difference betweeb Detergents w/ enzymes and those w/o?

Question

There's this question that im suppose to write a 150 words essay on:
Compare and contrast the difference between detergents that have enzymes and those that do not have enzymes.
pls help?

Answer 1

Detergents with enzymes have more ability to degrade some of the other materials in the wash water that may harm the environment. Those without enzymes add more pollution to the environment than those with enzymes.

Answer 2

Very careful use of enzymes now takes place. Previous lawsuits from hyper-sensitivity to the enzymes used have made most soap people very wary of using enzymes at all. Increased use of 'wetting' agents used to let the soaps do thir thing have made most enzymes unknecessary. Enzymes do a very nice job on protein such as eggs and complexes such as blood. Most people just do not have the patience to use a pre-soak which is almost a necessity to use enzymes correctly.

Answer 3

Laundry Detergents and Laundry Aids are available as liquids, powders, gels, sticks, sprays, pumps, sheets and bars. They are formulated to meet a variety of soil and stain removal, bleaching, fabric softening and conditioning, and disinfectant needs under varying water, temperature and use condiditons.
Laundry detergents are either general purpose or light duty. General purpose detergents are suitable for all washable fabrics. Liquids work best on oily soils and for pretreating soils and stains. Powders are especialy effective in lifting out clay and ground-in dirt. Light duty detergents are used for hand or machine washing lightly soiled items and delicate fabrics.
Laundry aids contribute to the effectiveness of laundry detergents and provide special functions.
Bleaches (chlorine and oxygen) whiten and brighten fabrics and help remove stubborn stains. They convert soils into colorless, soluble particles that can be removed by detergents and carried away in the wash water. Liquid chlorine bleach (usually in a sodium hypochlorite solution) can also disinfect and deodorize fabrics. Oxygen (color-safe) bleach is more gentle and works safely on almost all washable fabrics.
Bluings contain a blue dye or pigment taken up by fabrics in the wash or rinse. Bluing absorbs the yellow part of the light spectrum, counteracting the natural yellowing of many fabrics.
Boosters enhance the soil and stain removal, brightening, buffering and water softening performance of detergents. They are used in the wash in addition to the detergent.
Enzyme presoaks are used for soaking items before washing to remove difficult stains and soils. When added to the wash water, they increase cleaning power.
Fabric softeners, added to the final rinse or dryer, make fabrics softer and fluffier; decrease static cling, wrinkling and drying time; impart a pleasing fragrance and make ironing easier.
Prewash soil and stain removers are used to pretreat heavily soiled and stained garments, especially those made from synthetic fibers.
Starches, fabric finishes and sizings, used in the final rinse or after drying, give body to fabrics, make them more soil-resistant and make ironing easier.
Water softeners, added to the wash or rinse, inactivate hard water minerals. Since detergents are more effective in soft water, these products increase cleaning power.

The use of enzymes in detergents
The use of enzymes in detergent formulations is now common in developed countries, with over half of all detergents presently available containing enzymes. In spite of the fact that the detergent industry is the largest single market for enzymes at 25 - 30% of total sales. details of the enzymes used and the ways in which they are used, have rarely been published.

Dirt comes in many forms and includes proteins, starches and lipids. In addition, clothes that have been starched must be freed of the starch. Using detergents in water at high temperatures and with vigorous mixing, it is possible to remove most types of dirt but the cost of heating the water is high and lengthy mixing or beating will shorten the life of clothing and other materials. The use of enzymes allows lower temperatures to be employed and shorter periods of agitation are needed, often after a preliminary period of soaking. In general, enzyme detergents remove protein from clothes soiled with blood, milk, sweat, grass, etc. far more effectively than non-enzyme detergents. However, using modern bleaching and brightening agents, the difference between looking clean and being clean may be difficult to discern. At present only proteases and amylases are commonly used. Although a wide range of lipases is known, it is only very recently that lipases suitable for use in detergent preparations have been described.

Detergent enzymes must be cost-effective and safe to use. Early attempts to use proteases foundered because of producers and users developing hypersensitivity. This was combatted by developing dust-free granulates (about 0.5 mm in diameter) in which the enzyme is incorporated into an inner core, containing inorganic salts (e.g. NaCI) and sugars as preservative, bound with reinforcing, fibres of carboxymethyl cellulose or similar protective colloid. This core is coated with inert waxy materials made from paraffin oil or polyethylene glycol plus various hydrophilic binders, which later disperse in the wash. This combination of materials both prevents dust formation and protects the enzymes against damage by other detergent components during storage.

Enzymes are used in surprisingly small amounts in most detergent preparations, only 0.4 - 0.8% crude enzyme by weight (about 1% by cost). It follows that the ability to withstand the conditions of use is a more important criterion than extreme cheapness. Once released from its granulated form the enzyme must withstand anionic and non-ionic detergents, soaps, oxidants such as sodium perborate which generate hydrogen peroxide, optical brighteners and various less-reactive materials (Table 4.1), all at pH values between 8.0 and 10.5. Although one effect of incorporating enzymes is that lower washing temperatures may be employed with consequent savings in energy consumption, the enzymes must retain activity up to 60°C.

Compositions of an enzyme detergent
Constituent
Composition (%)
Sodium tripolyphosphate (water softener, loosens dirt)a
38.0
Sodium alkane sulphonate (surfactant)
25.0
Sodium perborate tetrahydrate (oxidising agent)
25.0
Soap (sodium alkane carboxylates)
3.0
Sodium sulphate (filler, water softener)
2.5
Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (dirt-suspending agent)
1.6
Sodium metasilicate (binder, loosens dirt)
1.0
Bacillus protease (3% active)
0.8
Fluorescent brighteners
0.3
Foam-controlling agents
Trace
Perfume
Trace
Water
to 100%
a A recent trend is to reduce this phosphate content for environmental reasons. It may be replaced by sodium carbonate plus extra protease.