ACIDIC CIP COMPOSITIONS

Abstract

An aqueous acidic CIP composition comprising: an acidic component; a surfactant; and an organic solvent; wherein said composition has an advancing contact angle (θ.sub.A) of less than 80 degrees and a receding contact angle (θ.sub.R) of less than 20 degrees.

Claims

1. An aqueous acidic composition comprising: an acidic component; a surfactant; and an organic solvent; wherein said composition has an advancing contact angle (θ.sub.A) of less than 80 degrees and a receding contact angle (θ.sub.R) of less than 20 degrees.

2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said composition has a surface tension (SFT) when measured using a Wilhelmy plate with a tensiometer of less than 40 mN/m.

3. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said acidic component is selected from the group consisting of: alkanolamine-HCl; amino acid-HCl; and HCl, as well as combinations thereof.

4. A composition according to claim 3 wherein said alkanolamine is selected from the group consisting of: monoethanolamine; diethanolamine; triethanolamine; and combinations thereof.

5. A composition according to claim 4 wherein said alkanolamine is monoethanolamine.

6. A composition according to claim 3 wherein said amino acid is selected from the group consisting of: lysine; arginine; histidine; and combinations thereof.

7. A composition according to claim 3 wherein said amino acid is selected from the group consisting of: lysine; a hydrate of lysine; and a salt of lysine.

8. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said acidic component is present in an amount ranging from 70 to 100 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

9. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said acidic component is present in an amount ranging from 90 to 100 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

10. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 20 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

11. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 5 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

12. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is a low foaming non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of: methyl ether; and C12-15 pareth-12 a polyethylene glycol ether; and combinations thereof.

13. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said the surfactant comprises a Guerbet alcohol.

14. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is selected from the group consisting of: Plurafac® D250; Plurafac® LF 431; Lutensol® XL80; Lutensol® XP80; and combinations thereof.

15. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is Plurafac D250.

16. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said an organic solvent selected from the group consisting of: ethylene glycol monoalkyl ether; ethylene glycol monoaryl ether; diethylene glycol monoalkyl ether; diethylene glycol monoaryl ether; and propylene glycol methyl ether and combinations thereof.

17. The composition according to claim 1 wherein said organic solvent selected from the group consisting of: ethylene glycol monomethyl ether; ethylene glycol monoethyl ether; ethylene glycol monopropyl ether; ethylene glycol monoisopropyl ether; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether; ethylene glycol monophenyl ether; ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether; propylene glycol methyl ether; diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (Methyl Carbitol™); diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (Carbitol™ Cellosolve™); diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether (Butyl Carbitol™); dipropyleneglycol; and combinations thereof.

18. A process for removing a residue from a substrate, comprising the steps of: preparing a diluted cleaning solution, said diluted cleaning solution made by adding water to a concentrated cleaning solution so that the amount of acid contained in said diluted solution ranges from about 0.05% to about 5% by weight of said cleaning solution, said concentrated cleaning solution comprising: an acidic component; a surfactant; and an organic solvent; and water; wherein said composition has an advancing contact angle (θ.sub.A) of less than 80 degrees and a receding contact angle (θ.sub.R) of less than 20 degrees, applying said diluted cleaning solution to the residue; and removing said residue by rinsing with a fluid.

19. Use of an aqueous acidic composition for the removal of organic contaminants residue from a substrate, said aqueous acidic composition comprising: an acidic component; a surfactant; and an organic solvent; wherein said composition has an advancing contact angle (θ.sub.A) of less than 80 degrees and a receding contact angle (θ.sub.R) of less than 20 degrees.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0056] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details have been provided for a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this description is not to be considered so that it may limit the scope of the embodiments described herein in any way, but rather as merely describing the implementation of the various embodiments described herein.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, novel cleaning-in-place (CIP) acidic compositions formulations are introduced. Several packages have been developed a Single-Phase Modified Acid™ (Standard & Optimum) and a Two-Phase Modified Acid™ (2-in-1) technology that replaces the need to run both an acid and caustic package wash separately.

