BR112015008327B1 - CLEANING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GLASS BOTTLES USING A CLEANING ADDITIVE - Google Patents

Abstract

cleaning additive and cleaning method using the same. The present invention discloses a glass bottle cleaning additive and a cleaning method for glass bottles, for use in cleaning treatment of glass bottles in a primary caustic tank and a secondary caustic tank, said cleaning additive consisting of a component a, a component b, a component c, wherein, component a contains an organic phosphine chelating agent, component b contains peroxide, and component c contains an anti-foaming agent, component a is added to the primary caustic tank, component b is selectively added to the primary caustic tank, component a and component b are added to the secondary caustic tank, and component c is selectively added to the primary caustic tank or the secondary caustic tank. the addition amount of component a is from 0.05% to 0.5%, the addition amount of component b is from 0.1% to 0.5%, and the addition amount of component c is from 0 to 0.5%. 0.5%, based on the weight of a caustic solution added to the primary caustic tank or the secondary caustic tank. the caustic solution in said primary caustic tank and said secondary caustic tank is generally a 1.5% to 3% sodium hydroxide solution. The glass bottle cleaning additive and the cleaning method for glass bottles of the invention enable good and stable cleaning effect at a relatively temperature, generally 50 to 70 degrees C.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001]The present invention provides a cleaning additive and a cleaning method using the same, for cleaning glass bottles in a primary caustic tank and a secondary caustic tank, which allows a good and stable cleaning effect at a relatively low temperature.

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE TECHNIQUE

[002] In cleaning technologies used for industrial purposes, selection processes and treatment of cleaning agents are varied respectively for different objects to be cleaned, such as glass bottles, metal containers, plastic cans or rubbers, due to to different materials, shapes and different physical and chemical properties of the containers.

[003]CIP (also known as Clean In Place), commonly used in the cleaning industry is an automatic and safe cleaning system and has been widely used in the advanced food, sanitary and pharmaceutical industries. CIP is generally used for cleaning large equipment, systems and devices, and is not suitable for cleaning small objects such as glass bottles.

[004]Recycled glass bottles are generally cleaned by a bottle cleaning machine with an industrial cleaning temperature generally set at 80°C to 90°C and a cleaning rate of 24,000 to 40,000 bottles per hour. The selection of a cleaning agent has a relatively large influence on the cleaning effect and cleaning rate. There are a variety of cleaning agents (mainly acids and alkalis) used in the food industry, among which sodium hydroxide and nitric acid are most widely used. In the glass bottle cleaning industry, alkaline cleaning in a caustic tank is generally adopted, with the addition of a cleaning additive during the alkaline cleaning process, in order to enhance the cleaning effect.

[005]Currently, glass bottle cleaning additives include chelating agents and surfactants. Chelating agents mainly include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), sodium gluconate, gluconic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, sodium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, organic phosphine, etc. alone or in combination. Surfactants are generally used as non-ionic surfactants and anti-foaming agents, etc.

[006] The main focus of glass bottle cleaning technologies lies in the complete removal of labels on the outside of a bottle and the removal of dirt inside and outside the bottle. How difficult it is to remove the label largely depends on the types of glue used during labeling and the weatherability of the label. Dirt from glass bottles mainly includes two types of dirt, namely mold stains, and mud and clay. Mold, mud and clay stains become very dry in the air, so that they stick firmly to the glass bottle, and the mouth of a glass bottle is usually smaller than an ordinary container, so that the dirt inside the bottle is very difficult to remove.

[007] Generally, repeated cleaning by cleaning equipment, or repeated manually rinsing, or high cleaning temperature, is necessary to achieve a good cleaning effect. Generally, when the cleaning temperature is increased every 10°C, the chemical reaction rate will be increased by 1.5 to 2.0 times, and the cleaning rate is also increased correspondingly, with good cleaning effect. .

[008] While increasing the cleaning temperature will help to shorten the cleaning time, or reduce the concentration of a cleaning agent, the energy consumption will be increased accordingly. Although it is theoretically assumed that mold is dried at 82°C, resulting in more difficult removal of dry dirt, it is actually considered in cleaning practice that the cleaning effect will be better by increasing the temperature, even the 90°C. Therefore, increasing the temperature is generally adopted in the cleaning industry to enhance the cleaning effect, and in order to remove the carbohydrates, proteins, tough dirt and other contaminants that are difficult to remove, on a glass surface, cleaning temperature is generally set at 80°C to 90°C and not lower than 60°C even under special circumstances. However, cleaning at a high temperature not only results in high energy consumption and high cost, but also has many potential safety hazards, increasing operational risk for operators, and making the working environment harsh.

[009] To overcome the above disadvantages in the prior art, the invention provides, especially for cleaning glass bottles, a new cleaning additive and a corresponding glass bottle cleaning method, which are particularly suitable for a caustic solution cleaning environment, and achieve the same or better cleaning effect at a relatively low temperature, thus saving energy and reducing production cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[010] The present invention provides a glass bottle cleaning technology for use in a caustic cleaning environment, and using the new cleaning additive and cleaning method of the present invention, the bottle cleaning temperature glass can be reduced to 50°C to 70°C, with the same or better cleaning effect, in order to improve productivity and save energy.

[011] In one aspect, the present invention provides a glass bottle cleaning additive for use in the cleaning treatment of glass bottles in a primary caustic tank and a secondary caustic tank, said cleaning additive consisting of a component A, a component B and a component C, where,

[012]Component A contains an organic phosphine chelating agent,

[013]component B contains peroxide, and

[014]Component C contains an anti-foaming agent,

[015]Component A is added to the primary caustic tank, component B is selectively added to the primary caustic tank, component A and component B are added to the secondary caustic tank, and component C is selectively added to the caustic tank primary or secondary caustic tank.

