Surface UV Fluorescence Detection

Question: Can UV Fluorescence be used for soil detection?

Answer:

Surface Ultraviolet (UV) Fluorescence—Many organic and some inorganic contaminants will fluoresce under UV light. Shining a UV light on the surface makes residues more visible, particularly in a slightly darkened or dark room. The higher the intensity of the light used, the lower the level of contaminants easily detected. Note, however, that the typical black light found in novelty or specialty gift stores may not be strong enough to cause much residue to fluoresce. More powerful UV lights, available from scientific supply houses or industrial suppliers, will provide far better results. The test is performed by shining the light on the surface and observing an easily seen, fluorescent—typically a yellow, orange or green, sometimes red—color which glows under the light.

Contact Alconox technical support for selecting the right aqueous critical cleaner!

Alconox, Inc manufactures a range of aqueous critical cleaners from powder to liquid, acid to alkaline, highly emulsifying to low foaming. GMP compliant brands are available globally. Downloadable certificates of analysis (COA), MSDS, technical bulletins and trace analysis from the Alconox website at www.alconox.com

Nonvolatile Residue Inspection

Question: What is a nonvolatile residue inspection?

Answer:

Nonvolatile Residue Inspection (NVR)—involves extraction of soil from a dirty surface into a solvent. The solvent is then evaporated onto a coupon of known weight after the solvent is evaporated off the coupon, any residue will be deposited on the coupon. The coupon is then re-weighed and any weight increase detected is attributed to the nonvolatile residue. Many solvents can be used for this purpose. It is important to use a solvent that can dissolve the soil being detected. (Isopropyl alcohol, methylene chloride, acetone and other solvents have been used for this purpose.)

To get more information on how to measure cleanliness, contact Alconox Critical Cleaning Experts at cleaning@alconox.com

Water Break Test

Question:
Is a water break test similar to an atomizer test?

Answer:
Water-break test- uses running water, allowing it to form a sheet, across the surface. Breaks in the water indicate the presence of hydrophobic (water-fearing) residues. (See "The Hydrophobic Surface Film by the Water Break Test," ASTM Method F 22-65-found at astm.org) The water break test is a fairly crude test which is suitable for detecting films of process oils and heavy fingerprints. It does not readily detect non-hydrophobic residues. This test is often used for parts washing and may not be suitable for precision cleaning applications.

Atomizer test- a variation of the water-break test, involves a gently sprayed water mist. Any areas, where water repulsion occurs, indicate the presence of a hydrophobic soil. The atomizer test is slightly more sensitive to hydrophobic soils than the water break test in which the kinetic energy of the flowing water may overcome a hydrophobic residue. In contrast, the atomizer test allows you to see a small droplet of water being repelled by a hydrophobic contaminant.

With over 60 years of experience in detergent manufacturing, talk to the critical cleaning experts at Alconox to solve your most difficult cleaning challenges. Contact the Critical Cleaning Experts at cleaning@alconox.com.

Tape Test

Question:
Need a simple method that will aid visual inspection?

Answer:
The Tape Test is a simple method that aids visual inspection and is well suited for testing the cleanliness of smooth metal and plastic parts. It involves attaching transparent adhesive tape to the surface being measured, firmly pressing it down, carefully removing it and then placing it on a sheet of clean white paper. Visually comparing the sample with an adjacent piece of white paper is a fast, easy way to monitor particulates and sometimes even film residues.

Need to get your hard surfaces cleaner? Alconox, Inc manufactures a range of aqueous critical cleaners from acid to alkaline, powder to liquid, highly emulsifying to low foaming. Brands are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are downloadable from the Alconox website.

Measuring Cleanliness - Low Tech Detection Methods

Question:
What low tech and easy to perform detection methods can be used to measure cleanliness at 0.01 grams per square centimeter?

Answer:
Visual inspection is best used to detect residues of contrasting color or texture. Good lighting can enhance visual inspection. Magnification and fiber optic lighting, which throws light across a surface, improve detection.

Low-power microscope inspection is a quick and efficient way to verify cleanliness of residual oils and greases, flux residues, particles and surfaces.

Wiping with a white wipe provides a contrasting surface with which to detect dark residues (the white glove test).

For more information on how to measure cleanliness, request a free copy of The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook. Entire chapter dedicated to Measuring Cleanliness! To get your FREE copy, simply email request to cleaning@alconox.com.

Methods for Measuring Cleanliness

Question:
What methods can be used to detect cleanliness at 0.01, 0.01 to 0.001, and below 0.001 grams of soil per square centimeter?

Answer:
Depending upon method selected, cleanliness can be detected to varying degrees or levels.

Cleanliness can be detected to 0.01 grams per square centimeter levels by using visual inspection, low power microscope inspection, wiping and visual inspecting, water break tests, atomizer tests, nonvolatile residue inspection, surface UV Fluorescence detection, tape test.

The level of cleanliness typically suitable for automotive, aerospace, electrical and many surface preparations is between 0.01 to 0.001 grams per square centimeter. This level of detection can be achieved through Millipore filter measurement techniques such as optical microscopy, extraction, oil evaporation, oil soluble Fluorescence, gravimetric analysis, surface energy tests, contact angle measurement, particle counting.

The highest level of cleanliness measurement, below 1 microgram per square centimeter, is suitable for use in semiconductor, disk drive, and medical device applications. Techniques that are used for this level of precise cleanliness measurement include carbon coulometry, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Gas chromatography/mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS), Ion chromatography (IC), Optically stimulated electronic emissions (OSEE), Particle counting, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS).

Need to get your surface cleaner? Need help selecting an aqueous critical cleaner to best meet you critical cleaning needs? The Critical Cleaning Experts at Alconox, Inc. can help, click here to “Ask Alconox”.

Cleaning parts with complex geometries

Question:
What is the best way to clean parts with complex geometries such blind holes so that optimal cleaning is achieved?

Answer:
When cleaning parts with complex geometries, you should pay particular attention to any blind hole that can trap air, particles or cleaning solution during the cleaning and rinsing process. Air trapped in a blind hole interferes with cleaning and rinsing. Blind holes that face up and trap solution can potentially trap particles and cleaning solution that would otherwise rinse away if the hole was able to drain. To clean a blind hole, you need to make sure that cleaning and rinsing fluid gets in to the hole and back out. If blind holes are all on one axis of a part, and you are cleaning under immersion such as with ultrasonics, then one way to assure this is to put the parts in with the blind holes horizontal so that they fill up with solution and release any trapped air, then under immersion, rotate the part so that the blind holes face down, which allows gravity assisted release of any particles or residues that are removed during the process. Reverse the process to remove the part from the tank to allow the cleaning solution to pour out from the blind holes in a horizontal position. Repeat for immersion rinsing, or better yet, rinse with running water being sure to flush the blind holes. If a part has blind holes on multiple axis, then for immersion cleaning, you would want to rotate the part under immersion in order to release all trapped air and fill the holes with cleaning solution. If practical, it is desirable to further rotate the part during cleaning to pause for a period of time so that each axis of blind hole faces downwards for part of the cleaning cycle. In some cases it can even be worth creating a basket or bracket system that continually rotates the parts during cleaning and rinsing if rinsing is done under immersion. For spray cleaning of parts with blind holes, you want to pay attention to the orientation of the spray to make sure it penetrates and flushes the blind hole during cleaning and rinsing.

Alconox, Inc manufacture’s a range of aqueous critical cleaners from acid to alkaline, powder to liquid, highly emulsifying to low foaming. Brands are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com.

Title: Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Question:
Can Alconox, Inc provide an example of a standard operating procedure for cleaning glassware?

Answer:
The following is an example of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for cleaning a glass substrate:

To clean glass substrates: Make a 1% solution of Alconox detergent (10 g/L) in hot (50 deg C) deionized water in an ultrasonic tank. Remove glass from supplier packaging. Place the glass in a rack and immerse for 5 minutes. Rinse for 1 minute under running deionized water making sure to contact all parts of the glass for at least 10 seconds. Dry for 2 hours in a drying oven with HEPA air filtration. Allow cooling to ambient temperature for 20 minutes in a clean bench before use.

To download an Alconox technical bulletin click here

Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) For Cleaning

Question:
What are important items to include in standard operating procedures for cleaning?
Answer:
A large part of successful cleaning relies on having a sound, reproducible procedure. In general, a good SOP should present a list of materials and people involved, the surface being cleaned should be identified, and the eight key variables for cleaning effectiveness should be defined:

1) precleaning handling

2) cleaning chemistry/concentration

3) time

4) temperature

5) type of agitation

6) rinsing conditions

7) drying conditions

8) postcleaning handling

Where cleaning solutions are re-used in baths or sumps, the control parameters and equipment used should be defined (such as conductivity or pH) the limits should be defined, the person responsible for monitoring the baths should be defined, the type of report or logbook entry should be defined, the trigger points and alert levels should be defined, actions taken in response to these levels and finally the conditions under which the bath is dumped should be defined.



Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at www.alconox.com

Silicone Oil Removal from Polyimide Surface

Question:
How do you clean residual silicone oils from polyimide film surfaces during a lamination process (polyimide bonded to Inconel metal foils)? The oil is only contacting the polyimide. What can be used to clean this polyimide surface that will leave behind no residue?

Answer:
You have a very challenging problem here. Silicone oils are very tenacious and difficult to remove. Polyimides are somewhat delicate and some do not like water, so you will have to confirm these factors prior to using water based cleaners, which is what Alconox sells. Moreover, polyimides often don’t tolerate alkalinity or high temperature. Typcially silicone oils are removed by high emulsifying alkaline cleaners at very high temperatures. For most silicone oil cleaning we recommend 2% Alconox at 170 deg F under immersion cleaning. Assuming the polyimide being cleaned is thermoset, you should be ok with high temperature, however since there may be a problem with alkalinity compatibility, so our recommendation is an acid cleaner, Citranox. Specifically 4% Citranox at 170 deg F using immersion cleaning, ideally in an ultrasonic tank if that is available or alternatively by soaking and using some sort of devise to mechanically clean with, i.e. a wipe or soft brush. Citranox is a high emulsifying mild acid (pH 2.5) cleaner that has the best chance to clean silicone oils. We suggest that you try 10 minutes in an ultrasonic tank or 30 minutes of soaking followed by some sort of mechanical cleaning. If the polyimide can not withstand heat, then the only reasonable thing to try is the hottest temperature 2% Alconox solution that the polyimide will tolerate. Ideally use ultrasonic cleaning or the same soaking/scrubbing process stated above with triple the soak times.

Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com.

Residual Solvent Statement

Question:
Do Alconox brands contain class 1, class 2, class 3 or class 4 residual solvent ingredients? Where can an official statement concerning the residual solvent content be found, as it is required to have on file to comply with current USP guidelines.

Answer:
Alconox brands do not contain no class 1, class 2, class 3 or class 4 residual solvent ingredients. In the lower left hand corner all certificates of analysis (COA) have the statement "Contains no class 1, class 2, class 3, or class 4 residual solvent ingredients as defined by ICH Q3C guidelines."

The COAs are available online at www.alconox.com at the top center of the page by using a valid product lot number.

Spots on Glassware

Question:
I have an under the counter glassware washer and I keep finding spots on the glassware after each cleaning. I am fairly certain that the detergent is responsible. At this point I want to replace the detergent but I don’t know what product would work better. What is the difference between an acidic and alkali detergent? Is a neutralizer necessary? What does having an ionic and anionic detergent do for you?

Answer:
The three most common causes of spots on glassware are: heavy metal hydroxide/oxide deposits; water spots from hard tap water rinsing; and water spots from improper glassware loading with wash water holding cups such as the upturned bottoms of large graduated cylinders that are not loaded at an angle to allow proper drainage.

If you have any glassware residues of heavy metals that form insoluble hydroxides/oxides at alkaline pH, then you need an acid rinse to remove these. Citrajet is the recommended product. Hopefully your washer has some provisions for dosing a liquid acid rinse during a rinse cycle.

If you have hard tap water that is being used to rinse with, then you need to take precautions to assure that this tap water does not dry on to your glassware and leave mineral deposits. This can be achieved by putting in deionized water rinsing, eliminating the heated drying cycle and manually rinsing in deionized water, skipping the heated evaporating drying cycle and doing some kind of manual water removing drying process (wiping, blowing, or isopropanol dipping off the tap water and not allowing it to evaporate and form spots),

You can open the machine during a wash cycle and inspect the glassware to see if there is any significant volume of wash water that is trapped due to the way it is loaded in the racks. Change the angle at which you load problem glassware to allow drainage, or wash the problematic glassware by hand to avoid this problem.

If you suspect that the residues are simply dried on detergent due to incomplete rinsing, you could confirm this by doing a quick cursory water rinse of the problem glassware. If the residue comes off quickly and easily in water, then you may well have simple detergent residue. This would indicate something wrong with the rinsing. Check the programming to make sure multiple rinse cycles are running. Open and inspect the washer during rinse cycles to make sure water is actually getting in to rinse with. Consider running any empty cycle with Citrajet acid rinse (just dump a few ounces in to the bottom of the chamber at the start of a wash cycle if there is no way to dose in an acid rinse - this will unclog any clogged up spray jets inside the washer. Note this type of failure is fairly unusual, but I wanted to address it because you indicate that this is what you think is happening.

Neutralizers or acid rinses are required when any metal residue is present that can cause the formation of an insoluble metal hydroxide or oxide. As a generalization, you should use nonionic detergents. You need to use low or non foaming detergents in a washer. The most common low or non foaming detergents are nonionic.

Alconox, Inc manufactures several brands of detergents for under the counter machine washers, our customer recommendations for "http://www.alconox.com/static/section_customer/ind_lab.asp">Laboratory.



Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com.

Rinse Aids

Question:
What are rinse aids? Are rinse aids found in Solujet?

Answer:
There are basically three kinds of rinse aids:

1. Hydrophobic rinse aids that deposit on a substrate that repel the water off the surface, but leave themselves behind as a residue

2. Surfactants that wet surfaces and allow rinse water to sheet off a surface without leaving behind droplets that will cling and evaporate, potentially leaving water spots

3. Acid rinses that dissolve insoluble alkaline salt residues (typically calcium, magnesium and iron salts) that can be formed during the first alkaline cleaning cycle in a washer.

Alconox, Inc does not make any of the first type of rinse aid, because we are all about residue free cleaning. This type of rinse aid is what you get with household rinse aids available at the grocery store.

Solujet contains the second type of rinse aid denoted, surfactants that act as the second type of wetting and sheeting rinse aid.

Alconox does make an acid rinse aid, the third type listed known as Citrajet , which also contains wetting and sheeting rinse aids. If you are washing with tap water, especially water with high hardness, or if you have any heavy metals present on the substrates you are cleaning, you can greatly reduce water spots and hardness residues by using an acid rinse such as Citrajet.

Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com

Liquinox

Question:
Is Liquinox phosphate free cleaner filtered before bottling?

Answer:
Liquinox as sold in the standard package is filtered to 25 microns, but packaged in new but unwashed containers in an open air reasonably clean liquid detergent factory that is certainly not a clean room. We do not certify or test for particle content. You can reasonably expect fewer larger than 25 micron particles than an unfiltered liquid detergent. We know that the occasional bottle (anecdotally about 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000) has visible particles in it which typically either trace to the bottle manufacturer or our manufacturing environment.

We do not offer a further filtered or controlled version of Liquinox. If something more filtered were required, on various occasions we have evaluated doing this. Relatively smaller quantities would best be packaged by an outside contract packager with clean room filtering and packing experience and capability. For high volume use, we in principle could consider doing this, although the volume and price would have to be sufficient to support investments of many hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the past when we have evaluated this, the final price for the filtered Liquinox was extremely high.

Most people today who require filtered Liquinox, filter it at the point of use rather than buying or manufacturing a filtered package.

Click here http://www.alconox.com/downloads/pdf/techbull_liquinox.pdf for Liquinox technical bulletin.

Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com.

Replace Chlorinated Solvents with Aqueous Cleaner

Question:
Can an aqueous cleaner or degreaser be used to replace chlorinated solvents? If so what Alconox brand is recommended?

Answer:
Chlorinated solvents clean by solvating residues. Many polar organic and inorganic residues are soluble in chlorinated solvents. The solvents are typically used in baths where the residue is dissolved in to the bath; or the solvents are used with rags or wipes where the residue is dissolved and transferred to the rag or wipe; or in some cases the solvents are used in vapor degreasers where the solvent condenses on to the substrate and drips off in to the tank carrying the residue with it. In all cases, you typically keep cleaning to the point where enough residue is removed and you are now left with clean enough solvent on the substrate. In effect, these solvents are self rinsing. Once cleaning and rinsing are completed, then the last of the solvent evaporates away to dryness.

