Published: January 21, 2025
Q: We are looking for a ready to use foam to clean some tablet press machines that have a variety of metal materials including bronze and stainless steel. Some of the difficult residues include cellulose acetate phthalate and a difficult API which changes color and is a challenge to remove. What does Alconox Inc. recommend?
A: An important distinction is we only make aqueous detergents, thus all of the detergents that we can offer have to be rinsed away with water after the cleaning step. We do not have any detergents that can be sprayed on and simply left to evaporate / wipe off without any rinsing post use., which is conventionally what is referred to as a “ready to use foam.” If you were to use our detergents in such a manner you would be left with detergent residue on the surfaces that could potentially interfere. Also, all of our detergents are sold as concentrates and have to be diluted before use (concentrations of 1 to 3% are relatively common). We do not sell any detergents that come pre-diluted.
To determine the correct detergent for use on your compression machines, we would look to know the residue remaining. Often considering key factors including, for example, if it is organic and inorganic in nature: What to choose: acid vs alkaline cleaner?
Given the material combination that you are listing, the best choices are going to most likely be Liquinox® Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent, or Citranox® Liquid Acid Cleaner and Detergent if you want to avoid any potential darkening of the bronze parts.
Regarding your cleaning challenge with cellulose acetate phthalate: Since this is an enteric coating it is designed to dissolve in an alkaline environment. I would suggest using a mildly alkaline detergent such as the aforementioned Liquinox, or alternatively Alconox® Powdered Precision Cleaner. If neither of these detergents are strong enough to remove the coating on the machine, then a slightly more aggressive detergent such as Detonox® Ultimate Precision Cleaner may be called for. These solutions are oriented towards manual or clean out of place applications – foaming detergents.
Regarding the API, it is possible that a highly emulsifying cleaning agent, such as Liquinox or Alconox detergent will be able to remove the residue without causing any reaction on the ingredient that would cause the strong color change. This is something that you would have to evaluate. Another option would be to see if an acidic detergent would avoid the hydrolysis of the active ingredient, while still being able to remove the offending residue through emulsification, so Citranox might be an option here as well.
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Related Products
Liquinox is a concentrated, anionic detergent for manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Free rinsing to give you reliable results without interfering residues. Extremely mild and completely soluble in hard and soft water. USDA authorized. Dilute 1:100. pH 8.5
Citranox is a phosphate free, concentrated cleaner and metal brightener for high performance removal of metal oxides, scale, salts and inorganic residues in manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Corrosion inhibited and free rinsing for reliable results and no interfering residues. Ideal for trace metal analysis. USDA authorized. Dilute 2:100. pH 2.5
Alconox is a concentrated, anionic detergent for manual and ultrasonic cleaning. Free rinsing to give you reliable results without interfering residues. Ideal for cleaning contaminants from glassware, metals, plastics, ceramic, porcelain, rubber and fiberglass. Excellent replacement for corrosive acids and hazardous solvents. USDA authorized. Dilute 1:100. pH 9.5
Detonox is a non-caustic detergent for exceptional removal of botanical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical polymers, sticky extracts, resins, creams and lotions. Concentrated, highly emulsifying and penetrating formula is free rinsing, and leaves no residues.
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