The composition of the degreaser depends on the type and nature of the grease. The degreaser contains two main components, an alkali builder and a surfactant.
1. Alkali substances Commonly used alkaline builders are sodium hydroxide, soda ash, sodium silicate and sodium tripolyphosphate. Sodium hydroxide and soda ash are the cheapest alkaline agents, and wastewater is difficult to treat. Sometimes the cleaning objects are damaged due to their strong alkalinity. On the other hand, sodium hydroxide and soda ash have no emulsifying effect and have no effect on mineral oil cleaning; Silicon Sodium acid acid and sodium tripolyphosphate can provide both alkalinity and a certain emulsifying power. They are widely used in various degreasing cleaning agents, especially in alkali-sensitive degreasing processes. The biggest disadvantage of using sodium silicate is that if you do not wash it with hot water first after degreasing, it will be difficult to completely wash away the remaining sodium silicate by directly washing with cold water. The remaining sodium silicate will react with the acid in the next process to form a strong adhesion of silica gel, thus affecting the bonding strength of the coating; sodium tripolyphosphate is mainly concerned about phosphorus pollution and damage to the environment.
2. Surfactant. Surfactant is the core component of degreasers. Early degreasers were mainly based on the emulsification effect of emulsifiers, such as fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO) series, alkylphenol polyoxyethylene Vinyl ether (TX, NP) series, etc. Excessive use of emulsifier will emulsify and solubilize the shed oil into the working fluid, causing the working fluid’s oil removal ability to gradually decrease, requiring frequent replacement of the working fluid.
However, as the price of surfactants rises, it is increasingly required to reduce the amount of surfactants used and increase the rate of oil removal. This requires that the oil remover has good dispersion and anti-secondary deposition properties, and removes the shed grease. It is peeled off from the metal surface and does not emulsify or saponify in the solution. It just floats on the surface of the solution, maintaining the clarity of the bath liquid and its continuous oil removal ability.
On the other hand, surfactants suitable for degreasing are generally non-ionic products. Non-ionic products are generally more expensive. In order to reduce the cost of degreasing, anionic products will also appear in the formula of degreasing agents, especially At the same time, the non-ionic anionic surfactant Fatty Acid Methyl Ethoxylate Sulfonate (FMES) has excellent “dispersion and roll-off” characteristics and is helpful for non-emulsifying peeling and removal of grease.
Suzhou Leman Polymer Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on the R&D and production of textile functional finishing agents. It has a senior R&D team and rich application experience. It can customize personalized functional finishing solutions according to fabric characteristics and development needs. For functional development consultation and technical exchange of various textiles, please leave a message via email: info@lemanpolymer.cn
Post time: Jan-03-2024