[0058] The systems have been tested on dehydrated organics and dehydrated organics mixed with granulated calcium carbonate. Preferably, the single-phase acidic and two-phase acidic formulations can dissolve both the inorganic scale and organic scale.

[0059] Preferably, the formulations include surfactant blends that enhance the surface wetting properties of the systems and assist in releasing any deposited materials. More preferably, the surfactant blend is stable at low pH levels and has very low foamability allowing an efficient application in CIP systems without any issues of pump cavitation or unwanted pressure build-up.

[0060] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises an acid selected from the group consisting of: alkanolamine-HCl; amino acid-HCl; and HCl, as well as combinations thereof. Preferably, the alkanolamine is selected from the group consisting of: monoethanolamine; diethanolamine; triethanolamine; and combinations thereof. Most preferably, the alkanolamine is monoethanolamine. According to another preferred embodiment, the amino acid is selected from the group consisting of: lysine; arginine; histidine; and combinations thereof. More preferably, the amino acid is selected from the group consisting of: lysine; a hydrate of lysine; and a salt of lysine.

[0061] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises an acid present in a concentration ranging from 70 to 100 weight % of the total weight of the composition. More preferably, acid present in a concentration ranging from 90 to 100 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

[0062] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises a surfactant present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 20 weight % of the total weight of the composition. More preferably, the composition comprises a surfactant present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 5 weight % of the total weight of the composition. Preferably, the surfactant is a non-ionic surfactant. More preferably, the surfactant is a low foaming non-ionic surfactant.

[0063] More preferably, the surfactant can also selected from the group consisting of: Plurafac® D250; Plurafac® LF 221; Plurafac® LF 220; Plurafac® LF 431; Ecosurf® DF12; Lutensol® XL80; and Lutensol® XP80 and combinations thereof.

[0064] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises an organic solvent present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 10 weight % of the total weight of the composition. More preferably, the composition comprises an organic solvent present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 5 weight % of the total weight of the composition.

[0065] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of: ethylene glycol monoalkyl ether; ethylene glycol monoaryl ether; diethylene glycol monoalkyl ether; and diethylene glycol monoaryl ether.

[0066] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of: ethylene glycol monomethyl ether; ethylene glycol monoethyl ether; ethylene glycol monopropyl ether; ethylene glycol monoisopropyl ether; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether; ethylene glycol monophenyl ether; ethylene glycol monobenzyl ether; propylene glycol methyl ether; diethylene glycol monomethyl ether (Methyl Carbitol™); diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (Carbitol Cellosolve™); diethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether (Butyl Carbitol™); dipropyleneglycol methyl ether; and C12-15 pareth-12 a polyethylene glycol ether; and combinations thereof.

[0067] More preferably, the solvent is selected from the group consisting of: DOWANOL™ PM; DOWANOL™ DPM; DOWANOL™ TPM; DOWANOL™ PnB; DOWANOL™ DPnB; DOWANOL™ TPnB; DOWANOL™ PnP; DOWANOL™ DPnP; DOWANOL™ EPh; DOWANOL™ PPh; PROGLYDE™ DMM; Hexyl CARBITOL™ SOLVENT; Hexyl CELLOSOLVE™ Solvent; and Butyl CELLOSOLVE™ Solvent; and combinations thereof.

[0068] Examples of water which is used in the manufacturing of the acidic cleaning composition according to the present invention include pure water, ion exchange water, soft water, distilled water, and tap water. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Of these, tap water and ion-exchanged water are preferably used from the viewpoints of economy and storage stability. “Water” is the sum of water contained in the form of crystal water or aqueous solution derived from each component constituting the cleaning composition of the present invention and water added from the outside, and the entire composition when water is added is 100%.

[0069] The acidic cleaning composition according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is usually used as a concentrate to be diluted in an aqueous solution with water or hot water according to the above-mentioned various facilities and the contaminants present. The cleaning of tanks, piping, etc. in for example, beer factories, brewery factories, beverage factories such as juices and soft drinks, milk factories, frozen foods and retort foods, various other food, animal processing, packaging and manufacturing factories, and machine, sterilizer, heat treatment machine, and other equipment, machinery, and pipes, containers, craters, barrels, and other containers for mechanical automatic cleaning, especially CIP cleaning methods, is performed with said aqueous solution comprising 0.2 to 30% by weight of acid content with respect to the total weight of the composition. According to a preferred embodiment, it is preferable to use an aqueous cleaning solution diluted so as to be in the above range.

