Industrial cleaning and degreasing is an unpleasant but necessary task. Whether you run a manufacturing shop or are responsible for cleaning trains or airplanes, keeping everything clean is critical for both safety and maintenance. Fortunately, solvent degreasers containing hydrogen and carbon are up to the job. Here’s what you need to know.
Types of Soiling
There are three basic types of soiling that can occur in industrial settings:
Organic soiling consists of fats, proteins, and bodily fluids, as well as some substances you might not have considered. Because they are derived from fossil fuels, petroleum products also count as organic soiling.
Inorganic soiling comes from things that were never alive. Examples include rust, dirt, minerals, and scaling.
Mixed soiling includes both organic and inorganic materials. This is the most common type of soiling you will encounter in an industrial setting, as a buildup of oil or grease tends to attract dirt, dust, and other inorganic matter.
Therefore, industrial cleaning products need to lift away the fats along with whatever is trapped within them. Products that offer degreasing action, while also providing tough cleaning power for inorganic debris, are essential.
What Is a Solvent Degreaser?
A solvent is a substance that dissolves other substances. A degreaser is a type of solvent that dissolves grease, oil, and other fats. A solvent degreaser is designed to lift away both organic and inorganic soiling, creating a strong cleaning action that can stand up to the messiest industrial tasks.
How Do Hydrocarbon Solvent Degreasers Work?
A hydrocarbon is an organic chemical consisting of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms. The carbons form the base structure, while the hydrogens are attached in a wide range of configurations. They are the main building blocks of petroleum.
Hydrocarbon solvent degreasers come in two main forms: aliphatic or aromatic. Aliphatic hydrocarbons have long-chain structures that can be extremely complex. Aromatic hydrocarbons have a benzene ring structure. Both play an important role in industrial cleaning and degreasing, and many industrial cleaning products contain a combination. Aromatic hydrocarbons are considered to be among the most hazardous types of solvents due to risks from inhalation, so low-aromatic solutions are preferred for most applications.
A major advantage of hydrocarbon solvent degreasers is that they don’t use water. This means that there is no risk for water to get trapped in machine parts, potentially causing rust. With high solvency and low surface tension, they can easily penetrate small, hard to reach areas to remove both grease and debris.
Different formulations of solvent degreasers are best for specific applications. For example, parts that are prone to corrosion require a chemical compound that is designed to strip away rust. Fortunately, modern chemistry and technology have created innumerable solvent degreasers with various properties that make them ideally suited to targeted applications.
To create a top quality solvent degreaser, it’s important to start with pure, top quality chemicals. Noah Chemicals can help. We are dedicated to providing clients with only the purest chemicals. Buy these chemicals directly from our massive online catalog. To speak with a qualified chemist about custom chemicals and bulk ordering, contact us today!