[016]Organic phosphine chelating agent includes, but is not limited to, amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP), 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP), ethylene diamine acid sodium tetra(methylene phosphonic) (EDTMPS), ethylene diamine tetra(methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMPA), diethylene triamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid) (DTPMPA), 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA), alcohol phosphate ester polyhydric acid (PAPE), 2-hydroxy phosphonoacetic acid (HPAA), hexamethylene diamine tetra(methylene phosphonic) acid (HDTMPA), polyamino polyether methylene phosphonate (PAPEMP), and bis(hexamethylene triamine penta(methylene phosphonic) acid) ( BHMTPMPA).

[017]Organic phosphine chelating agent has the effect of removing viscous dirt, and it can highly intensively penetrate and disperse the mold, mud and clay in glass bottles in order to effectively remove them. In addition, the organic phosphine chelating agent contained in the cleaning additive of the present invention is non-toxic to human body, promotes soil dissolution, has low equipment corrosion, and has good dirt inhibiting performance.

[018]Component A may also comprise any one or a mixture of two or more of gluconate, gluconic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid, preferably comprising sodium gluconate and gluconic acid.

[019] Generally, organic phosphine chelating agent is used to dissolve and disperse dirt in glass bottles and has strong dispersing and dissolving effects for mold, mud and clay in glass bottles in a caustic environment, but it has weak complexing power for metal ions, such as calcium, magnesium, iron ions etc.; however, gluconate, gluconic acid, lactic acid, citric acid or a mixture thereof is per se a chelating agent, has relatively strong complexing power for calcium, magnesium and iron salts, but has low removal power for other soils. After adding a component, such as gluconate or gluconic acid, the overall chelating effect of component A is significantly intensified. Therefore, when treating severely polluted glass bottles, any one or a mixture of two or more of gluconate, gluconic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid can be selectively added to component A.

[020] The present invention also comprises a component B containing a peroxide, and said peroxide comprises, but not limited to, one or any combination of hydrogen peroxide, sodium peroxide, sodium percarbonate, sodium perborate, magnesium peroxide , calcium peroxide, barium peroxide, potassium peroxide, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid, peroctanoic acid and ozone water. Said peroxide is preferably one or any combination of sodium percarbonate, sodium perborate and hydrogen peroxide. Alternatively, said peroxide is preferably one or any combination of magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide and barium peroxide.

[021] In the food industry, peroxides are generally used for sterilization and disinfection of food, but have never been used as a cleaning additive for glass bottles. The present inventor has found that, in a glass bottle cleaning process, the use of peroxides as part of a cleaning additive formulation in combination with other formulations can synergistically achieve a good cleaning effect.

[022] Generally, the mouth of a glass bottle is relatively small, so it is difficult to obtain a mechanical force for effective agitation inside the bottle to remove dirt, and there is a need for manual rinsing or repeated washing by the equipment, which results in in a reduction in productivity. Since the cleaning additive of the present invention is used in combination with the caustic solution in a caustic tank, the peroxide will release oxygen gas when it encounters the caustic solution, to generate bubbles in the cleaning solution, and the bubbles remain. generated in the solution will promote the agitation of the solution, resulting in a higher mechanical strength of the glass bottle to break the dirt and reduce the adsorption force between the dirt and the glass bottle, in order to make it easier to wash and remove the dirt. . At the same time, the peroxide has the oxidizing and de-composing effects of organic dirt, to make it easier to clean dirt in and out of the glass bottle. After adding the peroxide-containing component B, the cleaning additive of the present invention has a better cleaning effect compared to a common glass bottle cleaning additive, and therefore can achieve a cleaning effect that is the same as or better than the prior art at a relatively low temperature.

[023]Furthermore, these peroxides used in the present invention are relatively stable and low-cost, and generate substances after decomposition, which have no toxicity and side effects, achieving high safety and practical value when used in cleaning technology. glass bottle cleaning gift requested in the food industry. Component B is usually added to the secondary caustic tank to save on cost, and can be added to the primary caustic tank when treating severely polluted glass bottles.

[024] The cleaning additive of the present invention also comprises a C component, and the C component contains an anti-foaming agent, to provide an anti-foaming effect in the cleaning process. Antifoam agents include, but are not limited to, silicone polyether, fatty alcohol polyether, polyether ethylenediamine antifoam agents, or any combination thereof. Other antifoaming agents commonly used in the art may also be selected.

[025] In glass bottle cleaning, the bubble release of component B containing peroxide in the solution can intensify the generation of foam in a bottle cleaning machine, and the dirt carried by the glass bottle can also generate foam; in production, the generated bubbles help to intensify the mechanical force for cleaning, while at the same time, the generation of excessive foams should be controlled, because:

[026]Excessive foams can lead to insufficient contact between the glass bottle and the cleaning solution, to reduce the cleaning efficiency;

[027]Excessive foams can increase cleaning difficulty, lead to prolonging the subsequent spray cleaning procedure, and impose the risk of cleaning solution residue;

[028]Excessive foams will overflow from the bottle cleaning machine, to influence the sanitary condition of the production site.

[029] Therefore, after applying the component B of the present invention, if there is the phenomenon of excessive foams, the component C containing the anti-foaming agent can be added to the secondary caustic tank to inhibit the occurrence of the above harmful phenomenon. . If there is no excessive foaming, component C does not need to be added. Technologists can determine to add an appropriate amount of component C according to the condition of the site.