Preparation of Dehydrated Organic and Dehydrated Organic/Calcite Mix

[0070] In order to simulate the inorganic and organic scale formed in a beverage processing plant, fruit juice products were used. The fruit juices used consisted of a fruit juice that containing chunks of suspended fruits. It was used to simulate what is happening in a beverage plant.

[0071] Dehydrated Organic:

[0072] One can of strawberry-banana fruit juice (240 mL) was decanted into a crystallization dish. The crystallization dish was then placed in the oven at 45° C. for 24 h. After 24 h, the dehydrated organic was taken out of the oven and placed in a sealed jar. The mass was around 40 g of a paste-like organics.

[0073] Dehydrated Organic/Calcite Mix:

[0074] Two cans of mango fruit juice (240 mL each) were decanted into a crystallization dish and 80 g of ground calcium carbonate was added and mixed. The crystallization dish was then placed in the oven at 45° C. for 24 h. After 24 h, the dehydrated organic/calcite mix was taken out of the oven and placed in a sealed jar.

[0075] Dissolution Experiments

[0076] For the dissolution experiments, the acidic formulations were diluted to the respective concentration of HCl. 25 mL of the diluted formulation was added to a 100 mL beaker with a magnetic stirring bar. For the testing of acidic formulations, 1 g of the dehydrated organics (mango)/Calcite Mix was added. The solutions were then mixed at ambient temperature (−21° C.) for 1 h at 500 rpm. After 1 h, the solutions were taken out and their weight was measured. The difference in weight is the dissolution of calcium carbonate. For organic dissolution, the solution was passed through a 100 mesh (150 microns) screen. The screen was weighed prior, wetted with the solution and was then dried at room temperature and reweighed, the difference in weight is the undissolved organics.

[0077] At the outset, it is acknowledged that there are practical limitations to the dissolution testing carried out using non-deposited pieces of organic material. While the dissolution results will indicate an effectiveness of the composition in the presence of floating material (organic materials present in the beaker) it does not take into account in situ scale present on industrial equipment. This shortcoming was overcome by performing surface tension measurements and dynamic contact angle measurements on each composition which would provide important information about the behavior of each tested composition if it were used on fouled (containing scale) industrial equipment.

[0078] Surface Tension Measurements

[0079] The surface tension (SFT) of each composition was measured using a Wilhelmy plate with a Kruss 100C force tensiometer.

[0080] Dynamic Contact Angle Measurements

[0081] Dynamic contact angle measurements were conducted using the Wilhelmy plate method with a Kruss 100C force tensiometer. A parafilm plate was used as a hydrophobic surface to measure the efficiency of the formulations in reducing the contact angles. The advancing and receding contact angles (θ.sub.A and θ.sub.R) were measured. They are indicative of how efficient the formulation can change the wettability of a hydrophobic surface to be more water-wet for easier cleaning of the surfaces. The advancing angles (θ.sub.A) is always higher than the receding contact angles (θ.sub.R) as the plate advancing in the fluid dry. But while receding, the molecules were already oriented at the surface.

[0082] Table 1 presents the ingredients used in the acidic formulation based on the use of a modified acid comprising HCl and monoethanolamine (HCl/MEA) in a 1:4.1 molar ratio, and their range of concentrations.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Listing of components for use in a composition according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention Composition Role HCl/MEA Dissolve inorganic scale (calcites) Plurafac ® D 250 Fast wetting and emulsifying Plurafac ® LF 221 characteristics Plurafac ® LF 431 Butyl Carbitol ™ Dissolving organic materials Hexyl Carbitol Dowanol DPM

[0083] Dissolution Experiments

[0084] Acidic Formulations were developed using a nonionic surfactant (for example, Plurafac® D250) and a glycol ether solvent (Butyl Carbitol™). Table 2 shows the composition for acidic formulations. The % acid (HCl) in the MEA-HCl component prior to dissolution was 13 wt %.

