Types of industrial detergents and their characteristics

Removing any type of contamination from a particular surface requires the application of mechanical energy, which is provided by abrasion. Substances that can be used alone or in combination with other substances in the cleaning process, along with this mechanical energy and physicochemical energy, are known as detergents. In the following, the types of industrial detergents, their functioning, and the characteristics of an industrial detergent are briefly examined.

What is an industrial detergent?
Detergents are classified into various categories according to their ability to remove various contaminants. Among these categories are types of industrial detergents that are used in the decontamination process in industrial environments and equipment.These industrial detergents are categorized into different types based on their ability to remove a specific type of contamination. Using industrial detergents in cleaning with mechanized industrial cleaning devices can have a significant impact on improving the quality of cleaning with this industrial cleaning equipment.Using a variety of strong industrial grease cleaners, degreasing, acidic or alkaline detergents can help improve the quality of cleaning surfaces and equipment.

Classification of types of industrial detergents
The types of industrial detergents used in the cleaning process at different levels are divided into five main groups: alkaline detergents, acidic detergents, strong industrial grease removers, disinfectants and basic solvents. The use of each of these types of detergents in the appropriate cleaning process and situation will provide the desired and optimal quality and efficiency of cleaning.

Alkaline detergents
Alkaline detergents are a type of industrial detergent and the main group of industrial detergents, which are able to combine with fats and oils to form soap and dissolve proteins. The pH of this group of detergents is usually in the range of 9 to 12.5, and these substances are corrosive due to their high alkalinity.And they cause damage if they come into contact with human skin, but this high alkalinity is important for saponifying fats and neutralizing acids present in many types of dirt. These types of detergents are often used in cases where a strong detergent is needed.Such as removing waxes, abrasive residue, deep-set dirt, dried-on dirt, and heated grease and oil. Some industrial strong degreaser detergents or industrial fat solvents are classified in this category of detergents.

Other uses of alkaline detergents include cleaning processes in the food industry and environments such as industrial kitchens, restaurants, and dining halls. In such cases, alkaline detergents are cost-effective and can be used with a wide range of cleaning equipment. The higher quality types of these detergents have a mild foaming ability.

Acidic detergents
In these detergents, acid is used as the main cleaning agent, which is able to dissolve mineral deposits, such as calcium and magnesium, as well as deposits caused by water hardness on the surface of machinery and equipment. Acid detergents can also be used to remove rust, alkaline contamination, cement, plaster or concrete.These detergents are suitable for use in cleaning sandstone and granite surfaces, but due to their corrosiveness, they are not suitable for use on some surfaces, especially galvanized iron or aluminum. Types of acidic industrial detergents are divided into two main groups: inorganic acids and organic acids, with organic acids being weaker than inorganic acids and having a less corrosive effect on metals.

Surface-active industrial detergents or degreasers
Industrial heavy-duty degreaser detergents or industrial grease solvents are composed of surface-active substances such as molecular complexes and, when added to water, reduce the surface tension of the water and increase the contact between the contamination and the industrial heavy-duty grease cleaning agent.These types of industrial detergents are useful and practical in removing grease and oil contamination. The ability of these types of industrial detergents to penetrate fats, hydrolyze them, and convert them into smaller particles makes it easy to clean all types of water contamination from the environment.The cleaning ability of these materials is not very high, but they have an antimicrobial effect and can be used as a disinfectant or in combination with disinfectant detergents.

Industrial disinfectant detergents
Unlike industrial grease removers, disinfectant detergents can simultaneously clean and disinfect surfaces. In this type of industrial detergent, it can be used as a detergent to remove deep contamination and in sensitive environments. The disinfectant can be used both manually and with the use of mechanized cleaning devices such as industrial scrubbers.

Solvent based detergent
This type of industrial detergent is made from hydrocarbon solvents such as water and is used to remove contaminants such as solvent-based waxes, oil and grease, various pastes and solvent wax liquids from the surface of the ground. Various types of solvent-based industrial detergents are very suitable for use and cleaning on wooden surfaces, wood composites, magnesite, linoleum, concrete and stone.But they should not be used on asphalt, thermoplastic materials, PVC (vinyl) or rubber surfaces. Various industrial grease solvents are also classified in this category of detergents.

How various industrial detergents work
As mentioned, adding various industrial detergents to the industrial cleaning process and system replaces part of the required mechanical energy with physicochemical energy. In fact, increasing a certain type of energy can compensate for the lack of other types of energy. For example, if there is no strong industrial degreasing detergent or it is insufficient, a greater amount of manpower is needed to properly remove greasy contaminants from the surface.In other words, detergents facilitate and accelerate the cleaning process by affecting the amount of energy required to remove and reduce contamination.

Due to its high surface tension, water alone cannot be an effective cleaning agent in industrial cleaning processes. Adding various industrial detergents to water in the cleaning process reduces the surface tension of water and enables it to be more effective in cleaning and removing contaminants by increasing its ability to penetrate them.As a result of increased contact between water and dirt, dirt is more easily removed from the surface and cleaning is easier. If water is used as the sole cleaning agent in the cleaning operation, a high amount of mechanical energy will be required to achieve the desired result, which can make it more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to thoroughly clean the environment.

Characteristics of a suitable detergent
The types of suitable industrial detergents, regardless of their type, have some distinguishing characteristics. These characteristics are among the most important factors in choosing the right detergent for the cleaning process of various surfaces and contaminants. The most important of these characteristics are:

• High ability to remove water hardness
• Completely soluble in water
• Being non-corrosive
• Non-toxic and environmentally friendly
• Economically cost-effective
• High wetting and penetrating ability
• Degreasing capability with strong industrial degreaser
• Pollution dissolving ability
• Suitable drainage
• Ability to remove rust and scale

Choosing the right detergent
When choosing industrial detergents to achieve the desired result, you should pay attention to some things. These include the type and amount of contamination, the type of surface to be cleaned to ensure it is not damaged by the detergent, and the cleaning method (strong acidic or alkaline industrial detergents should not be used for manual cleaning).To buy detergent, you should pay attention to the type of contamination so that you can purchase the best and most suitable type of detergent to perform the cleaning operation. Buying strong industrial grease removers or other types of industrial detergents will have a significant impact on improving and enhancing the quality of cleaning. In this way, you will be able to bring the desired quality and optimal cleaning process to your collection by choosing and purchasing the right industrial detergent.