Balance cleaning and environmental load

Challenges

A new detergent was developed using a new surfactant, but the problem was that it did not sufficiently remove oil stains...

Mr. J from R Company's Development Department, who was in charge of this project, looks back on the project as follows:

"When we interviewed our client about their needs, they told us, 'We have been using solvent-based cleaners up until now, but we would like to switch to water-based cleaners in order to comply with the PRTR Law and reduce the burden on the environment. We would like you to develop a water-based cleaner that removes oily stains well and does not take long to dry.'
So when developing a new water-based cleaner, we started looking for ingredients, focusing on surfactants... but from there it was really difficult." (J)

Conventional water-based cleaners have the following problems compared to solvent-based cleaners:

"Firstly, conventional water-based cleaners have been relatively ineffective at removing dirt such as oil and cutting fluid from metal surfaces.
Furthermore, water droplets would remain on the surface of the parts after cleaning, which could result in a longer drying process or traces of the water droplets remaining on the surface even after drying, resulting in a poor surface appearance for the parts.
In addition, the cleaning effect of water-based cleaners varies greatly depending on the temperature, so it is necessary to keep the water temperature at an appropriate level. Especially when cleaning with automatic cleaning equipment, it is necessary to properly manage the temperature and properties of the cleaning solution." (Mr. J)

In order to solve the issues with water-based cleaners, Mr. J and the rest of the development team ordered samples of several surfactants and created and evaluated prototype cleaners, but they were unable to effectively remove lubricants and other substances adhering to metal surfaces.

"In addition to the issue of cleaning power, it was also difficult to shorten the drying time after cleaning. Furthermore, some surfactants produce a lot of foam, which can reduce the cleaning effect depending on the shape of the parts. Foam can also get into the pumps and filter parts of the cleaning equipment, causing them to function poorly and in some cases leading to breakdowns." (J)

As the development deadline drew closer and closer, Mr. J and the other development team felt stuck, unable to find the optimal surfactant.

Solutions

A "high-performance surfactant" with high cleaning power against oil stains has been discovered, solving a difficult problem!

Continuing his search for surfactants, Mr. J came across SOFTANOL, a surfactant introduced by Nippon Shokubai on a website that introduces information on manufacturing products and technology.

SOFTANOL is a linear secondary alcohol-based nonionic surfactant that Nippon Shokubai has independently industrialized. It has excellent liquid properties and penetrating power, and is used in a wide range of fields, including household and industrial detergents. Intrigued, we immediately contacted Nippon Shokubai.

When Mr. J consulted about his current issues, a sales representative from Nippon Shokubai told him that they have a "low-foam" type of surfactant that is suitable for cleaning machine parts and processed metals, and that it is a surfactant that penetrates metal surfaces and lifts away oily components adhering to the surface, providing excellent cleaning power.

Furthermore, because SOFTANOL has low surface tension with respect to water, water droplets are less likely to remain on the surface and it dries quickly, which is expected to shorten the drying time after cleaning.It was also confirmed that it has low viscosity, a narrow gelling range, and can be used over a wide temperature range.

With its unique T-shaped structure, SOFTANOL has higher wetting properties than ordinary surfactants and is known to penetrate metal surfaces more easily, which made sense to me, so I immediately ordered a sample and began making prototypes.

As a result, we confirmed that the product had a high cleaning power against lubricating oil adhering to metal surfaces, that water droplets were less likely to remain after cleaning, and that there was little foaming during cleaning.

"We had several clients try out a prototype cleaner containing SOFTANOL, and they commented that it had improved cleaning power and shortened drying times, just as they had expected. They also gave positive feedback that it foamed less and was easy to use in automatic cleaning equipment, so we thought it would work." (Mr. J)

The R&D department at Company R has decided to use SOFTANOL as a surfactant for a new water-based cleaning agent, and is continuing to consult with Nippon Shokubai to consider more detailed formulations.

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