Cleaning BOD bottles

Question:
Which Alconox cleaners can be used to clean BOD bottles?

Answer:
Alconox manufactures several phosphate-free detergents ideal for cleaning BOD bottles. For manual and ultrasonic cleaning use Liquinox, Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent. Environmental labs often use EPA standard operating procedure manuals in the course of analyzing environmental samples. Many of these procedures call for a phosphate-free laboratory detergent such as Liquinox. For machine washing, use Solujet, Low Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid or Tergajet, Low-Foaming Phosphate Free Powder.

To order samples and get more information on phosphate-free detergents, visit www.alconox.com.

Residues best cleaned by acidic cleaners

Question:
What types of residues are best cleaned by acidic cleaners and does Alconox manufacture any acidic cleaners?

Answer:
Amines, alkaloids, amphoteric proteins, starches, carbonates and bicarbonates, metal oxides, and insoluble hydroxides are generally best cleaned by acidic cleaners. Alconox manufactures two acidic cleaners. Citranox, Liquid Acid Cleaner and Detergent, a high emulsifying cleaner, can be used ultrasonically or manually. Citrajet, Low-Foam Liquid Acid Cleaner/Rinse is ideal for spray, CIP, or machine washing.

To learn more about Citranox and Citrajet, please visit www.alconox.com.

Detergent Selection

Question:
What are the key considerations when selecting an aqueous cleaning detergent?

Answer:
Critical cleaning requires careful selection of cleaning chemistry and methods to ensure adequate performance without sacrificing either work safety or benign environmental impact. Key considerations include: Type of substrate, Type of soil, part complexity, level of cleanliness required, manufacturing process, cleaning efficiency, environmental consideration. – The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook Fourth Edition pp 31-33.

Request your copy of the Aqueous Cleaning Handbook here.

Tergajet Ion Chromatography

Question:
Can Ion Chromatography detection method be used for Tergajet?

Answer:
Sodium Ion specific electrodes can be used to detect Tergajet, however very good deionized water must be used and there can be no other significant source of sodium in your system. There is about 28% sodium by weight in Tergajet. Given that sodium is commonly found in fingerprints and many other compounds, this may not be the best method to use. If the substrates are cleaned in a way that would not tend to get outside sources of sodium on them, then this method will certainly work. There is plenty of sodium in Tergajet. Note that there is no potassium in Tergajet. There is almost 30% sodium citrate dihydrate present in Tergajet. This is a good marker for Tergajet.

Please visit http://www.alconox.com/static/section_top/gen_cleanval.asp for a list of residue detection methods.

Undissolved Alconox

Question:
Can using tap water to make a 1% solution of Alconox cause there to be some undissolved Alconox particles?

Answer:
Yes, it is possible that the tap water is very hard water and the undissolved Alconox particles being observed are actually white precipitates of calcium and magnesium carbonate. In extremely hard water (water that is very high in calcium and magnesium content) it would even be recommended to use as high as a 1.3% concentration. This would assure that there is sufficient chelating agent present to tie up the calcium and magnesium to avoid formation of insoluble precipitates of calcium and magnesium. If the problem is hard water, then Alconox recommends using a 1.3% solution of Alconox (390 grams of Alconox +/- 15 grams of Alconox) in 30 L. It may take more than 2 minutes to dissolve, because first the insoluble carbonates are formed, and then the chelating and sequestering agents work on these to react with the calcium and magnesium and eventually the carbonates go back in to solution. It could take as much as 4 minutes. Another solution would be to use softened water, purified water, or to simply dilute the hard water 50/50 with softened or purified water instead of using just hard tap water for the 30 L solution.

To view the technical bulletin for Alconox, Powdered Precision Cleaner please visit http://www.alconox.com/downloads/pdf/techbull_alconox.pdf.

Pharmaceutical Cleaning

Question:
What cleaners does Alconox recommend for cleaning pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment and utensils?

Answer:
Alconox recommends using Solujet, Low foaming phosphate free Liquid or Citrajet, Low Foaming Liquid Acid Cleaner/Rinse. These cleaners are excellent for CIP systems and work at low concentrations. They remove soils such as titanium dioxide, tablet coatings, and petrolatum.

To learn more about Solujet and Citrajet, please visit www.alconox.com.

Medical Device Cleaning

Question:
What are the recommended cleaners for ultrasonic cleaning medical devices?

Answer:
Alconox manufactures high emulsifying cleaners ideal for removing difficult soils from surfaces such as elastomers, plastics, and stainless steel. Alconox recommends using Liquinox, Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent and Citranox, Liquid Acid Cleaner and Rinse, in a two step ultrasonic process which will remove hydrophobic organic residue, alkaline liable particles and inorganic residues.

For more information on Liquinox and Citranox, please visit www.alconox.com.