[030] As the cleaning additive of the present invention takes into account and uses the synergistic action of the peroxide and the defoaming agent, the same or better cleaning effect compared to the prior art is performed at a relatively low temperature ( 50 to 70°C), at the same time greatly enhancing the glass bottle cleaning effect (oxidation and intensified mechanical force), and simultaneously the negative effects caused by excessive foams can be eliminated.

[031] The defoaming agent of the present invention is preferably a mixture of a polyether siloxane polymer, polyoxypropylene polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ether and polyoxypropylene polyoxyethylene ethylenediamine ether in a ratio of 1-3:6:9, preferably 1 :2:3. Alternatively, the defoaming agent of the present invention is a mixture of a non-alkyl-terminated fatty alcohol alkoxy polymer, an alkyl-terminated fatty alcohol alkoxy polymer, and polyoxypropylene polyoxyethylene ethylenediamine ether in a ratio of 3-5: 6:9, preferably 1:2:3. The non-alkyl terminated fatty alcohol alkoxy polymer and the alkyl terminated fatty alcohol alkoxy polymer are generally methyl terminated C4-C18 fatty alcohol polyalkoxy compounds.

[032] Silicone anti-foaming agent can form a low surface energy film on a medium, allowing air bubbles to be continuously broken and moved to form larger bubbles, in order to effect anti-foaming action, and the Silicone anti-foaming agent also has a significant foam-inhibiting effect, and can prevent foam generation when breaking foams. However, silicone anti-foaming agents have poor compatibility and are difficult to emulsify. A polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ether is an effective polymer defoaming agent, and can enter the bimolecular foam film to bring about a local reduction of surface tension on the film while maintaining a relatively large surface tension on the part of the rest of the film, the end of breaking foams; however, as an anti-foaming agent, the emulsified particles thereof must be larger than 50 μm, otherwise they may only accelerate the generation of foams or have a stabilizing effect on foams and thus have certain disadvantages in their production. and application specific. The preferred defoaming agent of the present invention combines silicone and polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ether to eliminate their respective disadvantages through synergistic action, and obtain a good defoaming effect by using both at the same time.

[033]Each component of the cleaning additive of the present invention can be added to different caustic tanks separately, and based on the weight of caustic solution added in the primary caustic tank or secondary caustic tank, the amount of addition of component A is 0 .05% to 0.5%, the addition amount of component B is 0.1 to 0.5%, and the addition amount of component C is 0% to 0.5%. The caustic solution in the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank is generally a 1.5% to 3% sodium hydroxide solution.

[034] Component A containing organic phosphine chelating agent can highly intensively penetrate and disperse mold, mud and clay in glass bottles, to effectively remove viscous dirt; After the dirt is dispersed, the component B containing the peroxide can perform the oxidation more effectively, to decompose the organic dirt that is difficult to be removed and on the other hand, facilitate the component A containing the chelating agent of organic phosphine. to further remove dirt in order to facilitate cleaning of the glass bottle in the subsequent procedure. However, since the peroxide contained in the cleaning additive of the present invention releases oxygen gas under the action of the caustic solution in the caustic tank, to generate bubbles in the cleaning solution, the bubbles continuously generated in the solution increase the agitation of the solution, resulting in greater mechanical force to break up dirt and reduce the adhesion force between the dirt and the glass bottle, in order to make it easier to clean the dirt. With the synergistic action of the peroxide and the defoaming agent, the present invention achieves the same or better cleaning effect compared to the prior art at a relatively low temperature, while greatly enhancing the cleaning effect of the glass bottle. (oxidation and intensified mechanical force), and eliminates the negative effects caused by excessive foams simultaneously.

[035] The selection of the components of the cleaning additive of the present invention is obtained by the present inventor through many experiments, whose components act synergistically and stably, to effectively clean glass bottles at a relatively low temperature (generally, 50°C at 70°C), effectively remove labels on recycled glass bottles, and achieve a significant cleaning effect (even better than that achieved by a conventional method at 80°C) on glass bottles containing severe mold stains, dirt from mud or clay. Generally, a caustic solution at a high temperature has stronger corrosivity, and in the cleaning process, it can easily cause labels to break in the caustic tank, leading to difficult label removal, and severe corrosion for glass bottles. Therefore, with the cleaning additive of the present invention, low temperature cleaning can be performed, which facilitates complete removal of labels, facilitates cleaning and maintenance of the caustic tank, and reduces corrosion for glass bottles.

[036] In another aspect, the present invention provides a glass bottle cleaning method using the cleaning additive of the present invention to clean glass bottles, comprising the steps of:

[037]add component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent to a caustic solution from a primary caustic tank, selectively add component B to the primary caustic tank and mix them thoroughly; adding component A containing the organic phosphine chelating agent and component B containing a peroxide to a caustic solution from a secondary caustic tank downstream, and mixing them thoroughly;

[038] i immerse the glass bottles in the primary caustic tank, get in sufficient contact with the mixed solution in the primary caustic tank;

[039]Transfer and immerse the glass bottles into the secondary caustic tank downstream, after they have left the primary caustic cleaning tank, to come into sufficient contact with the mixed solution in the secondary caustic tank and selectively adding component C containing an anti-foaming agent; and

[040] move the glass bottles out of the secondary caustic tank, and subject them to spray cleaning.

[041] In cleaning steps (i)-(iii), the temperatures in the primary caustic tank and in the secondary caustic tank can be set and maintained in a range of 50°C to 80°C, or in a range of 50°C to 70°C.

