Organic Acid Cleaner

The main types of cleaners used for the removal of organic contaminants are solvent cleaners, neutral cleaners, acid cleaners and alkali cleaners. 

All chemicals, whether inorganic or organic, are either acidic, basic, or neutral. An example of an inorganic acid is sulfuric acid used in automobile batteries, while the acetic acid found in vinegar is an organic acid. Ammonia found in many household cleaners is a base, as are sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide (lye). Sodium chloride (common salt) is an example of a salt because it is produced by the neutralization of hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide. A solution of table sugar in water is neutral (pH 7) because it does not contain hydrogen ions nor does it react with bases to produce water. 

Rorig, H. and R. Stephan, Cationic surfactants in organic acid-based hard surface cleaners, Commun. Sorn. Com. Esp. Deterg., 21, 191,1990. 

The Avanel S-70 provides for removal of organic surface deposits and. by surface tension reduction, better contact between the aluminum surface and the organic acids. In addition to industrial applications like cleaning ovei—the-road aluminum trailers and aluminum prior to anodizing, this cleaner may also be used in household applications such as cleaning aluminum flashing, windows and door fixtures. Depending on the application. this product may be used in a pressure wash, pump spray or dip tank. 

In contrast to neat oils, water-based metalwork fluids are the most relevant irritants in the automobile industry. The irritant potential of these fluids depends on their different components, the quality of preventive measures and the continuous care of the fluids. Components with an irritating potential are organic acids, amines, emulsifiers, preservatives, biocides, antifoams and system cleaners. Often, the quality of technical care of the metalwork fluid is inversely proportional to the irritant effect. Actually trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) measurement offers new chances in the evaluation irritant potential of different metalwork fluids (Hiiner et al. 1994). Figure 1 shows such a TEWL measurement. It was confirmed by an intervention study in a metalwork factory that, in contrast to metalwork fluids A and C, fluid B was not associated with irritant contact dermatitis. The amine component seems to play a relevant role in the irritant potential (Lautenschlager et al. 1997), if the pH value does not exceed pH 9.5. The risk of irritant dermatitis, particularly hand eczema, is closely associated with the duration of exposure. In general, an exposure of less than 2 h per day will not cause an irritant hand eczema... 

An effective surface treatment requires a clean surface. Metal surfaces are cleaned with an alkaline, neutral, or weakly acidic cleaner, an organic solvent, or by pickling with molten-salt baths [5,87]. Fluorinated surfactants in a pickling and descaling bath disperse scum, speed runoff of acid when metal is removed from the bath, and increase bath life [206,207]. The fluorinated surfactant inhibits nascent hydrogen formation and, therefore, prevents embrittlement by hydrogen [208]. 

In appHcations as hard surface cleaners of stainless steel boilers and process equipment, glycoHc acid and formic acid mixtures are particularly advantageous because of effective removal of operational and preoperational deposits, absence of chlorides, low corrosion, freedom from organic Hon precipitations, economy, and volatile decomposition products. Ammoniated glycoHc acid Hi mixture with citric acid shows exceUent dissolution of the oxides and salts and the corrosion rates are low. 

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