WO2001018159A2

WO2001018159A2 - Use of lubricants containing polyhydroxy compounds

Info

Publication number: WO2001018159A2
Application number: PCT/EP2000/008393
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefan Küpper; Michael Schneider
Original assignee: Henkel Ecolab Gmbh & Co. Ohg
Priority date: 1999-09-07
Filing date: 2000-08-29
Publication date: 2001-03-15
Also published as: CA2381345C; AR026158A1; BR0013847A; PL353088A1; DE19942535A1; EP1240281A2; WO2001018159A3; AU7280700A; JP2003509536A; CA2381345A1; GT200000150A

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of at least one selected polyhydroxy compound in lubricant formulations and the use of chain lubricants which contain at least 20 percent by weight of a selected polyhydroxy compound, for reducing the friction between transported goods and transport installations. The invention also relates to a lubricant which contains further additives in addition to the polyhydroxy compounds.

Description

"Use of lubricants with polyhydroxy compounds"

The present invention relates to the use of at least one selected polyhydroxy compound as a lubricating component in lubricant formulations and the use of chain lubricants which contain at least 20% by weight of at least one selected polyhydroxy compound to reduce the friction between transport goods and transport systems. The invention further relates to a lubricant which contains other additives in addition to the polyhydroxy compounds.

In the food industry, in particular in beverage companies, the containers to be filled in the filling plants are transported by means of conveyors of various designs and materials, for example by means of plate conveyor belts or chain-like arrangements, which are to be referred to in the following generally as transport chains. The transporters establish the connection between the various optional treatment stages of the filling process such as B. unpacker, bottle washer, filler, capper, labeler, packer, etc. The containers can be of various shapes, in particular glass and plastic bottles, cans, glasses, barrels, beverage containers (KEG), paper and cardboard containers. To ensure trouble-free operation, the transport chains must be lubricated in a suitable manner so that excessive friction against the containers is avoided. Diluted aqueous solutions containing suitable anti-friction agents are usually used for lubrication. The transport chains are brought into contact with the aqueous solutions, for example by immersion or spraying, in which case one speaks of splash lubrication systems or automatic belt lubrication systems or central chain lubrication systems. The chain lubricants previously used as lubricants are mostly based on fatty acids in the form of their water-soluble alkali or alkanolamine salts or on fatty amines, preferably in the form of their organic or inorganic salts.

While both substance classes can be used without problems in splash lubrication, they show a number of disadvantages in the central chain lubrication systems that are common today. For example, DE-A-23 13 330 describes soap-based lubricants, the aqueous mixtures of C- _j -C- _j ß fatty acid salts and surface-active

Contain substances. Such soap-based lubricants have the following disadvantages:

1. There is a reaction with the water hardness, ie the alkaline earth ions, and other water constituents with the formation of poorly soluble metal soaps, the so-called primary alkaline earth soaps.

2. There is a reaction between these soap-based lubricants and carbon dioxide dissolved in water or the product to be filled.

3. The application solution created in this way is always germ-promoting.

4. When hard water is used, ion exchangers are required for water softening, which means an additional source of germs (and therefore can hardly be found in practice), or the use of products containing high levels of complexing agents, which in turn is ecologically questionable, is necessary.

5. There is increased foam formation, which can cause problems in particular with the bottle inspector (automatic bottle control) and result in greater wetting of the transport containers.

6. Most of these products contain solvents.

7. The cleaning effect of these products is poor, so that a separate cleaning is necessary.

8. Such soap-based lubricant preparations show pH-dependent performance.

9. Soap-based lubricant preparations continue to be dependent on water temperature. 10. Soap-based lubricants only have a low storage stability, especially at low temperatures.

11. The EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetate) contained in many products is known to be poorly biodegradable.

12. Such soap-based lubricant preparations are not suitable for all transport goods made of plastic, since in many cases stress corrosion cracking on the transport goods occurs when these agents are used.