[042] The cleaning method of the present invention comprises, before step (i), pre-spraying, pre-soaking and pre-heating the glass bottles, to remove surface dirt that is easy to remove and facilitate cleaning. subsequent cleaning steps.

[043] In the cleaning process, technologists can determine whether there is a need to add an effective amount of component C containing the defoaming agent to perform the defoaming treatment if foaming occurs. Component B is usually added to the secondary caustic tank, but can also be added to the primary caustic tank when treating severely contaminated glass bottles, to enhance the cleaning effect.

[044] Generally, when cleaning the glass bottles in the primary caustic tank, foams can be generated due to the dissolution and dispersion of dirt, and technologists can determine if there is a need to add the C component containing the defoaming agent. to the primary caustic tank, to carry out the defoaming treatment, according to the foam condition.

[045] When performing a spray treatment for the glass bottles, there is usually a need to gradually reduce the temperature for spray cleaning the glass bottles to avoid breaking the glass bottles due to non-uniform heating.

[046] In the cleaning process, a step to remove peeled labels from the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank can also be included. Therefore, with a low temperature treatment, the cleaning method of the present invention is advantageous in maintaining the integrity of the labels, in order to facilitate the removal of peeled labels by label removal equipment, such as a label remover, and consequently , facilitates cleaning and maintenance of a caustic tank.

[047] Meanwhile, the caustic solution and components A, B and C are consumed in a certain amount after cleaning for a certain time, and a corresponding concentration monitoring is performed to help technologists to determine if There is a need for food supplementation, to maintain an appropriate concentration of cleaning solution, in order to carry out continuous cleaning and achieve a stable cleaning effect.

[048] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a glass bottle cleaning system using the glass bottle cleaning additive of the present invention to clean glass bottles, said cleaning system comprising:

[049]a primary caustic tank;

[050]a secondary caustic tank located downstream;

[051] a spray cleaning device located downstream of the secondary caustic tank;

[052]a glass bottle transport device for transporting glass bottles between parts of the glass bottle cleaning system.

[053] The caustic solution in the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank is usually a 1.5% to 3% sodium hydroxide solution, and the temperatures in the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank are set at 50 °C to 80 °C, or 50 °C to 70 °C.

[054] The cleaning system of the present invention also comprises a pre-treatment device located upstream of the primary caustic tank for pre-spraying, pre-soaking and pre-heating; a concentration monitoring system to monitor the concentrations of the caustic solution and components A, B and C; and corresponding power devices. The cleaning system of the present invention also comprises a label remover connected to the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank respectively, to remove peeled labels in time.

[055] The terms "primary caustic tank" and "secondary caustic tank" used in the present invention both refer to a container for accommodating a caustic solution, and the differences between "primary caustic tank" and "secondary caustic tank" are that the secondary caustic tank is located downstream of the primary caustic tank, and the secondary caustic tank may comprise one or more independent caustic tanks.

[056] The advantages of the present invention are that, through the use of the cleaning additive and glass bottle cleaning method of the present invention, the operating temperature of the cleaning equipment is reduced, making the operation safer and more efficient. comfortable, wear and tear on equipment are reduced at low temperature, with chilled water consumption and energy consumption being reduced, and low temperature treatment is advantageous in prolonging the life of recycled glass bottles and in the equipment cleaning and maintenance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[057] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating the glass bottle cleaning procedure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[058] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram comparing the average mold stain removal rate achieved by cleaning at 60°C in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with those achieved by cleaning at 60°C and 80°C. C according to the state of the art.

[059] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram comparing the average mud and sludge removal rate achieved by cleaning at 60°C in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with those achieved by cleaning at 60°C and 80°C according to the state of the art.

[060] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram comparing the average label removal time achieved by cleaning at 60°C in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention with those achieved by cleaning at 60°C and 80°C of according to the state of the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[061] In general, the cleaning effect is influenced by the following four factors:

Cleaning agent and concentration thereof

[062]The selection of a cleaning agent refers to the type of dirt and material of a surface to be cleaned. For different materials, it is necessary to select a suitable cleaning agent, which not only improves the cleaning effect, but also protects an object being cleaned from corrosion. However, an increase in the concentration of a cleaning agent can shorten the time to clean properly or compensate for an insufficient cleaning temperature. However, increasing the concentration of a cleaning agent leads to an increase in the cost of cleaning; furthermore, the increase in concentration may not necessarily improve the cleaning effect efficiently, and sometimes it may even lead to a longer cleaning time.

cleaning time

[063]The longer the cleaning time with a cleaning agent, the better the cleaning effect. However, the extension of cleaning time means a reduction in productivity and an increase in the cost of production. If the cleaning time is shortened blindly, it is possible that a desired cleaning effect cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is necessary to determine an appropriate cleaning time according to actual conditions in industrial applications.

cleaning temperature

[064]Cleaning temperature refers to a temperature at which a cleaning agent is maintained during a cleaning cycle, whose temperature should be kept constant during the cleaning process. If sodium hydroxide is used, the temperature will generally be 80°C to 90°C; if nitric acid is used, the temperature will generally be 60°C to 80°C. Raising the cleaning temperature can help shorten cleaning time or reduce the concentration of a cleaning agent, but the corresponding energy consumption will be increased. Mechanical cleaning force

[065] Generally, a certain flow rate of a cleaning agent is ensured during cleaning to improve fluid turbulence in order to intensify an impact force of the cleaning agent, so that a certain mechanical action can generated in the cleaning process, thus resulting in a good cleaning effect.

