.04–0.12 g/L in wash liquor) combined with percarbonate at 5–10% delivers ~10–20 ppm available oxygen as PAA . Concentrations below 50 mg/L produce negligible bleaching; up to 500 mg/L yield progressively higher whiteness indices . The system has been the dominant European bleach activator since the 1980s with annual consumption of ~75 kt ; both TAED and DAED are readily biodegradable.
Figure 12.1 — Relative bleaching performance as a function of wash temperature. Sodium hypochlorite maintains consistent performance across all temperatures with increasing fabric damage risk above 60 °C. H₂O₂ alone requires >60 °C for adequate performance. The percarbonate-TAED system achieves its optimum in the 30–60 °C low-temperature wash zone.