In addition to soap-based lubricants, mainly those based on fatty amines are used. For example, DE-A-36 31 953 describes a method for lubricating chain-shaped bottle conveyor belts in beverage filling companies, in particular in breweries, and for cleaning the belts using a liquid cleaning agent, which is characterized in that the chain-shaped bottle conveyor belts are based on belt lubricants neutralized primary fatty amines, which preferably have 12 to 18 carbon atoms and contain an unsaturated fraction of more than 10%.

From EP-A-0 372 628 are fatty amine derivatives of the formulas

R1 R ¹

I I

NA-NH ₂ and NA ¹ -CO ₂ H

I I

R2 _R 2

known as a lubricant, wherein

R ^{1 is} a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl group with 8 to 22 C atoms; R2 is hydrogen, an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms or -A-

NH ₂ ; A is a linear or branched alkylene group with 1 to 8 carbon atoms; and

A ^{1 represents} a linear or branched alkylene group with 2 to 4 carbon atoms.

In addition, DE-A-39 05 548 discloses lubricants based on N-alkylated fatty amine derivatives which contain at least one secondary and / or tertiary amine.

DE-A-42 06 506 discloses:

Soap-free lubricant! based on amphoteric compounds, primary, secondary and / or tertiary amines and / or salts of such amines of the general formula (I), (Na), (IIb), (purple), (IIIb), (Never), (IVa ) and (IVb)

R1 I R- [NH- (CH ₂ ) _n ] _m - N - R ³ - COOM (I)

I

R2

R ⁴ -NH-R ⁵ (lla)

R ⁴ -NH- (CH ₂ ) ₃ NH ₂ (purple)

R ⁴ -NH- (CH ₂ ) ₃ N ⁺ H _{3 χ} - (lllb) R4. _N + H2 ^" ( ^C 2) 3- ^{N + H} 3 2X- (HIC)

R ⁴ -NR ⁷ R ⁸ (IVa) and / or

R ⁴ -N ⁺ HR ⁷ R ⁸ X ^" (IVb)

in which

R is a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, which may be replaced by -OH, - NH ₂ , -NH-, -CO-, - (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _r or - (CH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _r may be substituted,

R ^{1 represents} hydrogen, an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a radical -R ^ COOM

R2 only in the case that M represents a negative charge for hydrogen, an alkyl radical with 1 to 4 C atoms, or a hydroxyalkyl radical with 1 to 4 C atoms,

R ^{3 is} a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may be replaced by -OH, - NH ₂ , -NH-, -CO-, - (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) or - (CH ₂ CH ₂ CH ₂ O) _r may be substituted,

R ^{4 represents} a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, which may have at least one amine, imine, hydroxyl, halogen and / or carboxy radical as substituent, a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl radical which may have at least one amine, imine, hydroxyl, halogen, carboxy and / or a linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl radical with 6 to 22 C atoms as substituents,

R5 for hydrogen or - independently of R ⁴ - for a radical R ⁴ , X ^"stands for an anion from the group amidosulfonate, nitrate, halide, sulfate, hydrogen carbonate, carbonate, phosphate or R ⁶ -COO ^" ,

RO for hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 20 carbon atoms or alkenyl radical having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, which may have at least one hydroxyl, amine or imine radical as a substituent, or a substituted or unsubstituted Phenyl radical, which may have an alkyl radical with 1 to 20 C atoms as a substituent, and

R ⁷ and R ⁸ each independently of one another represent a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkyl radical having 1 to 20 C atoms or alkenyl radical having 2 to 20 C atoms, which may have at least one hydroxyl, amine or imine radical as substituents, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl radical, which may have an alkyl radical with 1 to 20 C atoms as substituents,

M for hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, an alkyl radical with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a benzyl radical or a negative charge, n for an integer in the range from 1 to 12, m for an integer in the range from 0 to 5 and

I stands for a number in the range from 0 to 5, containing alkyldimethylamine oxides and / or alkyl oligoglycosides as nonionic

Surfactants.