[066] Through the synergistic action of its components, the cleaning additive of the present invention intensifies the mechanical cleaning strength and cleaning effect over the same cleaning time without increasing the concentration, and can achieve the same or better cleaning effect at a relatively low temperature.

[067]The cleaning additive and cleaning method of the present invention also fully take into account the following factors, i.e. they need to remove a label entirely to prevent the label from falling apart, to prevent it from falling apart. the ink and label colors are dissolved, to reduce the possibility of foaming in the cleaning process and to avoid a harmful sticking reaction.

[068] The specific modalities mentioned and described in the present invention are used only for illustrative purposes and detailed description of technical solutions of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[069]The cleaning additive of the present invention can be used with existing bottle cleaning machine equipment, such as a single-end bottle cleaning machine system or a bottle cleaning machine system. double-ended, without the need for specific cleaning equipment, and thus has a wide range of application.

[070] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic flowchart of low temperature cleaning performed using the cleaning additive of the present invention on an existing bottle cleaning machine system. During cleaning, glass bottles are fed from an inlet of the bottle cleaning machine system, where each of the bottles is loaded into a corresponding bottle case or other similar conveyors, wetted through pre-spraying, pre-soaking, pre-heating, etc., by a pre-treatment device, with some of the loose dirt washed away, and then entering a primary caustic tank. A caustic solution is added to the primary caustic tank in advance, which caustic solution is usually a solution of sodium hydroxide in a concentration of 1.5% to 3%. To the primary caustic tank is added a component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent (such as HEDP) in a concentration of 0.05% to 0.5%, based on the weight of the caustic solution in the primary caustic tank. In case the contamination of glass bottles is very severe, 0.1% to 0.5% of a component B containing a peroxide (such as sodium percarbonate) can also be added to the primary caustic tank. The primary caustic tank cleaning temperature is set and maintained in a range of 50°C to 70°C during the cleaning process. In the primary caustic tank, the glass bottles come in contact with the caustic solution and the cleaning additive sufficiently so that most of the labels are peeled off there, and transported by a label removal device (eg. (e.g. a hinged label removal belt). Dirt such as mold, mud and clay and so on is also dispersed and dissolved under the action of the cleaning solution in the primary caustic tank.

[071]0.05% to 0.5% of a component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent (such as ATMP) and 0.1% to 0.5% of a component B containing a peroxide (such as hydrogen) are added to a secondary caustic tank downstream, said concentrations being based on the weight of the caustic solution in the secondary caustic tank. The glass bottles enter the secondary caustic tank along the conveyor. In the secondary caustic tank, labels, which have not been completely peeled, are additionally peeled here and then transported away from the bottle cleaning machine system. The dirt in the glass bottles is completely dispersed and dissolved in the secondary caustic tank under the action of the cleaning solution.

[072] Due to the addition of component B containing peroxide and the action of the caustic solution in the secondary caustic tank, bubbles are generated, which increase the mechanical strength for cleaning glass bottles. During the cleaning process, technologists can adjust the amount of addition of a C component, according to a foaming condition in place in the bottle cleaning machine system, and the concentration of the addition can be from 0 to 0 .5%, based on the weight of the caustic solution in the caustic tank.

[073]Subsequently, the bottles enter a spray zone after they have been removed from the secondary caustic tank. After hot water spraying, warm water spraying and cold water spraying, the temperature of the glass bottles per se is gradually reduced, and the dirt inside and outside the bottles and the cleaning solution adhered to the bottles are released. Finally, clean bottles come out from an outlet of the bottle cleaning machine. They can be fed into a filling zone for packaging beer or other beverages.

[074] In addition, it is generally necessary to detect the cleaning of clean glass bottles between the bottle cleaning machine and the filling zone. The empty bottle inspection rate (EBIR) is an important index to assess the cleaning effect and quality of recycled bottles. An empty bottle inspector (EBI) uses a technique of detecting the bottle body, bottle bottom and bottle mouth through a high resolution camera of more than 360 degrees, and compares them with a standard bottle, from so as to exclude unqualified bottles. The high empty bottle inspection rate will influence the working efficiency of subsequent procedures, such as a beer or drink filling procedure, etc. Therefore, productivity can be improved effectively by improving the cleaning efficiency of recycled bottles and reducing the empty bottle inspection rate (EBIR).

[075]With component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent, which can highly intensively penetrate and disperse mold, mud and clay in glass bottles, being added to the primary caustic tank, viscous dirt can be removed efficiently; After the dirt is dispersed, with component B containing the peroxide being added to the secondary caustic tank, oxidation can be carried out more effectively, to decompose organic dirt that is difficult to remove and on the other hand, help component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent in the caustic tank to further remove dirt in order to facilitate cleaning of the glass bottles in subsequent procedures. However, since the peroxide component B contained in the cleaning additive of the present invention releases oxygen gas under the action of the caustic solution in the caustic tank, bubbles are generated in the cleaning solution, and the bubbles continuously generated in the solution increase the agitation. of the solution, resulting in a higher mechanical force, thus breaking the dirt, and reducing the adsorption force between the dirt and the glass bottle, in order to make it easier to clean the dirt. Meanwhile, the present invention employs the synergistic action between the peroxide component B and the defoaming agent component C, which achieves the same or better cleaning effect at a relatively low temperature (50°C to 70°C) at the same time. which notably enhances the cleaning effect of glass bottles (oxidation and intensified mechanical force), and at the same time also takes into account the potential negative influence that peroxide possibly results in excessive foams.