Aqueous cleaners can quite easily be used to remove polar organic and inorganic residues. In fact depending on what cleaner is used, aqueous cleaners can additionally remove particulates, oxides and a range of non-polar and other organic residues that are not soluble in chlorinated solvents. The method of use and cleaning mechanisms for using aqueous cleaners are quite different from solvent cleaning. Aqueous cleaners work by emulsifying, dispersing, wetting, chelating, dissolving, and saponifying residues. The big difference is that aqueous cleaners need to be rinsed with water. Aqueous cleaners also benefit from using heat, whereas for safety reasons, you usually do not heat chlorinated solvents except in vapor degreasers. You typically need to change the cleaning procedures to switch from a chlorinated solvent to an aqueous cleaner.

If you were using soak tanks to clean with chlorinated solvent, you can typically use a soak tank with warm 1% Liquinox followed by a thorough water rinse to get comparable or better cleaning. If you are using a vapor degreaser, typically you would use a warm or hot 1% Liquinox solution in an ultrasonic tank followed by a thorough water rinse to get comparable or better cleaning. If you were using chlorinated solvents with rags, you can often use rags of warm 1% Liquinox to clean with, followed by whatever best rinse is practical using other rinse water rags or ideally a running water rinse. The kinds of residues that are best removed by chlorinated solvents can typically be readily removed by Liquinox.

One other key difference between aqueous cleaners and chlorinated solvents is that the rinse water used can cause rust on certain kinds of tool steel, mild steel and iron. Since Liquinox is a residue-free cleaner, there are no corrosion inhibiting residues that will survive the rinse process. Once the detergent is rinsed away, any dissolved oxygen in the rinse water can attack the steel and cause rust. Typically rusting will not occur during cleaning, but during rinsing. You can minimize and control any rusting by being sure to rinse with cool ambient temperature water and the drying promptly by a water removing process rather than a water evaporating process. Water removing drying processes include wiping, blowing off with air or gas jets, dipping in isopropanol or other drying solvents. On stainless steel, plastics, ceramics and most other substrates there are not corrosion concerns with mild aqueous cleaners like Liquinox.

Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com.

Medical Device Cleaning

Question:
What is the most common cleaning technique used in medical device manufacturing?

Answer:
The most common cleaning technique in medical device manufacturing is to use heated ultrasonics followed by suitable purity of water rinsing. Depending on the types of residues, sometimes an alkaline clean is used first to remove all oily residues, followed by a brief rinse to prevent dragout and then an acid cleaner to remove alkaline insoluble inorganic residues. This two step cleaning is then followed by a thorough rinse.

The critical cleaning experts at Alconox, Inc have specially formulated brands for this two step process: Liquinox, an alkaline cleaner, followed by Citranox, an acid cleaner. These brands are fast acting and penetrating ultrasonic cleaners that rinse away residue free.

Alconox cleaners are available globally with consistent formulations and are GMP compliant. Downloadable certificates of analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS, trace analysis, and inhibitory residue testing are available from the Alconox website at Alconox.com. For biocompatibility & toxicity data, shelf life information, residue sampling techniques, validation information and ingredient disclosure please contact validation support.

Agitation and cleaning

Question:
What important parameters need to be considered when selecting a cleaning method and detergent?

Answer:
Time constraints and volume of parts being cleaned affect choice of cleaning method and with it detergent. When a large number of parts must be cleaned quickly, then a fast, high-agitation method, such as spray washing, with an aggressive cleaner is preferable. Likewise, when cleaning fewer parts or batch-continuous quantities of smaller batches rather than the large quantities from continuous manufacturing of parts, ultrasonic soak cleaning with a milder cleaner is more appropriate for the wetting and emulsifying mechanisms.

Alconox, Inc has both high emulsifying and low foaming cleaners for your selected cleaning method. We also offer alkaline to acidic cleaners to target a range of residues. Sizes of liquid and powder detergents range from single unit (gal or 4 lbs box) to large bulk sizes (55 gal or 300 lbs drums).

Visit Alconox.com to find an appropriate cleaner.

Agitation and cleaner selection

Question:
Does agitation in a given cleaning method impact the cleaner or detergent used?

Answer:
Yes, agitation used in a particular method does impact the cleaner or detergent used! In fact, agitation is a factor in detergent choice. High emulsifying, high foaming cleaners are more effective for cleaning processes with low levels of agitation and longer cleaning time. These include the manual, soak and ultrasonic processes. Likewise, low foaming, high dispersing cleaners are suitable for high-agitation cleaning with short contact time as found in spray washing, parts washing and when using spray CIP systems, etc.

Alconox, Inc has both high emulsifying cleaners as well as low foaming cleaners. Visit Alconox.com to find an appropriate cleaner for your application.

Cleaning Insecticide Components

Question:
What Alconox brand cleaner is best to clean carbamates and synthetic pyrethroid off of stainless steel?

Answer:
Carbamates and synthetic pyrethroids are commonly used in insecticides and can be cleaned off stainless steel using an alkaline cleaner that targets the ester groups. The alkaline cleaner used will be determined by the method of cleaning. Our recommendation for manual cleaning is Liquinox and for machine cleaning is Solujet.

For downloadable Technical bulletins, MSDS and trace analysis on Liquinox or Solujet, visit Alconox.com.

Alconox and unstressed polycarbonate

Question:
Is Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner compatible with unstressed polycarbonate?

Answer:
Alconox is compatible with unstressed polycarbonate. If there is stress in the polycarbonate, then any low surface tension solution such as Alconox will act as a stress cracking agent, especially with the addition of a little heat. Warm solutions of Alconox will cause stress cracking on stressed polycarbonate. The same warm solutions of Alconox will not attack unstressed polycarbonate.

Stress cracking is a surface attack causing fogging, crazing, or slight surface cracks. This stress cracking does not particularly affect the mechanical properties of the polycarbonate, but it does make the polycarbonate less transparent and it does make the surface of the polycarbonate rougher.

For downloadable Technical Bulletin, MSDS and trace analysis on Alconox, visit Alconox.com

Temperature and Alcojet

Question:
What is the lowest recommended washing temperature for Alcojet to guarantee full dissolving?

Answer:
There is no minimum temperature to assure dissolving of Alcojet as it is completely water soluble and will dissolve with agitation over the course of any standard labware washer cycle. Note that while the detergent may dissolve, it will not perform optimally at temperatures below 45 deg C. There is an anti-foaming nonionic surfactant that is heat activated at this temperature and above. Failure to clean at above this temperature will result in foam from the surfactant and potentially foam from any foam forming residues. Foam is harder to rinse and can potentially result in residues. Foam can interfere with the mechanical action of spray which can result in less efficient cleaning. Most labware washers are designed to be used with hot water. Alcojet is designed to be used with hot water. As a general rule, every 10 deg C you go up in temperature, you double the cleaning speed. Cleaning mechanisms still work at lower temperatures, they just work more slowly and longer cleaning cycles may be needed. Additionally there is the non-linear foam issue at about 45 dec C. You could get adequate cleaning at lower temperatures below 45 deg C if you incorporate additional rinsing and take special care loading glassware to avoid any solution/foam holding "cups" such as the upturned bottom of a graduated cylinder where foam can congregate. If you are going to clean at temperatures below 45 deg C, the residues need to be cleanable within standard cleaning cycle times, or additional cleaning cycles may be required.

To download technical information on Alcojet, please visit Alconox.com.

Citranox vs Citrajet

Question:
What is the difference between Citranox and Citrajet?

Answer:
Both Citranox and Citrajet are acid cleaners excellent at removing inorganics, metallic complexes, trace metals and oxides, scale, salts, soil, grit and oils off glass, metal, stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, plastic rubber and fiberglass. Can be used on soft metals such as copper bronze aluminum zinc magnesium if rinsed promptly.

The acid cleaning part of both formulations is the same but the major differences are the types of surfactants used. Citranox contains two high foaming, high emulsifying surfactants that work best in the environments of immersion and manual cleaning where more time is available to form micelles. Whereas, there are three surfactants in Citrajet that are considered "low" foaming with wetting and dispersing properties that work better in the dynamic cleaning environment of high agitation spray cleaning, where emulsifying is a less dominant cleaning mechanism. Also, Citrajet contains an antifoam agent.

To download technical information on Citranox or Citrajet, please visit Alconox.com.

Rexolite

Question:
Can Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner be used to clean Rexolite®?

Answer:
Rexolite® is a unique cross linked polystyrene microwave plastic made by C-Lec Plastics, Inc. Two different forms are available; Rexolite® 1422 and Rexolite® 2200. (2200 is a fiberglass reinforced version of 1422). From what we understand based on the Rexolite Chemical Resistance information listed on the Rexolite website, Rexolite is not affected by alkalies, alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons and mineral acids. Aromatic & chlorinated hydrocarbons cause swelling and should be avoided.