EP-B-629 234 discloses a lubricant combination consisting of a) one or more compounds of the formula

R ¹ -N- (CH ₂ ) _n -COOM

I R2 in which

R1 is a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, which can optionally be substituted by -OH, -NH ₂ , -NH-, -CO-, halogen or a carboxyl radical,

R ^{2 represents} a carboxyl radical with 2 to 7 C atoms,

M for hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, an alkyl radical with 1 to 4 C-

Atoms or a benzyl radical and n is an integer in the range from 1 to 6, b) at least one organic carboxylic acid selected from monobasic or polybasic, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated carboxylic acids having 2 to 22 carbon atoms, c) optionally water and Additives and / or auxiliaries.

WO 94/03562 describes a lubricant concentrate based on fatty amines and, if appropriate, customary diluents or auxiliaries or additives, characterized in that it contains at least one polyamine derivative of a fatty amine and / or a salt of such an amine, the proportion of said polyamine derivatives of Fatty amines in the total formulation is 1 to 100% by weight.

According to a preferred embodiment of WO 94/03562, this lubricant concentrate contains at least one polyamine derivative of a fatty amine of the general formula

RA- (CH ₂ ) _k -NH - [(CH ₂ ) NH] _y - (CH ₂ ) _m -NH ₂ ^■ (rT + Xv - \) _n

in which R is a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms, the substituents being selected from amino, imino, hydroxy, halogen and carboxy, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl radical, where the Substituents are selected from amino, imino, hydroxyl, halogen, carboxy and a linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms;

A represents either -NH- or -O-,

X ^"is an anion of an inorganic or organic acid, k, 1, m is independently an integer in the range from 1 to 6; y in the case A = -NH- 0, 1, 2 or 3 and in the case A = - Is O- 1, 2, 3 or 4, n is an integer from 0 to 6.

Lubricants based on polytetrafluoroethylene are used in some filling plants. These are in the form of dispersions and are not applied to the chains via nozzles, as is usually the practice, but with brushes. These agents have the advantage that they bring about a substantial reduction in the friction between the conveyor belts and the goods to be transported. In addition, the polytetrafluoroethylene adheres very strongly to the chains. In practice, it turned out to be disadvantageous that the overall hygienic condition with regard to contamination and contamination of the transport chains deteriorated. This even went so far that the performance profile of the lubricant deteriorated over time due to the increase in contamination.

Another disadvantage was that the dispersions of polytetrafluoroethylene were not stable in storage and separated over time. The consequence of this is that observed over a long period of time does not result in constant amounts of active ingredient on the transport chains. When trying to clean the transport chains, it was found that the lubricant layer was very difficult to remove from the transport chains.

When checking the compatibility of polytetrafluoroethylene dispersions with regard to their plastic compatibility, it was also found that they produce stress cracks on PET bottles.

The commonly used lubricants have the disadvantage that they form a firmly adhering film on the transport chains, which is not easy to remove by simply rinsing with water.

In this film, residues and abrasives can collect and lead to hygiene and operational problems in the company.

The object of the present invention is to provide lubricants based on polyhydroxy compounds which are hydrophilic due to their molecular structure and at the same time improve the lubricating performance compared to the amines usually used as lubricants.

The present invention relates to the use of at least one polyhydroxy compound, for which at any point in the molecular structure it applies that among 10 or fewer atoms which are linked to one another via covalent bonds, there is at least one hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form which has less than 5 atoms is linked by covalent bond with a second hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, in lubricant formulations to reduce the friction between transport goods and transport systems, and in another object of the invention the use of chain lubricants related to the entire formulation, containing at least 20% by weight of at least one polyhydroxy compound, for which it applies at any point in the molecular structure that at least one hydroxyl group in free, under 10 or fewer atoms linked to one another via covalent bonds etherified and / or esterified form, which is connected via less than 5 atoms by covalent bond with a second hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, for the transport of containers on conveyor belt systems. It is particularly preferred that the proportion of polyhydroxy compounds, based on the entire formulation, is greater than 25% by weight and, in a very particularly preferred embodiment, greater than 40% by weight and in particular greater than 80% by weight. By using the polyhydroxy compounds characterized according to the invention, lubricants with high polarity and high hydrophilicity are obtained. Accordingly, such lubricants can be used in practice without forming a difficult-to-remove film on the chains. On the contrary, the film formed by the agents to be used according to the invention can be easily removed by simply rinsing with water. This has the advantage that when using appropriate formulations according to the invention, little or no dirt accumulates on the transport chains or other surfaces which come into contact with the chain lubricant.

