Bio-based industrial cleaners

The first generation of bio-based cleaners utilized enzymes such as protease to improve laundry detergent performance. As enzyme production technology improved, detergent formulators began to add amylase, lipase, and other more specialized enzymes to their formulations. In the cleaner market, enzymes help boost surfactant performance by enhancing the water solubility of target compounds. With improved solubility, the compounds are efficiently washed away in the water.

While enzymes are effective in laundry detergents and even dish washing cleaners, institutional floor cleaners and heavy-duty concrete cleaners benefit from the addition of microbes in addition to the standard enzyme package. In the case of restaurant floors, we have evaluated a highly biodegradable surfactant package blended with biosurfactants, enzymes and preserved microbes. The benefits from this package over the surfactant only cleaner was:

• Improved removal of stains in tile grout
  
• Reduction in slip hazard caused by fatty acid film left by traditional cleaners
• Pest reduction (drain flies specifically) that breed on residual organics in floor drains
• Fewer plumber call outs related to grease clogging lines
  
  

With parking lots and concrete pads, bio-based cleaners can reduce the need for strong acids or bases while also lowering reliance on solvents. The bio-based product contains biosurfactants as a booster to the chemical surfactants/solvents. On parking lots, we note the following improvements over traditional cleaners:

• Improved stain removal with multiple applications
• Reduction in hydrocarbons in water collected in storm water retention basins
• Less risk to employees as the product had a more neutral pH than other cleaners