Since Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner is a mild alkali and contains no aromatic or chlorinated hydrocarbon, no problems are likely to occur. Alconox, Inc does recommend testing Alconox on a piece of Rexolite prior to use.

Alconox technical bulletin and msds are downloadable off our website at Alconox.com.

Rinsing sulfonate & trace sodium sulfate

Question:
Can the sulfur content in Liquinox be easily removed during a rinse cycle with room temperature water and with 130°F water?

Answer:
The sulfur content in Liquinox is an organic sulfonate surfactant and trace sodium sulfate impurity. The surfactant is highly water soluble and has a rinse aid characteristic that renders it readily rinseable. The trace sodium sulfate is also highly water soluble and easily rinsed, plus there is not much of it there to start with. So, yes, the sulfur content is easily removed.

For downloadable technical bulletins, MSDS and trace analysis on Liquinox, visit Alconox.com.

Machine Washers

Question:
What method of cleaning is best for disassembled equipment and bench-scale production equipment for clean-out-of-place (COP) procedures?

Answer:
Machine cleaning is performed on clean manufacturing tools, disassembled equipment and bench-scale production equipment in clean-out-of-place (COP) procedures. A machine that is designed to meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements can provide rapid, reliable, validated cleaning while using minimum amounts of water, resources and space. Historically, "lab style" washers have been modified to conform to GMP requirements. More recently, washers have become available that meet GMP requirements with design features including:

1. A chamber that allows for minimal water retention and provides good drainage from cycle to cycle with a minimum of solution carried over in any inlet or outlet piping. Corners that carry a minimum of a 1" radius and all surfaces are sloped to the drain. Internal chamber structures have rounded edges with no threads or fluid entrapment areas.
2. No mechanical attachment required for the accessory racks with regard to the mating of inventory systems to the hydraulic circuit.
3. Spray headers are positioned on the top and bottom of the racks to provide the most efficient cleaning.
4. A documentation package to complete the validation and qualify the cleaning system.

A well designed machine washer requires GMP compliant procedures for best use. In this regard, a complete inventory of size, weight, and specific cleaning requirements for each part and equipment to be cleaned needs to be taken. Additionally, which parts and equipment need to be cleaned together have to be noted. Cumulatively, with this information, appropriate loading and unloading patterns can be established. The goal of a good loading pattern is to allow good spray and cascading solution contact and good drainage of the parts and equipment. Any opportunity for pockets of solution to fail to drain from parts or equipment in between wash or rinse cycles need to be eliminated. By designing multi-level loading patterns, efficient use of water, detergent and utilities can be achieved. Since loads for GMP cleaning can range from glass to plastic to stainless parts, the design of a loading surface should allow for varying weights. If horizontal drop-down doors are used in the washer, they can serve as both the integrated loading platform when open and can allow for better seals than vertical doors when closed. Vertical doors typically require the use of separate loading carts. For these reasons, horizontal doors are often preferred.

Once good loading patterns have been established with proper racking, the pre-rinsing, washing, rinsing and drying cycles must be established. This involves selecting the correct cleaning agents, temperatures and time for each cycle. By knowing the substrates and residues that need to be cleaned, the correct cleaning agent can typically be determined. Typically a high alkaline cleaner followed by an acid rinse is used. Other important washer design features that should be taken into consideration at this point include that the delivery systems allows for precise application of additives and that a set-up of drying systems are in place that provide complete coverage of every part of a load. Once the appropriate parameters have been established, cleaning programs using the machine’s Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) are set.

The advantages of using machine washers are faster cleaning of parts and equipment using less human labor, less space, less water and less cleaning agent than comparable manual cleaning. A disadvantage of machine washers is that they often require very special racks and correct loading procedures to assure reliable cleaning results on parts or equipment with complex geometry.

To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your machine washer visit Alconox.com.

Manual Cleaning

Question:
What is immersion manual cleaning?

Answer:
Manual cleaning can be done in-place on manufacturing equipment or at a sink or washroom where disassembled pieces of equipment, tools and utensils are brought for cleaning. Often brushes, abrasive pads, scrapers, buckets, spray bottles, or other appropriate equipment is used for manual cleaning. A good manual cleaning procedure will specify any pre-rinsing, the cleaner concentration, the order which parts of a particular piece of equipment should be cleaned and the rinsing procedures. The advantage of manual cleaning is that it is relatively simple and the operator can give special attention to difficult-to-clean areas or residue until clean criteria is achieved. The disadvantage is that it can take longer, has the cost of human labor, and is very directly subject to human error.

To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your manual cleaning method, please visit this page.

Immersion Clean-in-Place (CIP)

Question:
What is immersion clean-in-place (CIP)?

Answer:
Pilot scale and smaller manufacturing tanks, blenders and mixers can be cleaned by completely filling all the pipes and equipment with cleaning solution, possibly while gently running any agitators available in the equipment. A successful validation of this cleaning process will define the concentration of the cleaner, the contact time, the level of agitation and temperature of the cleaning solution required to successfully clean the tank. This cleaning method is used in older large manufacturing tanks that do not have integrated spray CIP systems. The advantage of immersion CIP cleaning is that is simple and does not require a carefully engineered spray CIP system. The disadvantage is that it typically takes longer because the equipment, such as a mixer, would have to be filled, heated and drained rather than the faster cycles obtained by using much smaller quantities of cleaning solution as in a spray CIP systems. Additionally, only the areas that are in contact with the cleaning solution get cleaned and usually some manual cleaning of tanks and mixers on the areas above the fill line has to be performed.

To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your CIP method visit Alconox.com.

Spray Clean-In-Place (CIP)

Question:
What is spray clean-in-place (CIP)?

Answer:
Spray CIP involves spraying or re-circulating the initial flush, wash, and rinse solutions under pressure, with proper adjustments of time, temperature, and cleaner concentration through the pipes and spray balls to clean large internal areas of the equipment without having to fill them completely with solution. Efficient cleaning of pilot and large scale mixers, tanks and blenders can be achieved by distributing flush, wash and rinse solutions on the upper surfaces at pumping rates equal to 2.0-2.5 gallons-per-minute (gpm) per foot of circumference for vertical vessels, or 0.2-0.3 gpm per square foot of internal surface for horizontal and rectangular tanks. Piping systems can be effectively cleaned via recirculation at flow rates producing a velocity of 5 feet per second or more in the CIP circuit's largest diameter piping. The advantage of spray CIP is that it can rapidly clean large pieces of equipment using minimal amounts of cleaning solution as well as minimal amounts of energy to heat the solutions and rinse water. The disadvantage of spray CIP is that it requires very careful engineering design to assure successful cleaning. If there are difficult-to-clean places that the automated system fails to clean, manual cleaning may be required. If a new difficult-to-clean product is made in production equipment that has a spray CIP system and it cannot successfully clean the new product, then possibly a new cleaning agent may be required or a change to immersion cleaning or manual cleaning may be necessary.

To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your CIP method visit Alconox.com.

Automated Clean-in-Place (CIP)

Question:
What is automated clean-in-place (CIP)?

Answer:
Spray and immersion are two kinds of automated clean-in-place systems used typically for cleaning pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment. In both these systems there is a primary water source that can be heated, if necessary, that is used to make up the cleaning solutions and as rinse water before and after the cleaning cycles. An external tank can be used for mixing up and storing the cleaning solutions, although sometimes the manufacturing tank is used for this purpose. A separate external tank for holding the rinse water can also be employed as well as a second source of water if the final rinse requires purified water such as water-for-injection (WFI) or deionized (DI) water. There will be pumps and piping connecting these external CIP tanks to the manufacturing equipment that needs to be cleaned. A water conservation system can be installed that pumps the final rinse water into the cleaning solution dilution tank in order to use that water for the first cleaning cycle in the next automated CIP run. There will be automated controllers to run the pumps and control the dosing of cleaning agent and water. These controllers can be full or semi-automated programs that require operator intervention at key steps in the process. There are often monitoring systems that assure that the process is being done according to the program and that all parts of the system are functioning correctly. The automated equipment has sensors and data recorders to assist with the documentation of the cleaning and can often create reports that will become part of the batch log to document that the cleaning was done correctly for regulatory compliance. Automated CIP systems can be permanently integrated into a set of manufacturing tanks, or they can be on mobile skids that are moved from tank system to tank system. Typically, the best results with automated cleaning are achieved when the automated CIP system is integrated into the original design of the manufacturing system. Often an existing tank must be retro-fitted with an automated CIP system. This retro fit can involve either spray CIP or immersion CIP systems.