In a preferred embodiment of the use according to the invention, the polyhydroxy compounds comprise organic compounds with more than 2 hydroxy groups from the groups of the alcohols, which also include sugar alcohols and carbohydrates, phenols, and natural polymers and synthetic polymers, with at least one component being particularly preferably selected as the polyhydroxy compound from alkanediols or alkanetriols, very particularly preferably glycerol, or their polymers and their esters and ethers are contained.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the formulations to be used according to the invention additionally comprise at least one component selected from the fluorine and silicone compounds, the fluorine compound being particularly preferably selected from the groups of the a) per- or partially fluorinated monomeric organic compounds, b) pure and mixed di- and oligomers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer, c) pure and mixed polymers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer.

When defining the boundary between oligomers and polymers, the present invention relates to the generally known characterization of polymers which are composed of so many identical or similar low molecular weight building blocks (monomers) that the physical properties of these substances, in particular the viscoelasticity, contribute to No longer noticeably change the increase or decrease in the number of blocks by one unit. This is generally the case when the average molecular weight of the "polymers" is 10,000 g / mol or more.

The term oligomers is used for the low molecular weight dimers, trimers and other lower members of the polymer homologous series. In a preferred form, the fluorine compounds a) comprise at least per- and partially fluorinated surfactants, alkanes, ethers and amines, particularly preferably in the formulations used according to the invention ammonium perfluoroalkylsulfonates, lithium perfluoroalkylsulfonates, potassium perfluoroalkylsulfonates, amine perfluoroalkylsulfonates, sodium perfluoroalkylsulfonates, potassium quaternary fluorinated alkylamomonium iodides, ammonium perfluoroalkylcarboxalates, fluorinated alkylpolyoxyethyleneethanols, fluorinated alkylalkoxylates, fluorinated alkyl esters with concentrations of 0.001 to 10% are used. The fluorinated components of group c) are preferably per- and / or partially fluorinated alkoxy polymers, which are particularly preferably obtainable from the copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ethers.

In a further preferred embodiment, the formulations from group c) to be used according to the invention contain at least per- and / or partially fluorinated polyethers. The silicone compounds contained in a preferred embodiment of the formulations to be used according to the invention are preferably selected from the group of the polysiloxanes and particularly preferably selected from the groups of the linear, branched, cyclic and crosslinked polysiloxanes.

It is also preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are in the form of one-component liquids, solutions, gels, emulsions, pastes, dispersions.

In a preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention additionally contain at least one antimicrobial component selected from the groups of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobial acids, carboxylic acid esters, acid amides, phenols, phenol derivatives, diphenyls, diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen, nitrogen acetals and formals , Benzamidines, isothiazolines, phthalimide derivatives, pyridine derivatives, antimicrobial surface-active compounds, guanidines, antimicrobial amphoteric compounds, quinolines, 1, 2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane, iodo-2-propynyl-butyl-carbamate, iodine, iodophores, peroxides, where in a particularly preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention as antimicrobial components, one or more compounds selected from ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, phenoxyethanol, undecylenic acid, citric acid, 2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol, 2,2'-methylene bis- (6-bromo-4-chlorophenol), 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hyd roxydiphenyl ether, N- (4-chlorophenyl) -N- (3,4-dichlorophenyl) -urea, N, N '- (1, 10-decanediyldi-1-pyridinyl-4-ylidene) bis- (1-octanamine) dihydrochloride, N, N'-bis- (4-chlorophenyl) -3,12-diimino-

2,4,11, 13-tetraaza-tetradecanediimidamide, quaternary ammonium compounds or alkyl amines, guanidines, amphoterics.

