TechNotes

Q. How can Alconox detergents assist with our movement to continuous bioprocessing? A: Continuous bioprocessing is an exciting newcomer to the biotech realm. It has been used in industries such as food and chemicals for some time, effectively so. With improvements in cell culture perfusion, and the many forms of disposable technologies on the market, footprints can be reduced making continuous processing for biotech products a reality for many applications.

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Q. We work with several cosmetic products.  One is particularly troublesome… how do we get toothpaste from our mixing tank?

A. Removing toothpaste from a mixing tank, assuming stainless steel, requires heat.  Use of an effective, free-rinsing detergent such as Solujet® Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid if a Clean-In-Place (CIP) cycle is intended, or…

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Q. Q. We are having an issue plating aluminum on glass castings. It appears there is mold release left on the glass after the casting. The glass manufacturer recommended Alconox detergent. Is that what you would your recommend for cleaning the glass? Whatever we use, it probably needs to be a soak at a high temperature (>170°)? Is this procedure good or should we use an ultrasonic at the higher temperature?

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Q. We manufacture vitamins, which include minerals (calcium, magnesium etc.) and have found that Citranox is very effective in cleaning the residue left in our equipment. Unfortunately, we have learned that the pH of Citranox is too low for our local requirements. Do you have another detergent with a higher pH that would work equally as well?

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Q. We have heard that Alconox is recommended for glass mold cleaning. Other than release agent, can the product also remove oxidation from the mold surface? And finally, why is the concentration on the Alconox detergent only 1-3% when we typically use concentrations of 20-30% when cleaning molds with sodium or potassium hydroxide based chemicals?

A. Alconox® Powdered Precision Cleaner is what we tradtionally recommend for mold release cleaning applications, but many also find Detonox® Ultimate Precision Cleaner to be particularly effective.

When it comes to removing oxidation…

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Find answers to questions such as: What is ultrasonic tank cleaning? Which industries employ? What Alconox brands are ideal for ultrasonic tank cleaning?

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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. 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: What types of Alconox, Inc. detergent would I use to clean a mold release agent? As an aside, is there any chance I could use the same detergent to also clean copper traces off a printed circuit board?

A: Yes! You may indeed be able to use one detergent in both these cleaning applications. But it will only work if the copper is not in the form of an oxide. Here’s why.

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Q: Some metalwork pieces have a residue of linoleic acid (traced back to the cutting oil) that remains after ultrasonic cleaning with Alconox® detergent. Will Alconox® will fully dissolve linoleic acid? Can you recommend a cleaning process to ensure complete removal of all linoleic acid residue from our parts?

A: Alconox® Powdered Precision Cleaner will not dissolve, but will emulsify, the linoleic acid on your machined parts. In order to get a linoleic-acid-free clean, increase

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