Example 1

Acidic Cleaning Solution Formulation

Example 1a—Preparation of the MEA-HCl Component

[0085] Monoethanolamine (MEA) and hydrochloric acid are used as starting reagents. To obtain a 1:4.1 molar ratio of MEA to HCl, one must first mix 165 g of MEA with 835 g of water. This forms the monoethanolamine solution. Subsequently, one takes 370 ml of the previously prepared monoethanolamine solution and mixes with 350 ml of HCl aq. 36% (22 Baume). In the event that additives are used, they are added after thorough mixing of the MEA solution and HCl. For example, potassium iodide can be added at this point as well as any other component desired to optimize the performance of the composition according to the present invention. Circulation is maintained until all products have been solubilized. Additional products can now be added as required.

[0086] The resulting composition of this step is a clear (very slightly yellow) liquid having shelf-life of greater than 1 year. It has a boiling point temperature of approximately 100° C. It has a specific gravity of 1.1±0.02. It is completely soluble in water and its pH is less than 1. The freezing point was determined to be less than −35° C.

[0087] The composition is biodegradable and is classified as non-corrosive to dermal tissue in a concentrate form, according to the classifications and 3rd party testing for dermal corrosion. The composition is substantially lower fuming or vapor pressure compared to 15% HCl. Toxicity testing was calculated using surrogate information and the LD50 was determined to be greater than 1300 mg/kg.

Example 1b—Preparation of the Cleaning Solution

[0088] An acidic composition according to an embodiment of the present invention was prepared, by introducing appropriate amounts of the indicated constituents (so as to attain the desired relative weight percentages as indicated in Table 2 hereinbelow) in a mixing tank and mixing until the composition was homogeneous.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Formulation of various acidic compositions (indicated in wt %) EA92 EA83 EA84 EA85 EA86 EA87 EA88 EA89 EA90 MEA- 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 92.5 HCl Plurafac 0 1 2.5 5 1 2.5 5 1 2.5 D250 Butyl 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2.5 2.5 Carbitol Water 7.5 6.5 5 2.5 5.5 4 1.5 4 2.5 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

[0089] The compositions prepared in Table 2 were each tested to determine advancing and receding contact angles as well as surface tension and dissolution efficiency for the formulations when diluted to an equivalent concentration of 2% HCl. The results are tabulated in Table 3 below.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Dissolution performance and surface measurements for the dilutions to 2% HCl (eq.) of the formulations of Table 2 Sample# EA92.S EA83.S EA84.S EA85.S EA86.S EA87.S EA88.S EA89.S EA90.S pH 0.42 0.46 0.46 0.46 0.44 0.41 0.41 0.41 0.44 SFT (mN/m) 66.07 33.37 33.27 33.78 33.49 34.05 33.35 33.47 33.55 θA(°) 107.3 67.24 62.63 57.41 59.99 60.89 59.71 57.56 56.21 θR(°) 84.79 11.66 11.48 10.37 11.07 16.39 11.91 10.83 7.26 Original Scale/ 1.01 1.05 1 1.03 1 1 1 1.01 1.08 Organic (g) Dissolved 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 Scale (g) Undissolved 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scale (g) Original 0.51 0.55 0.5 0.53 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.51 0.58 Organics (g) Undissolved 0.011 0.08 0.11 0.02 0 0 0.06 0.01 0.02 Organics (g) Organic 97.7 85.5 78.0 96.2 100.0 100.0 88.0 98.0 96.6 Dissolution (%) Scale 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Dissolution (%)

[0090] Composition EA92 did dissolve a bunch of fruit in a beaker, but the high contact angle indicates it wouldn't be able to effectively penetrate a layer of organic dirt sticking to stainless steel.