In a likewise preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention contain further components selected from the groups of the surfactants and solubilizers, it being particularly preferred that at least one alkyl polyglycoside is contained as the surfactant. Other preferred ingredients are Fatty alkylamines and / or their alkoxylates, in particular coconut fatty amine ethoxylates and / or imidazoline compounds and / or amphoteric surfactants and / or nonionic surfactants and / or ether carboxylic acids and / or ether amine compounds. In addition, it is preferred to add paraffin compounds to the formulations to be used according to the invention.

In practice, the formulations to be used according to the invention are applied to the transport chains, and in the best case it can be observed that no foam is produced when the transport goods are transported on the transport systems. It is further preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are compared to conventional lubricants which are diluted with water in transport systems by a dilution factor of more than 100 and in the event that equal amounts of lubricating components are applied to the conveyor belt system within a defined period of time are, when using formulations to be used according to the invention, the frictional resistance between transport goods and conveyor belt system is reduced by more than 20%. This can be shown by example experiments.

Example 1 :

A comparative formulation 1, which contains 5% by weight of coconut propylene diamine and is adjusted to pH 7 with acetic acid, is applied in a 0.2% aqueous concentration to the. Via a nozzle assembly with 5 nozzles, each of which has a spray rate of 5 liters per hour Transport chains applied. Over a period of 1 hour, 50 ml of the comparison formulation, or approximately 2.5 g of the coconut propylene diamine, thus reach the transport chains. This test is carried out over a period of 10 hours. According to the present invention, the coefficient of friction between the beverage bottle and stainless steel transport chains is defined as the ratio of the pulling weight which is exerted, for example, on a spring balance when one tries to hold a beverage bottle while the transport chains are running, to the weight of the bottle.

The coefficient of friction when using the comparative example μ = 0.10 described above. As soon as you stop the dosing process, the coefficient of friction increases quickly arrives and the goods or bottles fall over within a few minutes.

In the comparative example, a total of 25 ml of lubricating-active coconut propylene diamine raw materials reach the transport chains over the entire test period of 10 hours. In a second experiment, 25 ml of a formulation to be used according to the invention, consisting of pure glycerol, are distributed on the transport chains with a rag. The coefficient of friction between bottles and transport chain is then measured over a period of 10 hours under identical conditions, as in the experiment with comparative example 1. The coefficient of friction μ is approximately 0.05 over the entire period of 10 hours. This example shows that the frictional resistance between goods to be transported and the conveyor belt system can be reduced by more than 20%, in the present example even by more than 40%.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is the use of the formulations to be used according to the invention for the transport of plastic containers, the plastic containers particularly preferably at least one polymer selected from the groups of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthenate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), PVC contain and are particularly preferred PET beverage bottles.

Example 2:

In a laboratory test, the stress corrosion cracking is measured by a comparative example based on 5% by weight coconut propylene diamine and 5% by weight dimethyl laurylamine, which are adjusted to pH 7 with acetic acid, in comparison to the stress corrosion cracking of pure glycerol.

According to the test description, PET bottles are filled with water and conditioned with carbon dioxide so that there is a pressure of about 7 bar in the interior of the bottles. The bottom cups of the bottles are then incorporated into the formulation of the comparative example or the example to be used according to the invention dipped and placed in a petri dish over a period of 24 hours. After the 24 hours, the bottles are opened, emptied and the floor cups rinsed with water. A visual evaluation of the floor cups shows that there are many stress cracks with medium depth, rating C, in the test with the comparative example, while it is found in the test with the example to be used according to the invention that only a few stress cracks with low depth, rating A , are available. The classification is based on the reference images contained in Chapter IV-22 of the book 'CODE OF PRACTICE - Guidelines for an Industrial Code of Practice for Refillable PET Bottles', Edition 1, 1993-1994.