[076] In addition, those skilled in the art can determine the amount of addition of each of the cleaning additive components according to factors such as the degree of contamination of the glass bottles, the nature of the contaminants, the cleaning process, etc., and a generally desired cleaning effect can be achieved with an addition amount within a concentration range defined in the present invention, considering that there is no need to use too much cleaning additive, leading to an increase in the cost of cleaning.

[077] During the cleaning process, the concentration of the caustic solution and the concentration of the cleaning additive in the caustic tank continuously reduce, so there is a need for technologists to detect the concentrations periodically and supplement them in time, or to supplement the alkali and the additive by a specific addition equipment in order to maintain a certain concentration to ensure the cleaning effect.

[078] The cleaning additive and glass bottle cleaning method of the present invention can effectively clean recycled bottles at a relatively low temperature. Lowering the cleaning temperature can undoubtedly save energy, improve the operating environment, and also additionally promote the cleaning effect substantially. Apparently, a caustic solution at a high temperature has a strong negative influence on the breakage of labels per se or on the dissolution of ink from the labels, whereas the technology of cleaning at a low temperature overcomes this shortcoming. In this way, it is more advantageous to clean and maintain the cleaning equipment itself. Furthermore, data from experiments showed that the glass bottle cleaning additive of the present invention has an obvious effect in cleaning glass bottles severely contaminated by mold, mud or clay stains, even exceeding the cleaning effect of the state of the glass. technique at 80°C.

[079] In order to further describe the beneficial effects of the cleaning additive and the low temperature cleaning technology of the present invention, the following comparison tests were performed by the applicant simulating on-site cleaning conditions in the laboratory.

Experiment 1: mildew stain removal test

[080]All tests employed recycled glass bottles of the same type from the same factory at the same time and with similar degrees of mold stain contamination. Each set of tests employed 8 samples of recycled bottles of the type, and the mold stain level for each glass bottle was observed and recorded. The situation with the most severe mold stains was defined as level 5, while the situation without mold stains was defined as level 0. The mold stain levels of each glass bottle before and after cleaning were recorded. The specific testing processes were as follows:

Control test I for mildew stain cleaning

[081] Select recycled glass bottles with similar mildew stain degrees, record the initial stages of mold stains and assess the mold stain level of each glass bottle;

[082] Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, each of the cleaning solutions contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and 0.2% of a Stabilon BPU cleaning additive, a bottle cleaning additive product with relatively good mold removal performance from Ecolab Company;

[083]Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution first, taking out the bottles after they have been em- drinks for 7 minutes, then pour the solution out of the bottles completely;

[084]Place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, then remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 3 minutes and pour the solution out of the bottles completely;

[085] Wash the inside and outside of the bottles with hot and cold water in sequence; and

[086] Smear bottles with methylene blue, then observe and record mold stain levels after cleaning.

[087]Table 1: Mold stain levels of glass bottles after cleaning at 60°C by the state of the art

Control test II for mold stain cleaning

[088] Said control test I was repeated except that the cleaning temperature was set to 80°C, providing the following data:

[089]Table 2: Mold stain levels of glass bottles after cleaning at 80°C by the state of the art

Control test III for mildew stain cleaning

[090] Said control test I was repeated except that a formulation A of the cleaning additive of the present invention without a peroxide was used to replace the cleaning additive Stabilon BPU in the above test, where formulation A was a mixture of 15% sodium gluconate, 15% amino trimethylene phosphonic acid and 70% water, and the following data were obtained:

[091] Table 3: Mildew stain levels after cleaning at 60°C using formulation A of the cleaning additive of the present invention without the addition of peroxide

IV mildew stain cleaning test using the cleaning additive of the present invention

[092] Select recycled glass bottles with similar mildew stain degrees, record the initial stages of mold stains and assess the mold stain level of each glass bottle;

[093] Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, the first cleaning solution containing 2% sodium hydroxide and 0.2% formulation A; and the second cleaning solution contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and a total concentration of 0.2% of formulation A and formulation B;

[094]wherein formulation A was a mixture of 15% sodium gluconate, 15% amino trimethylene phosphonic acid and 70% water, and formulation B was a 50% hydrogen peroxide solution;

[095]3) Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution, taking the bottles out after 7 minutes, and then pouring the solution of bottles completely;

[096]4) Place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, then remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 3 minutes and pour the solution out of the bottles completely;

[097]5) Wash the inside and outside of the bottles with hot and cold water in sequence; and

[098]6) Smear bottles with methylene blue, then observe and record mold stain levels after cleaning.

[099]Table 4: Mildew stain levels after cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive (formulation A + formulation B) of the present invention

[0100]After completion of the experiments, mold stain removal rates were obtained from the data obtained in tables 1 to 4 above according to the computation equation for mold stain removal rate, and Average values of the 8 bottles were plotted to obtain figure 2.

[0101]Mold stain level before cleaning - mold stain level after cleaning and % mildew stain removal rate = x 100% / mold stain level before cleaning.

[0102] As shown in Tables 1 to 4 or Figure 2, it is evident that the mold stain removal rate for cleaning at 80°C by a conventional method is higher than at 60°C under identical conditions, indicating that increasing the temperature improves the cleaning effect significantly. It is evident that the mildew stain removal effect of using a single component of the cleaning additive of the present invention (without adding a peroxide) is not as good as that of using the cleaning additive of the present invention under the synergistic action of its components. Finally, the rate of mildew stain removal achieved by cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive of the present invention is even higher than that obtained by the conventional method at 80°C. Therefore, the cleaning additive of the present invention can achieve better cleaning effect at relatively low temperature.

