Case Studies

Manufacturing

Case Studies:

Treo® General Purpose Cleaner Improves Cleaning While Reducing Environmental Impact

OPPORTUNITY:
The customer is a manufacturer of beer kegs. In their manufacturing process, the customer utilizes a product for cleaning the stainless steel prior to welding. Historically, this process has involved a caustic cleaner at high temperature on a belt spray washer. Following the spray wash, the parts were left with a residue that required manual wipe to remove. The customer began seeking an alternative due to these high chemical, energy, and labor costs and the associated environmental impact.

THE DUBOIS SOLUTION:
DuBois partnered with the manufacturer to improve cleaning and the environmental profile of their process cleaning application by implementing Treo General Purpose Cleaner (GPC).

Clean Keg Top Ready For Welding

Treo GPC is a multi-purpose, non-flammable mild cleaner, ideal for cleaning a variety of light to heavy industrial soils. It is designed to be highly concentrated to lower use costs, and versatile to rapidly penetrate a variety of tough soils. It has a mild pH for improved user safety and wastewater discharge. The customer charges their washer with Treo GPC at 2% by volume. It takes 20 gallons of concentrate to charge the tank. The operating temperature of the washer is 130°F (54°C).

The parts immediately appeared cleaner, coming out of the washer with minimal water spotting. The weld areas looked cleaner, and the parts required less hand wiping. The customer also found that the product had a longer bath life and resulted in less tank sludge and alkaline build-up on the washer, further decreasing the labor required for maintenance.

In addition to being less alkaline than the incumbent, Treo GPC is recognized by the EPA Safer Choice program. This program recognizes products for user safety and low environmental impact. Recognized products are non-corrosive, phosphate-free, and contain low to no VOCs. Ingredients are evaluated for low toxicity to humans and the environment, organic ingredients are readily biodegradable, and packaging materials are evaluated for sustainability. These products also must meet performance standards, benchmarked against comparable products, to ensure that they aren’t just green, but also work.

RESULTS AND BENEFITS:
• Replaces harsh caustic cleaner with EPA Safer Choice alternative
• Parts come out cleaner with minimal water spotting
• Weld areas look cleaner
• Cleaning requires less hand wiping; reduced manual labor, saving money on rags, and increasing output
• Reduced chemical spend: lower price per drum and longer bath life
• 20°F lower operating temperature; energy savings
• Reduced sludge in tank and alkaline build-up on washer; decreased maintenance requirements

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