Example 2 shows that the formulations to be used according to the invention have advantages over the transportation of plastic bottles compared to the amine-based products commonly used as lubricants on the market.

In a further preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention are used for the transport of cardboard packaging.

Furthermore, a use is preferred in which the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt systems are made of plastic, particularly preferably of polyacetal and polyethylene.

In another preferred embodiment, the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt system are made of metal, particularly preferably made of stainless steel. It is further preferred to add additional antimicrobial substances, particularly preferably organic peracids, chlorine dioxide or ozone, to the formulations to be used according to the invention before or after application by separate addition.

In a preferred embodiment, the formulations to be used according to the invention are applied to the conveyor belts without prior dilution with water using an auxiliary agent which can be selected from a brush, sponge, roller, cloth, rag, brush, wiper, rubber, spraying device. In another preferred embodiment, those to be used according to the invention are used Formulations in automatic conveyor belt systems diluted with water and the application solution applied to the conveyor belts via metering devices, the dilution factor being between 10,000 and 100. It is further preferred that the formulations to be used according to the invention are selected and applied such that no further multiplication of microorganisms takes place on surfaces which are in contact with the formulations or solution, and very particularly preferably the number of microorganisms is reduced.

The formulations to be used according to the invention are preferably used for the transport of containers in the food industry.

In a preferred embodiment of the use according to the invention, the bottom of the plastic bottles is rinsed off with water before the plastic bottles leave the bottling plant.

Because of the hydrophilic properties of the formulations to be used according to the invention, a large part of the lubricant residues adhering to the bottoms of the plastic bottles can be removed by simply rinsing them off with water. As a result, the plastic bottles on the market have hardly any chemical residues. This aspect is important because the chemical attack on the polymeric beverage bottle material in many cases leads to a visible attack or even destruction of the beverage bottles only after a long time. If lubricant residues stick to the bottom of the plastic bottles, this has a negative impact on the polymeric material due to the long-term contact.

For example, the chain lubricants commonly used so far adhere more strongly to PET bottles due to their surfactant or hydrophobic character and cannot be adequately removed even by rinsing with water. The chemical attack is intensified if, for example due to summer temperatures during transport or storage, the internal pressure in the bottles increases and the bottle material is therefore under high tension. Depending on the circulation cycles, the beverage bottles can be on the market for up to several months before they are transported back to the bottling plant.

The advantage of the formulations to be used according to the invention is that they are easy to rinse off and can be removed by a final rinse with water.

Another advantage of the polyhydroxy compounds is that most of them are readily degradable compared to the compounds that are usually used as lubricants.

The present invention furthermore relates to chain lubricants which, based on the entire formulation, contain at least 20% by weight, preferably more than 40% by weight and particularly preferably more than 80% by weight, of at least one polyhydroxy compound, to which the molecular structure applies at every point that there are at least one hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form among 10 or fewer atoms which are linked to one another via covalent bonds and which are linked via fewer than 5 atoms by covalent bond to a second hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form is.

By using polyhydroxy compounds, for which it applies at every point in the molecular structure that at least 10 or fewer atoms linked together via covalent bonds contain at least one hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, which contains fewer than 5 atoms by covalent bonding a second hydroxy group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, chain lubricants with high polarity and high hydrophilicity are obtained. Accordingly, such lubricants can be used in practice without a difficult-to-remove film on the chains forms. On the contrary, the film formed by the agents to be used according to the invention can be easily removed by simply rinsing with water. This has the advantage that when using appropriate formulations according to the invention, little or no dirt accumulates on the transport chains or other surfaces which come into contact with the chain lubricant.

In a preferred embodiment, the polyhydroxy compounds comprise organic compounds with more than 2 hydroxyl groups from the groups of alcohols, phenols, sugar alcohols, carbohydrates and natural polymers and synthetic polymers, particularly preferably as polyhydroxy compound at least one component selected from alkane diols or alkane triols, very particularly preferably glycerol , or their polymers as well as their esters and ethers are contained.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chain lubricants according to the invention additionally contain at least one component selected from the fluorine and silicone compounds, the fluorine compound being particularly preferably selected from the groups of the a) per- or partially fluorinated monomeric organic compounds, b) pure and mixed di - And oligomers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer, c) pure and mixed polymers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer.

