GLDA: The New Green Chelator for Home Care Products

I. Core Properties of GLDA: Family-Friendly Advantages of Green Chelation

1. Biobased Origin & Environmental Safety

• Synthesized from glutamic acid (a natural amino acid) and acetic acid, GLDA achieves a biodegradation rate >90% (meeting OECD 301B standards), with no ecological accumulation risk—distinguishing it from traditional petrochemical-based chelators (e.g., EDTA).

• Classified as "non-SVHC" under EU REACH regulations and listed in the US EPA Safer Choice program, GLDA meets environmental certification requirements for home care products (e.g., ECOCERT, EU Ecolabel).

2. Mild Chelation Performance & Formulation Compatibility

• Exhibits strong chelating ability for Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Fe³⁺ ions across pH 4–10 (logK values: Ca²⁺=10.6, Fe³⁺=16.5), ideal for hard water environments.

• Maintains stability under neutral to weakly alkaline conditions (up to 80°C) and is compatible with surfactants (e.g., AES, APG) and enzymes (protease, amylase) without compromising formula activity.

3. Low Irritation & Skin Safety

• Acute oral toxicity LD50 > 2000 mg/kg (rat), with a skin irritation score <0.5 in Draize tests (non-irritating), making it suitable for skin-contact cleaning products (e.g., hand soap, lingerie detergents).

II. Segmented Applications of GLDA in Home Care

■ Cleaners: High-Efficiency Decontamination for Kitchen & Bathroom

• Application Scenarios: Oil stain removers, tile cleaners, drain openers

• Mechanism:

◦ Chelates Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ in water scale, disrupting scale crystal structure and enhancing surfactant emulsification of oils (e.g., adding 0.5–1% GLDA to kitchen cleaners increases decontamination by 20%).

◦ Complexes Fe³⁺ in rust, preventing metal-ion catalyzed pigment deposition (e.g., paired with citric acid in bathroom cleaners to accelerate soap scum decomposition).

• Case Study: A German eco-cleaner brand replaced EDTA with 1.2% GLDA in its "zero-irritation kitchen spray," achieving German Dermatest skin safety certification and a 15% 去污 effect improvement in hard water areas (200ppm calcium).

■ Detergents: Green Performance Enhancers for Laundry Products

• Application Scenarios: Machine laundry detergents, lingerie-specific detergents, baby clothing detergents

• Core Advantages:

a. Hard Water Softening: Adding 0.8–1.5% GLDA to 洗衣粉 achieves 95%+ chelation of calcium/magnesium ions, preventing soap scum formation (traditional STPP loses efficiency at pH <8, while GLDA remains effective at pH 6–10).

b. Color Protection & Anti-Redeposition: Chelates Fe³⁺/Cu²⁺ in wash water to prevent metal-ion catalyzed dye fading and inhibit soil redeposition on fibers (e.g., a Japanese laundry liquid formula with GLDA and polycarboxylate increased cotton whiteness retention by 12%).

c. Low-Temperature Adaptability: GLDA chelates 30% faster than EDTA in cold water (15–25°C), aligning with energy-efficient washing trends.

• Regulatory Compliance: As a phosphorus-free chelator, GLDA helps detergent manufacturers meet EU Detergent Regulation (EC 648/2004) limits (phosphate ≤0.5%).

■ Textile Auxiliaries: Green Additives for Dyeing, Softening & Finishing

• 1. Dyeing Auxiliary: Improved Dye Utilization

◦ Adding 0.3–0.5% GLDA to reactive dyeing processes replaces traditional soda ash, stabilizing bath pH (6.5–7.5) via metal ion chelation to reduce dye hydrolysis. This improves cotton dye uniformity by 10% and increases dye utilization from 75% to 88% (data from an Indian textile mill).

• 2. Softener: Enhanced Handfeel & Antistatic Properties

◦ Blending 0.1–0.2% GLDA in cationic softener formulas chelates water metal ions, preventing precipitate formation with softeners and enhancing fabric adsorption (e.g., 15% increased softener adsorption on polyester, improving handfeel from 3.5 to 4.2/5).

• 3. Bleach Stabilizer: Inhibits Metal-Ion Catalyzed Decomposition

◦ In hydrogen peroxide bleaching, GLDA chelates Fe³⁺/Mn²⁺ to limit H₂O₂ decomposition to <10% (vs. 25% for traditional sodium silicate), reducing fiber damage and lowering bleaching wastewater COD (a Zhejiang dyeing mill saw COD drop from 800mg/L to 550mg/L).

III. Performance Comparison with Traditional Chelators (Home Care Context)

Note: While GLDA costs slightly more than EDTA, its compliance and performance advantages command a 20–30% price premium in eco-premium markets (e.g., Europe, North America).

IV. Market Trends & Foreign Trade Promotion Focus

1. Consumer Demand Drivers

• Search volumes for "biodegradable" and "plant-based" home care products in Europe/North America grow 25% annually (Google Trends 2024). GLDA’s biobased attribute can be a core selling point—e.g., labeling "90% natural origin chelator" on packaging.

2. Regional Compliance Strategies

• EU Market: Highlight GLDA’s compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive (EN 14362-1:2020) for detergent biodegradability, enabling "Eco-label" certification.

• North American Market: Emphasize FDA food contact certification (21 CFR 173.310), ideal for sensitive categories like baby laundry detergent.

• Southeast Asian Market:  (e.g., Thailand/Vietnam water hardness>150ppm), stress GLDA’s chelation stability under high-temperature/hard water conditions (e.g., "GLDA-formulated detergents outperform STPP by 18% in 40℃ hard water").

Jining Yuanlian Chemical is producing this type of new green chelating agent based on renewable plant raw materials. The company's GLDA is in the form of transparent to light yellow liquid, granules or powder, with 100% biodegradability, excellent chelating ability, wide pH adaptability (2-14) and high water solubility.