Priya Poduval | March 12, 2020
The mechanism of action for cleaning enteric polymers is straightforward. Because enteric polymers are chemically acidic, their solubility and therefore their release is pH dependent. As a result, one would assume that they can be easily cleaned with alkaline chemistry or detergents.
The wrinkle to this simplistic view is that the polymers are rarely used on their own. They are formulated with other excipients to improve their processing efficiency, to improve film or matrix properties, or to extend their shelf life. Furthermore, coloring pigments such as titanium or iron oxide are frequently added into the enteric coating formulation.The result is often a tough and sticky residue bonded to the stainless steel.
Similar to how a hammer will put a screw into the wall, traditional approaches to cleaning enteric polymers will get the job done, but it won’t be pretty and there will be repercussions down the road.
Common Approach 1: A two detergent process of alternating highly alkaline detergents for the polymer and highly a highly acidic detergent for the insolubles. Challenges with this approach include:
Common Approach 2: Use of commodity products like sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide and solvents. Challenges with this approach include:
Although I’m not a handy [wo]man by any stretch of the imagination, I want to revisit the hammer and the screw analogy. There are thousands of different shapes and sizes of screws, and depending on if you are screwing into drywall, plaster, or concrete, you will need to make sure you match the right tool with the unique project at hand. The case at hand is a great example of requiring a detergent and process that target not only the enteric polymer, but the other ingredients too. If you want your equipment to look like this without manual scrubbing, then read on!
Here is the 3-step process we recommend for cleaning enteric polymers:
1. Select the Right Detergent
2. Follow Recommended Cleaning Procedure:
Step 1: Pre-rinse with WaterEfficient cleaning of Enteric polymers requires targeting the entire soil, not just the polymer. Our laboratory can replicate your soil and evaluate different cleaning detergents and processes. The image below is a representation of a coupon study that has simulated an enteric polymer with iron oxide in order to ensure we provided a solution for their soil, and not just the enteric polymer.
The industry trends of improving production efficiencies and increasing the safety of the environment and the processes for employees gives cleaning optimization an opportunity to play a key role in helping production teams reach their goals.
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