When defining the boundary between oligomers and polymers, the present invention relates to the generally known characterization of polymers which are composed of so many identical or similar low molecular weight building blocks (monomers) that the physical properties of these substances, in particular the viscoelasticity, contribute to No longer noticeably change the increase or decrease in the number of blocks by one unit. This is in generally the case when the average molecular weight of the "polymers" is 10,000 g / mol or more.

The term oligomers is used for the low molecular weight dimers, trimers and other lower members of the polymer homologous series. In a preferred form, the fluorine compounds a) comprise at least per- and partially fluorinated surfactants, alkanes, ethers and amines, particularly preferably in the formulations used according to the invention, ammonium perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, lithium perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, potassium perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, amine perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, sodium perfluoroalkyl sulfonate alkylate, ammonium fluorate ammonium fluorate, ammonium fluoramate fluoromate fluoromate fluoromate fluoromate fluoromate fluorate quaternary fluoromate, fluorinated alkyl polyoxyethylene ethanols, fluorinated alkyl alkoxylates, fluorinated alkyl esters with concentrations of 0.001 to 10% are used. The fluorinated components of group c) are preferably per- and / or partially fluorinated alkoxy polymers, which are particularly preferably obtainable from the copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ethers.

In a further preferred embodiment, the formulations from group c) to be used according to the invention contain at least per- and / or partially fluorinated polyethers.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a chain lubricant according to the invention which additionally contains at least one silicon compound in the formulation, preferably selected from the groups of linear, branched, cyclic and crosslinked polysiloxanes.

Claims

claims

1. Use of at least one polyhydroxy compound for which at any point in the molecular structure applies that among 10 or fewer atoms linked to one another via covalent bonds there is at least one hydroxyl group in free, etherified and / or esterified form which contains less than 5 atoms by covalent Binding is associated with a second hydroxy group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, in lubricant formulations, in order to reduce the friction between transport goods and transport systems.

2. Use of chain lubricants which contain at least 20% by weight of at least one polyhydroxy compound, based on the entire formulation, for which at any point in the molecular structure it applies that at least one or more hydroxyl groups in the free are present under 10 or fewer atoms linked to one another via covalent bonds , etherified and / or esterified form, which is connected via less than 5 atoms by covalent bond with a second hydroxy group in free, etherified and / or esterified form, for the transport of containers on conveyor belt systems.

3. Use according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the proportion of polyhydroxy compounds, based on the entire formulation, is greater than 25% by weight.

4. Use according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the proportion of polyhydroxy compounds, based on the entire formulation, is greater than 40% by weight.

5. Use according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the proportion of polyhydroxy compounds, based on the entire formulation, is greater than 80% by weight.

6. Use according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the polyhydroxy compounds comprise organic compounds with more than 2 hydroxy groups from the groups of alcohols, phenols and natural polymers and synthetic polymers.

7. Use according to claim 6, characterized in that at least one component selected from alkanediols, alkanetriols, their polymers and their esters and ethers is contained as the polyhydroxy compound.

8. Use according to claim 8, characterized in that at least glycerol is contained as the polyhydroxy compound.

9. Use according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the formulation additionally contains at least one component selected from the fluorine and silicone compounds.

10. Use according to claim 9, characterized in that a fluorine compound selected from the groups of a) per- or partially fluorinated monomeric organic compounds, b) pure and mixed di- and oligomers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer, c) pure and mixed polymers based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer.

11. Use according to one of claims 9 or 10, characterized in that a silicone compound selected from the group of polysiloxanes and preferably selected from the groups of linear, branched, cyclic and crosslinked polysiloxanes is included.

12. Use according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the formulations are present as a one-component liquid, solution, gel, emulsion, paste, dispersion.