To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your CIP method visit Alconox.com.

Cleaning methods for all phases of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Question:
Considering that there are different phases in pharmaceutical manufacturing, bench scale R&D, pilot studies and full-scale manufacturing, what are the best critical cleaning methods for each?

Answer:
According to FDA rationale, cleaning equipment is meant to be designed to "prevent contamination or adulteration of drug products". Typically pharmaceutical operations require transition from bench scale R&D to pilot studies to full-scale manufacturing. Each transitional stage requires careful consideration of changes to the processing equipment and cleaning techniques. In general, the size of the equipment gets larger as each stage is encountered. In this regard, manual and soak-cleaning procedures tend to be adequate for bench-scale equipment, whereas pilot and large-scale manufacturing process equipment usually requires clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning by automated spray or immersion systems and/or by manual cleaning. All stages of development and production may use manual cleaning or machine washers to clean various parts of equipment or utensils. If feasible, it is desirable to clean the pharmaceutical equipment in place without having to disassemble or move it in order to rapidly get the equipment back into service.

Alconox has an aqueous critical for manual, soak and clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning methods. To find the right Alconox aqueous critical cleaner for your method visit Alconox.com.

Cleaning Quartz Tubing

Question:
I need to clean small quartz tubing (I.D. = .035" O.D. = .069") that is sealed at one end.

Answer:
Alconox, Inc recommends Liquinox, a mild alkaline cleaner that is phosphate free. Since the ID is a little less than 1 mm, rinsing will be a bit tricky. The ideal cleaning scenario would be to use a syringe inserted up into the end of the tube, first flushing with warm 1% Liquinox, followed by adequate amounts of rinsing with DI water. If this is not practical, as long as the tube is not too long (less than 6 mm) then if soaked upright in ultrasonics, would probably work but an adequate rinse must be carried out as well using the ultrasonic tank.

Click here for Liquinox technical bulletin.

Checking for Residues

Question:
What is the FDA consensus standard or industry standard for checking for residues?

Answer:
The FDA does not give any guidance on preferred methods for detecting residues. For investigations they prefer selective methods such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), but they certainly accept the use of non-selective methods such as total organic carbon (TOC), see this page from the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. In our experience, in medical device residue detection, the most commonly used technique is TOC, at least as far as detergent residues are concerned. The Technical Information Reports (TIR-12 and TIR-30) from the AAMI gives some references to methods used for specific types of residues other than detergents.

The technical experts at Alconox, Inc have taken the guess work out of selecting the appropriate analytical detection methods for all of its brands. To review the Directory of cleaner residue detection methods for each Alconox detergent visit Alconox.com.

AR coated optics cleaning

Question:
What is Alconox's aqueous cleaner recommendation for cleaning surface of delicate AR coated optics and diffraction gratings from dicing particle contamination?

Answer:
Liquinox Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent is widely used for cleaning AR (anti-reflective) coated optics. The recommended working concentration is 0.5 -1.0% at ambient temperature, followed by adequate rinsing. For more technical information, review the Liquinox technical bulletin.

Remove Biofilm on SS

Question:
How do I remove biofilm on stainless steel?

Answer:
Alconox's recommendation to remove biofilm on stainless steel is to use a two step process entailing an alkaline cleaner, Solujet, followed by an acidic cleaner, Citrajet. In our experience we get the best results when the first step of 3% Solujet (alkaline cleaner) at 75 deg C for 30 minutes followed by a cursory rinse. Then the second step of 3% Citrajet (acidic cleaner) at 75 deg C for 30 minutes followed by a thorough rinse. Both Solujet and Citrajet are low foaming cleaners.

Additionally, we recommend the intermittent use of Tergazyme, an enzyme cleaner, as a maintenance procedure that will completely remove all dead cells and traces of polysaccharide biofilm. This is beneficial because it in turn slows down the formation of biofilm and allows the regular cleaning cycle (Solujet - Citrajet) to clean effectively for more cycles. It is important to note that Tergazyme is a powder that you typically mix 1% in cool to warm water (35 deg C would be fine, do not exceed 50 deg C - to ensure integrity and activity of the enzyme). Tergazyme is a high foaming cleaner and would not be suitable for a spray-in-air clean-in-place system. You can pump and gently agitate Tergazyme solutions; however you cannot employ high agitation at an air/solution interface without getting excessive foam.

For product technical bulletins and MSDS, visit Alconox.com for easy download.

Aqueous Degreaser

Question:
Do you have an aqueous degreaser to replace chlorinated solvents?

Answer:
Chlorinated solvents clean by solvating residues. Many polar organic and inorganic residues are soluble in chlorinated solvents. The solvents are typically used in baths where the residue is dissolved in to the bath; or the solvents are used with rags or wipes where the residue is dissolved and transferred to the rag or wipe; or in some cases the solvents are used in vapor degreasers where the solvent condenses on to the substrate and drips off in to the tank carrying the residue with it. In all cases, you typically keep cleaning to the point where enough residue is removed and you are now left with clean enough solvent on the substrate. In effect, these solvents are self rinsing. Once cleaning and rinsing are completed, then the last of the solvent evaporates away to dryness.

Aqueous cleaners can quite easily be used to remove polar organic and inorganic residues. In fact depending on what cleaner is used, aqueous cleaners can additionally remove particulates, oxides and a range of non-polar and other organic residues that are not soluble in chlorinated solvents. The method of use and cleaning mechanisms for using aqueous cleaners are quite different from solvent cleaning. Aqueous cleaners work by emulsifying, dispersing, wetting, chelating, dissolving, and saponifying residues. The big difference is that aqueous cleaners need to be rinsed with water. Aqueous cleaners also benefit from using heat, whereas for safety reasons, you usually do not heat chlorinated solvents except in vapor degreasers. You typically need to change the cleaning procedures to switch from a chlorinated solvent to an aqueous cleaner.

If you were using soak tanks to clean with chlorinated solvent, you can typically use a soak tank with warm 1% Liquinox followed by a thorough water rinse to get comparable or better cleaning. If you are using a vapor degreaser, typically you would use a warm or hot 1% Liquinox solution in an ultrasonic tank followed by a thorough water rinse to get comparable or better cleaning. If you were using chlorinated solvents with rags, you can often use rags of warm 1% Liquinox to clean with, followed by whatever best rinse is practical using other rinse water rags or ideally a running water rinse. The kinds of residues that are best removed by chlorinated solvents can typically be readily removed by Liquinox.

One other key difference between aqueous cleaners and chlorinated solvents is that the rinse water used can cause rust on certain kinds of tool steel, mild steel and iron. Since Liquinox is a residue-free cleaner, there are no corrosion inhibiting residues that will survive the rinse process. Once the detergent is rinsed away, any dissolved oxygen in the rinse water can attack the steel and cause rust. Typically rusting will not occur during cleaning, but during rinsing. You can minimize and control any rusting by being sure to rinse with cool ambient temperature water and the drying promptly by a water removing process rather than a water evaporating process. Water removing drying processes include wiping, blowing off with air or gas jets, dipping in isopropanol or other drying solvents. On stainless steel, plastics, ceramics and most other substrates there are not corrosion concerns with mild aqueous cleaners like Liquinox.

For more information, please download the LIQUINOX technical bulletin.

Clean Tough Cosmetic Residues

Question:
What Alconox brands are recommended for cleaning tough cosmetic residues off of manufacturing equipment?

Answer:
Whether you're scrubbing 1,500-gallon kettles or wrestling with plastic tubes and fillers, you need to ensure that the last batch of product you processed really is history. That's where Alconox cleaners come in. Proven detergents such as CITRANOX, TERGAZYME, and ALCONOX wash away your most tenacious cleaning problems-without leaving residues.

CITRANOX excels in removing trace metals and oxides—including titanium dioxide.

TERGAZYME conquers proteinaceous residues.

ALCONOX makes short work of silicon residues and even tackles waterproof mascara in heated immersion cleaning.

Whatever the surface-glass, plastic, metal, or otherwise- Alconox gets it critically clean. Visit us for more information.

Cleaning Cosmetic Operations

Question:
Want to make cleaning cosmetic operations cheaper and more efficient?

Answer:
Alconox can help! Alconox stretches your cleaning budget in two key ways. First, Alconox detergents make your cleaning jobs faster and easier. Scrubbing and rinsing big stainless-steel kettles can take hours.

Alconox can shorten-or even eliminate- manual scrubbing time. And that means saving money. Second, Alconox detergents are highly concentrated for economical use. A little bit of any one of them goes a very long way.