[0091] From the surface tension measurements collected, the surface tension is almost constant for the different formulations; it is the same as that for the surfactant only. It seems that Butyl Carbitol™ has no impact on the surface tension. The contact angle for Parafilm with water is 115/80. The formulations decreased the contact angles significantly. However, it was also noted that the concentrations of the ingredients do not have a significant effect.

[0092] In Table 3 it can be noted from the review of the dissolution efficiency measurements for acidic formulations diluted to 2% HCl (eq.) Formulations containing only Plurafac® D250 did not dissolve the organics completely. As Butyl Carbitol™ was added to the formulations, the dissolutions increased significantly for compositions comprising 1% Butyl Carbitol™ with 1 or 2.5% Plurafac® D250.

[0093] This data shows that an effective 2-in-1 (organic dissolution and inorganic scale remover/dissolver) acidic formulation was obtained with a significant dissolution of the organics present as well as the inorganic scale simultaneously.

[0094] Further testing was carried out using the formulation EA90 as base and diluting it to obtain lower acidic content. Formulations obtained were EA93 (where the HCl content was 2 wt %), EA93 (where the HCl content was 1 wt %), EA95 (where the HCl content was 0.6 wt %). Surface measurements were made according to the procedure set out previously for each one of the formulations. The results are tabulated in Table 4. The dissolution efficiency measurements for each acidic formulation EA93, EA94 and EA95 were obtained and are reported in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Surface measurements for the dilutions of acidic formulation EA90 diluted to 2, 1, and 0.6% HCl (eq.). Sample # EA93 EA94 EA95 HCl (%)  2.00  1.00  0.60 SFT (mN/m) 33.35 33.10 33.30 θ.sub.A (°) 67.30 66.91 65.33 θ.sub.R (°) 22.56 20.35 18.95

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Dissolution efficiency measurements for acidic formulation EA90 diluted to 2, 1, and 0.6% HCl (eq.) Sample # EA93 EA94 EA95 Original  1.05  1.03  1.07 Scale/Organic (g) Dissolved Scale (g)  0.72  0.73  0.61 Undissolved Scale (g)  0.00  0.04  0.24 Scale Dissolution (%) 100.00  94.29 71.41 Original Organics (g)  0.33  0.26  0.22 Undissolved Organics (g)  0.01  0.01  0.01 Organic Dissolution (%) 95.70 97.73 94.49

[0095] As can be seen from the surface measurements for compositions EA93, EA94 and EA95 presented in Table 4, neither surface tension nor dynamic contact angles changed significantly with dilutions.

[0096] Table 5 presents the dissolution efficiency measurements for acidic formulation EA90 diluted to 2, 1, and 0.6% HCl (eq.). EA90.S and EA93 have the same concentrations of components and the organic dissolution (%) are the same meaning the results are repeatable. In Table 5, as the formulation is diluted, the overall concentration of the components is decreasing, however, the organic dissolution efficiency does not change. The limestone dissolution decreases when decreasing the concentration of HCl, which is to be expected as limestone dissolution is dependent on the acidic content.

[0097] Compositions according to the present invention were exposed to corrosion testing. Stainless steel (SS316) was exposed to compositions EA93, EA94 and EA95 according to the present invention for various exposure duration and temperatures. Depending on the intended use/application of the acidic composition according to the present invention, a desirable result would be one where the lb/ft.sup.2 corrosion number is at or below 0.05. A more desirable would be one where the corrosion (in lb/ft.sup.2) is at or below 0.02. Table 6 provides the results of the corrosion tests carried out with compositions EA93, EA94 and EA95 at 35° C. for 30 minutes.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Corrosion testing results for a stainless steel coupon (SS316) upon exposure to various compositions at 35° C. for 30 minutes EA93 EA94 EA95 Corrosion (lb/ft.sup.2) 0.0003 0.0003 0.0001