13. Use according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the formulations additionally at least one antimicrobial component selected from the groups of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobial acids, carboxylic acid esters, acid amides, phenols, phenol derivatives, diphenyls, diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen , Nitrogen acetals and - formals, benzamidines, isothiazolines, phthalimide derivatives, pyridine derivatives, antimicrobial surface-active compounds, guanidines, antimicrobial amphoteric compounds, quinolines, 1, 2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane, iodo-2-propynyl-butyl-carbamate, Contain iodine, iodophores, peroxides.

14. Use according to claim 13, characterized in that the formulations as antimicrobial components one or more compounds selected from ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, phenoxyethanol, undecylenic acid, citric acid, 2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol, 2, 2'-methylene-bis- (6-bromo-4-chlorophenol), 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether, N- (4-chlorophenyl) -N- (3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea, N, N '- (1, 10-decanediyldi-1-pyridinyl-4-ylidene) bis (1-octanamine) dihydrochloride, N, N'-bis (4-chloro-phenyl) -3.12 -diimino-2,4, 11, 13- tetraaza-tetradecanediimidamide, quaternary ammonium compounds or alkyl amines, guanidines, amphoterics.

15. Use according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the formulations contain additional components selected from the groups of surfactants and solubilizers.

16. Use according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that in comparison to conventional lubricants which in automatic conveyor belt systems with water by a dilution factor of more than 100 are thinned and in the event that equal amounts of lubricating components are applied to the conveyor belt system within a defined period of time, when using formulations according to one of claims 1 to 15, the frictional resistance between the goods and the conveyor belt system is reduced by more than 20%.

17. Use according to one of claims 1 to 16 for the transport of plastic containers.

18. Use according to claim 17, characterized in that the plastic containers contain at least one polymer selected from the groups of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphtenate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), PVC.

19. Use according to claim 18, characterized in that the plastic containers are PET beverage bottles.

20. Use according to one of claims 1 to 16 for the transport of cardboard packaging.

21. Use according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt system are made of plastic.

22. Use according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the transport surfaces of the conveyor belt system are made of metal.

23. Use according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that additional antimicrobial agents are added separately during application.

24. Use according to claim 23, characterized in that organic peracids, chlorine dioxide or ozone are used as antimicrobial agents.

25. Use according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the formulations on an aid which is selected from brush, sponge, roller, cloth, cloth, brush, wiper, rubber, spray device on the conveyor belts without prior dilution with water be applied.

26. Use according to one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the formulations are diluted with water in automatic conveyor belt systems and the application solution is applied to the conveyor belts via metering devices.

27. Use according to claim 26, characterized in that the dilution factor is between 10000 and 100.

28. Use according to one of claims 1 to 27 for the transport of containers in the food industry.

29. Use according to one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the bottom of plastic bottles is rinsed with water before the plastic bottles leave the bottling plant.

30. Chain lubricants which contain at least 20% by weight of at least one polyhydroxy compound, based on the entire formulation, for which it applies at every point in the molecular structure that at least one or more hydroxyl groups in free, etherified and / or at least one hydroxyl group are linked together via covalent bonds. or esterified form that is less than 5 Atoms are connected by covalent bond with a second hydroxy group in free, etherified and / or esterified form.

31. Chain lubricant according to claim 30, characterized in that at least 40% by weight of at least one polyhydroxy compound, based on the entire formulation, is present.

32. Chain lubricant according to claim 30, characterized in that at least 80% by weight of at least one polyhydroxy compound, based on the entire formulation, is present.

33. Chain lubricant according to one of claims 30 to 32, characterized in that in the formulation additionally at least one fluorine compound, which is preferably selected from the groups of a) per- or partially fluorinated monomeric organic compounds, b) pure and mixed di- and oligomers which are based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer, c) pure and mixed polymers which are based on at least one per- or partially fluorinated organic monomer.

34. Chain lubricant according to one of claims 30 to 33, characterized in that the formulation additionally contains at least one silicone compound, which is preferably selected from the groups of linear, branched, cyclic and crosslinked polysiloxanes.