Our experts can help you improve your cleaning procedures, install new procedures, eliminate cross-contamination and ensure compliance with FDA standards. Whatever your cleaning problem, Alconox can help you solve it.

Alconox offers a broad range of powders and liquids for manual, machine, clean-in-place, and ultrasonic critical cleaning-all free-rinsing, corrosion-inhibiting, and biodegradable.

Visit for more information.

Removing DNA

Question:
What does Alconox recommend for removing DNA from laboratory equipment?

Answer:
Since DNA is stable to alkaline hydrolysis, we recommend testing 1% Citranox Liquid Acid cleaner, pH 2.5. Acids at high temperatures are capable of breaking the DNA molecule into its components. Note the working concentration Citranox recommended here is a starting point, higher concentrations may be required to achieve desired results.

Citranox is liquid acid cleaner for manual, soak and ultrasonic cleaning. It is corrosion-inhibited for glassware, metals, and plastic. Following cleaning with Citranox adequate rinsing with water is required. Citranox has rinse aids that leave no interfering residues on the surface. Before exposing laboratory equipment to any high temperature cleaning or acid cleaning, testing needs to conducted to ensure no damage to equipment surface or substrate. Also, do not mix bleach hypochlorite with Citranox because in sufficient quantities the mixture can form toxic chlorine gas, as they can acidify the bleach solution to below pH 7.

At Alconox we understand how important it is to have clean laboratory equipment, and recognize that any "leftover" DNA (or protein or RNA) could potentially contaminate your next experiment, we suggest that you analytically test for removal of these substances.

Click here for Citranox technical bulletin.

Removing RNA

Question:
What is Alconox's recommendation for removing RNA from laboratory equipment?

Answer:
The basis of our two recommendations for the removal of RNA from laboratory equipment is the principle that alkali can hydrolyze RNA down to mononucleotides.

First recommendation requires adding bleach hypochlorite to 1% Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner (pH 9.5). Alconox Powdered Precision Cleaner is designed for manual, soak, and ultrasonic tank cleaning of glass, metal, and plastic. No interfering residues will be left behind when rinsed with adequate amounts of RNA-free water. Note the working concentration Alconox recommended here is a starting point, higher concentrations may be required to achieve desired results.

Our second recommendation is 0.5 - 1% Detojet Low Foaming Liquid Detergent pH 12. Detojet is a liquid detergent that can be used manually, in ultrasonic tanks as well as in labware and machine washers. It is corrosion inhibited for glass, metal and plastic and when properly rinsed, leaves no interfering residues. When working with Detojet appropriate safety precautions need to be taken when handling, i.e. safety goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc. Detojet contains KOH and an active chlorine compound, so there is no need to add bleach. The working concentration of Detojet recommended here is a starting point, higher concentrations may be required to achieve desired results.

In either case, Alconox +bleach or Detojet alone, there needs to be cleaner - surface contact time that you will need to determine. Again, the basis of this is alkali can hydrolyze RNA down to mononucleotides, but the alkali needs to come in contact with the surface for 8-16 hours to ensure hydrolysis is complete. This can be accelerated as the temperature of the solution is increased, as overnight at 37 C or 1-2 hours at 65 or 75 deg C. Following contact period with alkali cleaner, adequate rinsing with RNA-free water is required. Also, before exposing laboratory equipment to any alkali for extended periods of time, testing needs to conducted to ensure no damage to equipment surface or substrate.

At Alconox we understand how important it is to have clean laboratory equipment, and recognize that any "leftover" RNA (or DNA or protein) could potentially contaminate your next experiment, we suggest that you analytically test for removal of these substances.

Click here for Alconox technical bulletin.

Click here for Detojet technical bulletin.

Tergazyme Enzyme Cleaner

Question:
Can bleach be added to Tergazyme cleaner?

Answer:
Do not add bleach to Tergazyme, as it will denature the enzyme and render it inactive, in fact the enzyme in Tergazyme will be inactivated within seconds to exposure of 300 ppm hypochlorite, and within 2 minutes to exposure of 3.5 ppm hypochlorite at 100 deg F (37 deg C). Thus, it is not recommended to add bleach to Tergazyme.

Click here for Tergazyme technical bulletin.

Tergazyme for Cleaning Tissue, Blood, Protein

Question:
What does Alconox recommend for cleaning tissue, blood and protein off stainless steel exam and sampling equipment?

Answer:
Tergazyme, enzyme active powdered detergent, is Alconox's recommendation for cleaning tissue, blood and protein from glass, metals and plastics. Tergazyme has been used to clean filter membranes, fermenters and bioreactors as well. This detergent contains a protease that is excellent for cleaning of proteins, tissue, and body fluids and is designed for manual, soak, and ultrasonic cleaning methods. With proper rinsing leaves no interfering residues on the surface. Use at 1% (in solution it is stable for 8 hours). pH 9.5

Click here for Tergazyme technical bulletin.

Detojet Hard Surface Cleaner

Question:
What cleaner would Alconox, Inc recommend for use in glass substrate and module in-process cleaning for large scale glass photovoltaic modules?

Answer:
Alconox, Inc. has introduced Detojet hard surface cleaner for use in glass substrate and module in-process cleaning for large scale glass photovoltaic modules. Detojet can be used in horizontal glass washers that clean the glass panels, followed by rinsing and drying prior to further processing.

Large glass superstrates of transparent conductive oxide coated glass can be cleaned prior to manufacturing and during manufacturing using large horizontal conveyor washers with Detojet cleaner. The combination of dispersants and cleaning agents results in excellent particle control and debris free surface. The dispersants are able to lift particles into solution by overcoming the electrostatic attractions to the hard surfaces and by reducing the hydrophobic tendency of the surface of the particle, thereby rendering it more water dispersible. The cleaning agents remove hydrophobic oily films that can interfere with the particle removing action of the dispersants as well as lead to non-uniform layers during manufacturing.

Detojet is available world wide thru a global network of dealers. See Alconox.com to find a local dealer.

For questions or an aqueous cleaner selection consultation contact the Experts in Critical Cleaning at Alconox, Inc. Email cleaning@alconox.com or call 914 948 4040 for technical support.

Cleaning Thin Film Solar Modules

Question:
How does poor cleaning of thin film solar modules during manufacturing impact cost and yield?

Answer:
Poor cleaning of thin film solar modules can result in increased cost and reduced yield due to module faults from low electrical resistance between cells across laser scribe patterns; short circuits between cells in a module; and reduced steady state efficiency after extended light exposure to a module.

Substrates must be cleaned at the start of manufacturing AND after each significant residue creating process during manufacturing. Need help? Contact the Experts in Critical Cleaning at Alconox, Inc for an aqueous cleaner selection consultation. Email cleaning@alconox.com or call 914 948 4040 for technical support.

Rinse Water

Question:
How do you remove Alconox from rinse waters prior to discharge to the sewer? Will reverse osmosis work effectively in the removal of the Alconox from rinse waters?

Answer:
Alconox is a blend of organic surfactants and inorganic sodium salts of carbonates and phosphates. In principle, reverse osmosis will remove Alconox from water as long as you are using a sufficiently small molecular weight cut off to remove sodium carbonate. Although reverse osmosis would probably work, it might not be the most cost effective approach. Depending on why Alconox needs to be removed and if all of the components of Alconox need to be removed, there might be less expensive separation techniques that would work. To discuss further, please contact technical support at cleaning@alconox.com.

The Aqueous Critical Cleaning Process

Question:
How does aqueous critical cleaning differ from basic cleaning for appearance? How does this apply to the pharmaceutical industry?

Answer:
The aqueous critical cleaning process involves using aqueous cleaners to remove residues from surfaces where the surface cannot function properly without successful cleaning. This is distinguished from simple cleaning for appearance. Aqueous critical cleaning is often used on high value surfaces or surfaces that are used to manufacture high value products. In the case of pharmaceutical manufacturing, the glass, ceramic, plastic, and metal surfaces that make up the tools and equipment used to manufacture pharmaceuticals must be free of any interfering cross contamination. If there is any interfering cross contamination, then the resulting high value pharmaceutical being made can be rendered unusable. There is also the risk that the cross contamination is not detected and contaminated pharmaceuticals can be released for use by humans or animals, thereby putting their health at risk, while exposing the manufacturer to liability. Surely, the aqueous cleaning processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing are some of the most critical of all aqueous critical cleaning processes.