Experiment 2: Mud and clay removal test

[0103]All tests employed recycled glass bottles of the same type from the same factory at the same time and with severe mud and clay contamination. Each test set employed 8 samples from recycled bottles of the type. During the experiments, the situation with the most severe mud and mud was set to level 5, while the situation without mud and mud was set to level 0, and the mud and mud levels of each glass bottle before and after cleaning were recorded. .

Control test I for cleaning mud and clay

[0104]Selecting recycled glass bottles with similar grades of mud and clay, recording the initial states of mud and clay, and evaluating the mud and clay levels of each glass bottle;

[0105]Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, each of the cleaning solutions contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and 0.2% of a Stabilon HP cleaning additive, a bottle cleaning additive product with relatively good mud and sludge removal performance from Ecolab Company;

[0106]Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution first, taking out the bottles after they have been soaked for 7 minutes , and then pouring the solution out of the bottles completely;

[0107]Place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, then remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 3 minutes and pour the solution out of the bottles completely;

[0108]Wash the inside and outside of the bottles with hot and cold water in sequence;

[0109]Observe and record mud and clay levels after cleaning.

[0110]Table 5: Levels of mud and clay of glass bottles after cleaning at 60°C and the state of the art

Control Test II for cleaning mud and clay

[0111]The above mud and clay cleaning test was repeated, except that the cleaning temperature was set at 80°C, and the following data in table 6 was obtained:

[0112]Table 6: Levels of mud and clay of glass bottles after cleaning at 80°C by , state of the art

Control test III for mud and clay cleaning

[0113] The mud and clay cleaning test I above was repeated except that a formulation C of the cleaning additive of the present invention without a peroxide was used to replace the Stabilon HP cleaning additive in the above test, where formulation C was a mixture of 20% lactic acid, 10% 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid and 70% water, and the following data were obtained:

[0114]Table 7: Mud and sludge levels after cleaning at 60°C using formulation C of the cleaning additive of the present invention without the addition of peroxide

IV mud and clay cleaning test using the cleaning additive (formulation C + formulation D) of the present invention:

[0115]Selecting recycled glass bottles with similar grades of mud and clay, recording the initial states of mud and clay, and evaluating the levels of mud and clay in the bottles;

[0116]Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, the first cleaning solution containing a 2% and 0.2% sodium hydroxide solution of formulation C; and the second cleaning solution contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and a total concentration of 0.2% of formulation C and formulation D; wherein formulation C was a mixture of 20% lactic acid, 10% 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid and 70% water, and formulation D was 50% sodium percarbonate;

[0117]Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution, taking the bottles out after 7 minutes, and then pour the solution of bottles completely;

[0118]Place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, then remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 3 minutes and pour the solution out of the bottles completely;

[0119]Wash the inside and outside of the bottles with hot and cold water in sequence;

[0120]Observe and record mud and clay levels after cleaning.

[0121]Table 8. Mud and clay levels after cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive of the present invention

[0122]After completion of the experiments, mud and sludge removal rates were obtained from the data obtained in tables 5 to 8 above according to a computation equation for mud and sludge removal rate, and the average values of the 8 bottles were plotted to obtain figure 3.

[0123]Mud and mud level before cleaning - mud and mud level after cleaning and % mud and mud removal rate = x 100% / mud and mud level before cleaning

[0124] As shown in Tables 5 to 8 or Figure 3, it is evident that the rate of mud and clay removal for cleaning at 80°C by a conventional method is higher than at 60°C under identical conditions, indicating that increasing the temperature improves the cleaning effect significantly. It is evident that the mud and clay removal effect of using a single component of the cleaning additive of the present invention (without adding a peroxide) is not as good as that of using the cleaning additive of the present invention under the synergistic action of its components. Finally, the mud and clay removal rate obtained by cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive of the present invention is even higher than that obtained by the conventional method at 80°C. Therefore, the cleaning additive of the present invention can achieve better cleaning effect at relatively low temperature.

Experiment 3: Label removal test

[0125]All tests employed recycled glass bottles from the same factory at the same time and with an identical degree of wear and tear on the labels. Each test set employed 8 samples of recycled bottles of the type, and the label removal time from each glass bottle was observed and recorded.

Control test I for label removal

[0126]Select recycled bottles with neck labels, front labels and back labels intact, and record the initial states of the labels;

[0127]Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, each of the cleaning solutions which contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and 0.2% of a Stabilon BPU cleaning additive, whose bottle cleaning additive commercially available is regarded as a bottle cleaning additive with relatively good mold removal, label removal and mud and sludge removal performance in the market; If the label removal time for the present low temperature cleaning technology in the laboratory is equivalent to or shorter than at 80°C using Stabilon BPU, the low temperature cleaning method can satisfy the requirements for removal of label in industrial production;

[0128]Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution, and start the timing;

[0129]Remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 7 minutes, and pour the solution out of the bottles completely; place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, and soak them until all the labels have been peeled off; and

[0130]Record the time when the bottleneck labels, front labels and back labels are peeled off, respectively.

