Battelle Unveils a Smarter Way to do Laundry

It does not happen often, but from time to time an innovative idea comes to the forefront of the laundry care industry. Even less often does that idea gain real traction that gradually translates into a product that can save consumers energy and money. However, Battelle has done just that. To fit this bill, Battelle unveiled a new product Nov. 11 at the Cleaning Products Conference in Washington, D.C.
 
Founded in 1929 in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle, a 501(c)(3) charitable trust, emerged as a concept. It was the desire of its founder, Gordon Battelle, that a bridge be formed between academic research and company interests to affect positive change in the world through product development. Accepting governmental and commercial client work, Battelle acts as an extension of the client’s research arm to apply science and technology to real world applications. When asked about the extent of their research in product development, Battelle’s Cindy Conner stated, “We’ve had a hand in developing all types of products for many brands. Typically we’ll say, ‘if you walk down the isle of really any grocery store or home improvement store, chances are good that we had a hand in producing those products.’”
 
Battelle’s research into the emerging trends in the laundry care market has shown several things. First, when it comes to efficiency with cleaning products, the Europeans are leading the way; second, that consumers want their products to do more; and third, that technological improvements were needed in the market. The result of this research, paired with scientific application, is the Smart Laundry Capsule.
 
The concept behind this product, as well as the design of it, comes chiefly from Senior Research Scientist Ram Lalgudi. Lalgudi, educated in India, has been working with Battelle for thirteen years on numerous projects, but as noted by Conner, is well-known for his early work in the area of encapsulation technology – the basis for the Smart Laundry Capsule.
 
The Smart Laundry Capsule is revolutionary to the laundry care market because of its unique properties allowing bleach to be activated in cold water.
 
“Consumers wanted a way to wash their clothes in cold water and still get that fresh and clean result. With the Smart Laundry Capsules, consumers now can save 90% of the cost of doing laundry by simply using cold water,” noted Conner.
 
In addition, the capsules have a very stable shelf life and are biodegradable – in contrast to other products that may incorporate the use of microbeads, larger plastic beads that can be harmful to the environment. With these capsules, consumers get a single product that gives them a green clean, while simultaneously saving them energy and money.
 
How does this work? Battelle has taken a biodegradable polymer that allows the bleach to be activated in cold water. The activators of past products relied upon heated water for effective release; the Smart Capsule does away with this reliance. When asked why this technology has not been implemented in the laundry care market already, Connor responded, “This is something that has been looked at, but [this product] is just a novelty of Battelle’s encapsulation process, something we call, ‘encapsulation by design’ – a customer has a specific request and Battelle meets their requirements.” This is a process that Lalgudi is apparently adept at. Connor continued, “He is very good at hearing customers’ needs and producing the product to meet those needs.”
 
The Smart Laundry Capsule, with its cold-activated, biodegradable polymer, is not a product with new ingredients, but known ingredients with a new application. With an active patent on the product, Battelle is ready to take this product to the world. Conner, who presented the Smart Laundry Capsules at the Cleaning Products Conference, stated that she expects the buzz around this new product to be great; noting the initial attention that their product has garnered already.
 
Continuing in the line of their “encapsulation by design” products, Battelle’s plan is to continue expanding their work in agriculture, with products controlling the release of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc.; construction and manufacturing industries, with their corrosion prevention capsules; as well as branching further into personal care and pharmaceuticals.