Pharmaceutical process equipment, tools and R&D implements are typically made from fairly robust and cleanable materials such as stainless steel, Teflon, polypropylene, synthetic elastomers, glass and ceramic. Although the materials are relatively easy to clean, the tools and equipment often have difficult-to-clean structures. The kinds of residues found in pharmaceutical manufacturing can include many water-insoluble and otherwise very difficult-to-clean residues. Because of the broad range of formulations available with aqueous cleaners, it is possible to find a cleaner that will work even on the most difficult structures and residues by whatever cleaning method is desired. Not only can you find an effective cleaner, but aqueous cleaners are economical and are relatively safe for the environment and workers.

Learn more about aqueous critical cleaning from the experts who wrote The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook... Request your FREE hardcover copy - a $39.95 value - today by calling (914) 948 - 4040 or email request to cleaning@alconox.com, please include NAME and SHIP TO address.

Visit Alconox.com to learn more about Alconox, Inc aqueous brand cleaners for your high value pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment.

Benefits of Aqueous Critical Cleaning

Question:
What are the benefits of Aqueous Critical Cleaning in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing?

Answer:
The benefits of employing aqueous cleaning in pharmaceutical manufacturing are numerous. Virtually any pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment from tablet press to a stainless steel mixing tank can achieve their defined critically clean criteria using aqueous cleaning. Typically aqueous cleaners are formulated to ensure maximal cleaning performance by using key ingredients such as surface active agents (surfactants) that are excellent wetting agents that allow the cleaning solution to penetrate into crevices while getting under soils to allow for removal. Often very dilute solutions of aqueous cleaner effectively removes even worst case substances off a variety of hard surfaces including stainless steel, glass, plastic, or porcelain.

The proper use of aqueous cleaning helps manufacturers minimize surface residue and makes cleaning validation easier. Aqueous cleaners are available in low toxicity formulations that make achieving acceptable residue levels easy during cleaning validations. Often even multi-product facilities can find a single aqueous cleaner that cleans all residues on all surfaces. This means less cost for the manufacturer because only one cleaner has to be validated.

Aqueous cleaners are suitable for a variety of cleaning methods such as manual, soak, machine, and automated clean-in-place (CIP). The range in formulation from acidic to basic, high emulsifying to low foaming, and availability of liquid concentrates to powder blends ensures that a cleaner can be found to clean whatever residues are encountered using whatever the cleaning method is being used. Most pharmaceutical companies use liquids because they tend to be easier to handle when dispensing doses, though powders are more economical, especially for manual cleaning.

Aqueous cleaners are usually biodegradable, causing them to have low environmental impact, and are also readily disposable after use requiring no further treatment. Moreover, aqueous cleaners have excellent worker safety characteristics and replace semi aqueous or solvent-containing cleaners that tend to have more worker safety concerns and are harsher to the environment.

Learn more about aqueous critical cleaning from the experts who wrote The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook... Request your FREE hardcover copy - a $39.95 value - today by calling (914) 948 - 4040 or email request to cleaning@alconox.com, please include NAME and SHIP TO address.

Visit Alconox.com to learn more about Alconox, Inc aqueous brand cleaners for your high value pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment.

How do I get the link for the new safety based limits and 10 ppm carryover limit calculator for Alconox brand cleaners?

Question:
How do I get the link for the new safety based limits and 10 ppm carryover limit calculator for Alconox brand cleaners?

Answer:
To request the online link for the residue calculator please call technical support at 914-948-4040 ext 151 or email cleaning@alconox.com or stop by Booth 3320 INTERPHEX2009 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Conference and Exhibition at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, NY March 17-19, 2009 and DEMO our brand NEW CALCULATOR for residue limits! It's a fast & simple tool especially created for the pharma engineer & validation specialist!

NEW from Alconox – Calculator for Residue Acceptance Criteria Limits - For Alconox Inc. Detergents

Question:
How can the calculator help you? What pieces of information does this calculator require in order to perform calculation?

Answer:
As part of a cleaning validation, acceptable residue limits for the cleaner being used needs to be determined. This determination is made by calculating a safety based limit and comparing it to a 10 ppm carryover limit. The lower of these two limits calculated is the limit to adopt. In order to calculate the safety based acceptable residue limit, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of the cleaner needs to be calculated. This requires several pieces of information including identification of the Alconox, Inc cleaner that is intended to be used as well as the typical weight of patients that will be exposed to the pharmaceuticals manufactured on the respective equipment being validated. An appropriate safety factor needs to be selected; usually the default is 1,000 unless it is a particularly hazardous material (1). The resulting ADI can then be used to calculate a safety based acceptance limit for cleaner residue by knowing the batch sizes to be manufactured, the surface area of the shared equipment being cleaned and largest daily patient dose of drug being manufactured. The result is the safety based limit. Next in order to calculate the 10 ppm carryover limit, you use the same batch size and equipment size used in the safety based limit to calculate the 10 ppm limit. The calculator automatically determines and displays the lower of the two limits calculated, either the safety based limit or the 10 ppm carryover limit. This is the residue acceptance criteria limit. The limit of quantitation for the analytical detection method you choose has to be below this limit so that the method is sensitive enough to detect at the residue acceptance limit.

To request the online link for the residue calculator please call technical support at 914-948-4040 ext 151 or email cleaning@alconox.com.

For product information, visit Alconox.com.

How to request Biocompatibility Data

Question:
What is the best way to request Liquinox or Citranox biocompatibility data?

Answer:
Teri Dowds
Director, Science & Marketing
Alconox Inc
914 948 4040 ext 151
tdowds@alconox.com
cleaning@alconox.com

At Alconox, we understand when you are cleaning Class III implantable medical devices, there's simply no margin for error!

Whether your product is designed for in vitro or in vivo use, is biomedical or electronic, there's an Alconox cleaner formulated to get products scrupulously clean without leaving interfering residues.

Powerful Alconox cleaners are available to remove particulates, bioburden, and interfering process oils from ceramic, plastic or stainless steel surfaces.

Full validation support including traceability, COAs, biocompatability, stability, reactivity and residue limits. Solutions for manual, ultrasonic, soak, clean-in-place applications, machine and pressure washers.

For more information on cleaning medical devices, visit our medical device cleaning page.

Visit Alconox, Inc booth 3320 during PharmaMedDevice Symposium held concurrently with the INTERPHEX2009

Question:
Do the PharmaMedDevice Symposium conference attendees have access to the INTERPHEX exhibit floor? Is Alconox, Inc exhibiting at INTERPHEX2009?

Answer:
YES! Alconox, Inc will be attending the INTERPHEX2009 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, NY March 17-19, 2009. Stop by our booth 3320 for your free copy of The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook! Great opportunity to "Ask Alconox" and get experts advice about your medical device manufacturing cleaning needs!

In 2009, the PharmaMedDevice Symposium will once again run concurrently with the INTERPHEX Conference and Exhibition. Conference attendees will have access to the INTERPHEX exhibit floor showcasing the latest in products and ideas for the life science industry. Together, these educational programs provide Life Science professionals the knowledge and competitive advantage to accelerate product innovation.

For more information visit the PharmaMedDevice Symposium website.

Solujet Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid Detergent - Better Chemistry for Pharmaceutical Cleaning

Question:
What product will Alconox, Inc booth 3320 be highlighting at INTERPHEX2009?

Answer:
Solujet Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid Detergent

Alconox, Inc Booth 3320 INTERPHEX2009 offers superior cleaning with Solujet - even on your toughest pharmaceutical residues! With a superior surfactant system, Solujet out performs all others on the widest range of residues - even cleans titanium dioxide, tablet coatings and petrolatum - at low concentrations, without troublesome additives. Alconox, Inc adheres to cGMP and offers downloadable Certificates of Analysis, technical bulletins, MSDS and trace analysis directly from Alconox.com. For cleaning validation support including residue sampling techniques & analytical methods, visit us at Booth 3320.

Need to calculate Solujet or another Alconox brand cleaner residue acceptance limit for your manufacturing equipment? Stop by Booth 3320 and DEMO our brand NEW CALCULATOR for residue limits! It's a fast & simple tool especially created for the pharma engineer & validation specialist!

Solujet is concentrated to save money, distributed globally in convenient sizes up to 55 gal drums. For more information visit Alconox.com.

Visit Alconox, Inc booth 3320 at INTERPHEX2009

Question:

Will Alconox, Inc attend the INTERPHEX2009 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Conference and Exhibition?

Answer:

Alconox, Inc will be attending the INTERPHEX2009 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Conference and Exhibition at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, NY March 17-19, 2009. Stop by our booth 3320 for your free copy of The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook! Great opportunity to "Ask Alconox" and get experts advice about your industrial cleaning needs!

