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Glossary

POLYCARBOXYLATES

POLYCARBOXYLATES
Polycarboxylates are commonly used in low phosphate and phosphate-free detergents to avoid
incrustation and soil redeposition. They comprise two types of polymers: homopolymers of acrylic acid
(P-AA) and copolymers of acrylic/maleic acid (P-AA/MA). (Ref: HERA)

Function and benefits

What is its function and benefits?
Polycarboxylates are used as ingredients and additives providing a range of properties such as
sequestration/complexation, anti-redeposition and dispersion. In addition, polycarboxylates disperse dirt to
prevent re-deposition onto fabrics (Anti-redepositioning agents). They are widely used as detergent
builders as partial replacements for polyphosphates, avoiding incrustation and soil redeposition.
How does it work?
Their ability to avoid incrustation and soil redeposition is not based on complexing with the hardness
compounds in the water but on the dispersion of calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate and the soil
detached during washing. (Ref: HERA)

Chemical structure and composition

Polycarboxylates are high molecular weight (MW) polymers. (Ref: SIB).
They generally are used in neutralized form (pH 6-8) as sodium salts. (Ref:
HERA)

P-AA: a homopolymer of
acrylic acid (or its sodium
salt) (Ref: HERA)

Polycarboxylates used in detergents products comprise two types of

polymers: homopolymers of acrylic acid (P-AA) and copolymers of
acrylic/maleic acid (P-AA/MA).
The mean molecular weight (MW) of these polycarboxylates ranges from
approximately 1,000 to 100,000. Commonly used commercial
polycarboxylates have a MW of 4,500 (P-AA) and MW of 70,000
(P-AA/MA).

P-AA/MA: an acrylic and

maleic acids copolymer (or
its sodium salt) (Ref: HERA)

Product / Category: where is it used?

Polycarboxylates are commonly used in laundry and automatic dishwashing detergents and various hard
surface-cleaning formulations, and also in institutional and industrial cleaning processes.
P-AA is used mainly in automatic dishwashing detergents whereas their use in laundry detergents is of minor
importance. P-AA/MA is used predominantly in laundry detergent powders and tablets and to a lesser extent in
automatic dishwashing detergents, too. (Ref: HERA)

Ingredient safety and information

AISE-CEFIC conducted a human and environmental risk assessment for polycarboxylates. Based on the
available data it can be concluded that P-AA is not readily biodegradable but is partly accessible to ultimate
biodegradation particularly under long incubation conditions. P-AA/MA is more easily eliminated in waste
water treatment plants, predominantly by adsorption/ precipitation in contact with activated sludge. In the
HERA risk assessment, a removal rate of 10% and 90 % in STP was conservatively assumed for P-AA and
P-AA/MA, respectively (Ref: HERA).
The low ecotoxicity of polycarboxylates is confirmed by NOEC values which are predominantly in the range
between 10 and >100 mg/l. (Ref: HERA)
Refined environmental risk characterization expressed by the PEC/PNEC ratio is below one for all
environmental compartments. The outcome of the environmental risk assessment provides a sound basis
for the conclusion that the use of polycarboxylates in detergent products does not pose a risk to the
environment. (ref: HERA)
Based on the available data, the human risk assessment considers the use of polycarboxylates in

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Read the full risk assessment in www.heraproject.com

References
HERA, 2009, Human & Environmental Risk Assessment on ingredients of European household
cleaning

products,

Polycarboxylates

used

in

detergents.

[online]

Available

at:

http://www.heraproject.com/RiskAssessment.cfm?SUBID=32 [Accessed November 17, 2011]

2012 Procter & Gamble.

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