TechNotes

Q. I work at a museum and my current project is to remove both oxidation of copper and what I assume are residues from calcareous water from a valuable, antique sink. From the XRF-analysis, I have identified the sink as having a copper base with a zinc-nickel plating. My primary concern is that I need to preserve the “used” and dull appearance on the sink and not achieve a shiny, “like new” result.

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Q. White spots appear on our stainless steel parts the day after cleaning with Alconox. Right after we clean them, they are dry and visually clean. So, is this next-day residue from the Alconox detergent? If not, can you tell us why this is happening? A. It is fairly unlikely that visually clean parts have Alconox residues suddenly appearing the next day.  In addition to Alconox being free rinsing, any residue that did not get rinsed for whatever reason, would be visible fairly immediately.

Most people in similar situations, even though the parts appear “dry and visually clean,” find that the spots are from water.

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Q. What can be used to manually clean salicylic acid lotions, creams, emulsions from manufacturing equipment?
A. In general salicylic acid is best cleaned by sodium phosphate or alkali citrate salt containing cleaners. Lotions and creams are often best cleaned by high alkaline cleaners.

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Q:I was wondering if you have a product that I can use in an ultrasonic cleaner to clean tungsten carbide that would not leach out cobalt? That also can be disposed of down a drain?

A: Tungsten carbide (WC) cleaning comes with some inherent issues, and the cleaning cycle that accompanies it will depend entirely on the feed stock (components to be cleaned) that the process comes from. This is where Alconox, Inc., as the critical cleaning experts, excel from our experience and vast pool of applications to draw upon.

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Q. We have glassware that contains adhesive and API dissolved in organic solvents. If we do not do additional organic rinses prior to the aqueous rinses we have issues. Is there any way we can avoid the organic rinses?
A. To avoid organic rinses, you can soak in a high emulsifying cleaner such as a 1% Alconox solution (1.25 oz/gal or 10 g/L) prior to aqueous rinsing. Ideally soak in a warm or hot solution for fastest and most reliable results. The emulsifiers in Alconox will emulsify the solvents and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Be sure to rinse at the same temperature you are soaking at so you do not break the emulsion and redeposit the API or solvents. If you soak hot . . .

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Q. How can I clean proteins, RNA, and DNA from laboratory equipment?

A. Thank you for your question concerning cleaning proteins, RNA and DNA from laboratory equipment.

We will address each separately . . .

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Is Alconox and/or Liquinox an effective detergent for rinsing and removing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from non-porous surfaces (such as excavation equipment)? We have a great deal of experience with remediating PCBs with both powdered and liquid concentrate detergent options.

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Q. We are looking for a product that will allow us to clean mold release agent from the surface of molded HDPE parts. A. The best way to reliably remove silicone based mold release agents is to immerse the HDPE parts in very hot (170ºF) 2% Alconox detergent followed by a very hot (170ºF) rinse, ideally both in ultrasonic tanks. After the first very hot rinse, normal ambient temperature rinsing can be done. This can also be done with stiff brushes, but of course protective equipment must be worn.

The theory behind this is that …

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Q. We are currently writing a protocol for conducting a process validation activity for our cleaning procedures for metal parts after our machining manufacturing process. What are the differences between cleaning effectiveness of Alconox detergent for cleaning various metallic surfaces such as stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chrome? Also, does Alconox detergent effectiveness change based on contamination characteristics, surface geometry or any other factors?

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What is the difference between Tergazyme and Alconox? Is one better? Is one more mild?

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