Mark your calendars for INTERPHEX2009 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Conference and Exhibition!

INTERPHEX is the world's most trusted source for leading-edge technology, education, and sourcing of the products and services that drive scientific innovation for Life Sciences manufacturing from drug development to market - accelerating regulated products for patient care globally.

Thousands of Pharmaceutical Industry Professionals gather annually at INTERPHEX to meet one-on-one with technical experts, see the newest products and equipment, view live demonstrations, network, get expert advice to specific challenges, find resources and source new products, learn about emerging or changing trends, and to stay on top of every issue surrounding pharmaceutical manufacturing.

At INTERPHEX, you will find technology solutions and education for every aspect of drug manufacturing from process development through delivery to market. INTERPHEX is comprised of four major segments: Facilities, Outsourcing & Contract Services, Information Technology, and Manufacturing/Processing.

For more information on INTERPHEX2009, visit http://www.interphex.com/

Alconox, Inc targets toughest critical cleaning challenges

Question:
Why use Alconox brands? How do Alconox brands differ from the rest?

Answer:

Alconox brands are:

Fast acting, long lasting, high penetrating cleaners - powders, liquids, acids, alkalis, low-foaming and high emulsifying - biodegradable, phosphate-free and readily disposable

Expressly formulated to save time - high penetrating power for cleaning oxides, particles, flux & oil - FAST with LONG bath life

Formulated for your specific application - machine & parts washers, manual wash & ultrasonic tanks - concentrated to save $$

Corrosion inhibited formula - for glass, metal, ceramic and plastic

Precise quality control - COAs, MSDS, trace analysis & lab tests

Convenient sizes available worldwide: drums to bottles and boxes

For more information visit www.alconox.com

Solujet Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid Detergent - Better Chemistry for Labware Washers!

Question:
What new cleaning chemistry will Alconox, Inc booth 4062 be featuring at Pittcon2009?

Answer:
Solujet Low-Foaming Phosphate-Free Liquid Detergent

Visit Alconox, Inc Booth 4062 to learn about Solujet and its unique formula for superior cleaning of glass, metal, plastic and ceramics in all kinds of machine washers- labware washers, dishwashers, washer sterilizers, washer-sanitizers, cart washers, and spray washers. Solujet is low-foaming, phosphate-free, biodegradable and readily disposable. Solujet saves time and cost due to rapid penetrating power and tackles the most demanding residues at low concentrations. With its free rinsing formula, Solujet leaves no interfering residues for reproducible results. Available in convenient sizes from a global network of laboratory & industry related suppliers. Solujet Certificate of Analysis, technical bulletin, MSDS, trace analysis and inhibitory residue tests are easily downloadable from Alconox.com.

Visit Alconox, Inc booth 4062 at Pittcon2009

Question:
Will Alconox, Inc attend the 60th Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy - Pittcon - Show at the McCormick Conference Center Chicago, March 8-13, 2009?

Answer:
Alconox, Inc will be attending the 60th Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy - Pittcon - Show in Chicago on March 8-13, 2009. Stop by our booth 4062 for your free copy the Labware Washer Guide designed to help you select the correct detergent. Great opportunity to "Ask Alconox" and get experts advice about your industrial cleaning needs!

Pittcon is the premier conference and exposition on laboratory sciences celebrates 60 years of service to the scientific community. Pittcon is the most comprehensive annual meeting on laboratory science in the world, offering a first class lab product exposition, a diverse, high quality technical program, unparalleled educational programs, and invaluable peer to peer networking opportunities. The 2009 venue is McCormick Place, Chicago, IL-a state of the art meeting facility in a vibrant, fun, and culturally rich city. Please visit often to learn more about Pittcon-the career building investment that you cannot afford to miss!
For more information on the 60th Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy - Pittcon - visit http://www.pittcon.org/.

Alconox, Powdered Precision Cleaner BOD and COD

Question:
What are the BOD and COD for a 2% solution of Alconox?

Answer:
In a 2% Alconox solution, the results should be:
BOD = 540 mg/L
COD = 6800 mg/L

To view a technical bulletin for Alconox, please download our PDF.

Cleaners for Cage Washers

Question:
What Alconox brand cleaners are best for use in cage washers?

Answer:
Alconox, Inc recommends a two step process that requires a first step alkaline cleaning using Solujet Low Foaming Phosphate Free Liquid, followed by an acid second step using Citrajet Low foaming Liquid Acid Cleaner/Rinse. The Solujet is used first to remove organic debris, feces and body fluids whereas the acid second step is used to remove urine scale and neutralize the cages. In some cases, Citrajet alone may be sufficient if the main concern is urine scale. In other cases, Solujet alone may be fine if the main concern is feces. This choice depends somewhat on the types of cages and animals being housed.

To read more about Solujet and Citrajet, visit Alconox.com.

Reduce BOD

Question:
Are there methods for reducing the BOD for wastewater effluent of DI + Alconox by removing organic compounds, i.e. surfactants?

Answer:
The surfactants are the major source of BOD in Alconox. A reverse osmosis membrane can remove the organic surfactants in Alconox. It is also possible to break down the surfactants using UV/oxidation with ozone or peroxide. The broken down surfactants will have reduced BOD. Also, adding an activated carbon filtration system after the oxidation step will further reduce the BOD level. It would also be possible to reduce the BOD using an activated carbon filtration system alone. It this case, a partition between water and activated carbon is created that favors the water, which means an oversized carbon filtration system, must be used to significantly reduce the surfactant content.

To view a technical bulletin for Alconox, visit download this PDF.

Assistance Selecting a Detergent

Question:
Does Alconox provide support to assist customers in selecting a detergent?

Answer:
Yes, ask the critical cleaning experts! We can assist you in detergent selection, answer general cleaning questions, arrange for a sample, and help with medical device and pharmaceutical cleaning validation for Alconox brand cleaners. Call us at 914.948.4040 or e-mail us at cleaning@alconox.com.

Visit our website www.alconox.com.

Low Foaming Detergent to clean silicon wafers

Question:
Does Alconox have a detergent to clean silicon wafers in a horizontal washer?

Answer:
Alconox, Inc. manufactures a very high purity product, Detergent 8, that is used in certain wafer cleaning and wafer tool cleaning processes. It is low foaming liquid that is typically used at 1-2% concentrations.

To learn more about Detergent 8, please download this informational PDF.

Cleaning Medical Devices

Question:
Are Alconox brand cleaners used widely in the medical device industry?

Answer:
Yes. Alconox brands are widely used in the medical device industry. Liquinox and Citranox are used to remove oils, grease, and mold release agents from recently machined medical devices. Whereas Tergazyme, an enzyme containing cleaner, is used to clean bodily fluids and blood off reusable medical devices after examinations and surgeries.

Whether cleaning manually, ultrasonically, or with automated cleaning systems, Alconox brand cleaners are formulated to remove residue and leave no interfering resides behind.

For more information on cleaning medical devices, visit our medical device section.

Detergent Selection

Question:
What are the questions to consider when selecting a detergent?

Answer:
Today's aqueous critical-cleaning detergents are blended for specific applications-substrate, degree of soil load, and cleaning process-these, are all important considerations when selecting a detergent. Here are a few questions to ask about a detergent brand to ensure that it meets your specific cleaning needs:

1. Does it have good detergency on the types of soils that you need to remove?
2. Is it free-rinsing? Will it rinse away without leaving interfering detergent residue?
3. Is the detergent recommended for the desired cleaning method?
4. How hazardous is it?
5. Can it be disposed of easily?
6. Is it environmentally friendly?
7. How economical is it?

To read more about selecting a detergent, request a copy of The Aqueous Cleaning Handbook, 4th Ed. by clicking here.

Biofouling Removal from Ultrafilters

Question:
What is the cleaning procedure for removing biofouling from ultrafilters?

Answer:
Biofouling is rapid microbial growth inside the ultrafiltration system that clogs the pores of the filters. When an in-house waste treatment plant equipped with ultrafiltration unit experiences excessive biofouling of filters resulting in frequent cleaning, this could lead to the system being out of service. In order to restore the filters to their normal length of service, we recommend using 1% Tergazyme enzyme cleaning solution at 120 deg F temperature. Temperature can be maintained by an immersion heater in the sump during a three hour clean-in-place program. Specifically a clean in place program of 20 minutes circulate, 20 minutes stop and soak, 20 minutes circulate followed by a thorough rinse will effectively remove the biofouling, restoring the filters to their normal length of service.

View the technical bulletin for Tergazyme by downloading our PDF.