What is Critical Cleaning?
Q: What precisely is critical cleaning? How does it differ from “regular” cleaning? A: It refers to a very specific type of cleaning. It is where the cleaning itself impacts the value of the finished output from whatever residue/contaminant is being cleaned.
Remove Biofouling from Ultrafilters
Q. We are a waste treatment plant with an in-house ultrafiltration system. We keep experiencing rapid fouling of our filters causing an excessive need to take the system out of service for cleaning. We suspect that microbes are growing inside the system and rapidly clogging the pores of the filter. We have tried hot NaOH flushes and we see little to no improvement on the filter permeability and very poor permeability recovery.
Alconox, Inc. Detergents and Continuous Bioprocessing
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.
RO Membrane Cleaning Best Practices
Q: We are cleaning heavy scale compounds of Ca, Mg, carbonates, phosphates and organic matter from reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. Can you tell us some cleaning best practices and recommend a detergent?
A. If the organic matter is significant, a two-step process, cleaning by re-circulation or soaking (re-circulation may be more effective) could be needed. If the organic matter is biologic in nature, we would recommend Tergazyme® Enzyme-Active Powdered Detergent which is both a powerful emulsifier along with protein enzymes. If the organic residue is more of an oily nature…
Filtering Detergent in Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning System
Q: Is there a benefit to filtering the rinse water or the detergent solution in an ultrasonic system? Is it even advisable? If so, can you recommend a filter size (10 micron) when using Alconox detergent? This is for a new bath setup in a new piece of equipment.
A: My short answer would be, it cannot hurt but would likely be of limited assistance.