[0131]Table 9: Label removal time (second) of glass bottles during cleaning at 60°C by the state of the art

Control test II for label removal

[0132]The above test was repeated, except that the cleaning temperature was set to 80°C, and the following data in table 10 was obtained:

[0133]Table 10: Time of label removal from glass bottles during cleaning in i by the state of the art

Control III test for label removal

[0134] Control test I above for label removal was repeated except that a formulation E of the cleaning additive of the present invention without a peroxide was used to replace the cleaning additive Stabilon BPU in said test, wherein formulation E was a mixture of 25% citric acid, 5% 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid and 70% water, and the following data were obtained:

[0135]Table 11: Label removal time from glass bottles during cleaning at 60°C, using formulation E of the cleaning additive of the present invention without adding a peroxide

IV label removal test using the cleaning additive of the present invention:

[0136]Select recycled bottles with neck labels, front labels and back labels intact, and record the initial states of the labels;

[0137]Prepare two cleaning solutions with tap water, the first cleaning solution containing a 2% and 0.2% sodium hydroxide solution of formulation E; and the second cleaning solution contained a 2% sodium hydroxide solution and a total concentration of 0.2% of formulation E and formulation F; wherein formulation E was a mixture of 25% lactic acid, 5% hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid and 70% water, and formulation F was 50% sodium perborate;

[0138]Heat the two cleaning solutions and keep them at a temperature of 60°C, take two glass bottles and soak them in the first cleaning solution, and start the timing;

[0139]Remove the bottles after they have been soaked for 7 minutes, and pour the solution out of the bottles completely; place the glass bottles in the second cleaning solution, and soak them until all the labels have been peeled off; and

[0140]Record the time when the bottleneck labels, front labels and back labels are peeled off, respectively.

[0141]Table 12: Label removal time from glass bottles during cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive (formulation E + formulation F) of the present invention

[0142]After completion of the experiments, the average values of removal time for the bottleneck labels, the front labels and the back labels respectively were calculated according to the data obtained in the above tables 9 to 12, and a value The maximum of the mean values was taken as the time required for all three labels to be fully peeled, with the results being shown in Figure 4.

[0143] As shown in Tables 9 to 12 or Figure 4, it is evident that the label removal time when cleaning at 80°C by a conventional method is obviously shortened compared to 60°C under identical conditions, indicating that increasing the temperature improves the cleaning effect significantly. It is evident that the label removal time when cleaning using a single component of the cleaning additive of the present invention (without adding a peroxide) is obviously longer than that when using the cleaning additive of the present invention under the synergistic action. of its components. Finally, the label removal time when cleaning at 60°C using the cleaning additive of the present invention is shorter than that performed at 80°C by the conventional method. Therefore, the cleaning additive of the present invention can achieve a better cleaning effect at a relatively low temperature.

Claims (9)

1. Method of cleaning for glass bottles using a cleaning additive, said cleaning additive consisting of a component A, a component B and a component C, wherein: component A contains an organic phosphine chelating agent, the component B contains a peroxide, and component C contains an anti-foaming agent, for cleaning glass bottles, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises the following steps: (i) adding component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent to a caustic solution from a primary caustic tank, selectively add to component B, and mix thoroughly; add component A containing an organic phosphine chelating agent and component B containing a peroxide to the caustic solution of a secondary caustic tank downstream, and mix them thoroughly; (ii) immerse the glass bottles in the primary caustic tank, to enter sufficiently contacting a mixed solution in the primary caustic tank; (iii) transferring and immersing the glass bottles into the downstream secondary caustic tank after they have left the primary caustic cleaning tank, to sufficiently come into contact with the mixed solution in the secondary caustic tank, and selectively adding component C containing an anti-foaming agent; and (iv) moving the glass bottles out of the secondary caustic tank, and subjecting them to spray cleaning; wherein in said steps (i) to (iii), the temperatures in the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank are 50°C to 70°C, wherein component A also comprises any one or a mixture of two or more of gluconate, gluconic acid, lactic acid and citric acid. 2. Cleaning method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said method comprises pre-spraying, pre-immersion and pre-heating treatments of glass bottles before step (i). 3. Cleaning method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said method comprises selectively adding component C containing an anti-foaming agent to the primary caustic tank to carry out an anti-foaming treatment during step (ii) . 4. Cleaning method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that in step (iv), the temperature for cleaning by spraying the glass bottles is gradually reduced. 5. Cleaning method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said method further comprises a step of removing peeled labels from the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank, a step of monitoring the concentrations components A, B and C and the caustic solution, and a feed step to supplement components A, B and C and the caustic solution. 6. A glass bottle cleaning system which employs a glass bottle cleaning additive, said cleaning additive consisting of a component A, a component B and a component C, wherein: component A contains a organic phosphine chelating agent, component B contains a peroxide, and component C contains an anti-foaming agent, for cleaning glass bottles, said cleaning system CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises: a primary caustic tank; a caustic tank secondary located downstream; a spray cleaning device located downstream of the secondary caustic tank; and a glass bottle transport device for transporting glass bottles between parts of the glass bottle cleaning system; wherein the temperatures in the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank are set at 50°C to 70°C, in whereas component A also comprises any one or a mixture of two or more of gluconate, gluconic acid, lactic acid and citric acid, wherein component A is added to the primary caustic tank, component B is selectively added to the primary caustic tank , component A and component B are added to the secondary caustic tank, and component C is selectively added to the primary caustic tank or the secondary caustic tank. 7. Cleaning system, according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the caustic solution in said primary caustic tank and in said secondary caustic tank is a 1.5% to 3% sodium hydroxide solution. 8. Cleaning system, according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said cleaning system comprises a pre-treatment device for pre-spraying, pre-immersion and pre-heating located upstream of the caustic tank primary. 9. Cleaning system, according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that said cleaning system comprises feeding devices and concentration monitoring devices for the caustic solution and components A, B and C, and comprises and a label remover connected to the primary caustic tank and the secondary caustic tank, respectively, to remove the peeled glass bottle labels.

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