[0098] Additional Organic Dissolution Testing

[0099] The acidic compositions EA83 to EA92 when diluted to equivalent 2% HCl were then tested with only dehydrated mango organics (no Limestone added). In this series of tests, the amount of mango was almost twice that in the set presented earlier (mango/calcite mix). Table 7 presents the organic dissolution percentage for acidic compositions EA83 to EA92.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Organic dissolution testing for compositions EA83 to EA92 when diluted to equivalent 2% HCl at room temperature EA92.M EA83.M EA84.M EA85.M EA86.M EA87.M EA88.M EA89.M EA90.M Mango (g) 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.07 1.04 1.00 1.03 1.05 1.00 Formula (g) 25.01 24.90 24.87 24.88 25.03 24.94 24.96 24.92 25.01 100 mesh (g) 3.63 3.31 3.39 3.85 3.27 2.51 2.20 2.42 3.15 100 mesh+ 3.73 3.35 3.52 3.97 3.43 2.58 2.36 2.48 3.24 Undissolved 0.11 0.04 0.12 0.12 0.16 0.07 0.16 0.06 0.09 Organic 89.67 96.15 88.05 88.98 84.57 92.70 84.82 93.90 90.73 Dissolution (%)

[0100] As shown the neat MEA-HCl acidic composition can dissolve 89.67% of the organic matter. However, with the addition of surfactant and/or butyl Carbitol™, the dissolution efficiency increased above 90%.

[0101] Furthermore, several compositions were diluted to a target concentration of 0.6% HCl (eq.). The surface tension and dynamic contact angles were measured for each one, and the dissolution tests were conducted with dehydrated mango. Table 8 reports the measurement of the surface tension and dynamic contact angles of the formulations diluted to 0.6 wt % HCl (eq.). While surface tension was not affected by dilution, the advancing and receding contact angles slightly increased the concentration of surfactant is significantly reduced by dilution.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Surface tension and contact angle measurements for various acidic compositions diluted to 0.6% HCl (eq.) Sample # EA92.M EA89.M EA87.M SFT (mN/m) 50.5  33.33 33.05 θ.sub.A (°) 100.89  68.19 67.03 θ.sub.R (°) 60   30.09 30.78

[0102] Organic dissolution efficiency measurements for acidic formulations diluted to 0.6% HCl (eq.) were conducted as shown in Table 9, the dissolution efficiency was not significantly affected by dilution.

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Organic dissolution testing for various acidic compositions at room temperature Sample # EA92.M EA89.M EA87.M Mango (g) 1.05 1.05 1.05 Formula (g) 25.09 25.09 25.09 100 mesh (g) 3.3031 3.3778 3.8363 100 mesh + Fruit (g) 3.3601 3.4323 3.8888 Undissolved Fruit (g) 0.0570 0.545 0.0525 Fruit Dissolution (%) 94.57 94.81 95.00

[0103] Likewise, the acidic formulations diluted to 0.6% HCl (eq.) were tested for corrosion at 35° C. for 1 h (Table 10). None of the compositions showed any significant corrosion.

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Corrosion testing for acidic formulations diluted to 0.6% HCl (eq.) Corrosion testing results for a stainless steel coupon (SS316) upon exposure to various compositions at 35° C. for 1 hour EA92.M EA89.M EA87.M Corrosion 0.000331 0.000399 0.000389 (lb/ft.sup.2) Corrosion 1.79352 2.162774 2.110023 (mm/yr)

[0104] Other components may also be added to the cleaning solution of the present invention to add a variety of properties or characteristics, as desired. For instance, additives may include colorants, fragrance enhancers, anionic or nonionic surfactants, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, pH stabilizers, stabilizing agents, or other additives that would be known by one of ordinary skill in the art with the present disclosure before them.

[0105] Although the preferred compositions were tested at ambient temperature (21° C.), they all show very high performance while having a cost per wash that is on par with known compositions or even lower in some cases.

[0106] Moreover, in preferred compositions of the present invention, the surfactant blend would ensure a high detergency on stainless steel. It is also worth mentioning that the known compositions used to perform CIP are run at 35° C. Since the preferred compositions according to the present invention can work at significantly lower temperatures, according to data obtained, this allows a significant reduction of the environmental footprint and costs associated with heating; while increasing the overall cleaning efficiency and reducing the operational downtime.

[0107] While the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity and understanding, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant arts, once they have been made familiar with this disclosure that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the true scope of the invention in the appended claims.