Vink Chemicals advises on industrial hygiene in the paint and coatings industry

In addition to hygiene concepts and audits, the hygiene experts at Vink Chemicals also offer technical advice on optimising plant hygiene in specific applications. Cleaning and biofilm removal, instead of disinfection, should be the target in production plants for paints, coatings and construction chemicals.

The topic of industrial hygiene is increasingly coming into focus in many industrial sectors and therefore, so is the awareness that biofilms should be removed from tanks and pipelines at regular intervals. The biocide-free system cleaners Vinkoclean SR1 (alkaline) and Vinkoclean SR3 (acidic), both developed by Vink Chemicals, are optimally tailored to this task as highly effective all-in-one cleaners for the sustainable removal of biofilms in industrial supply systems and production plants. They offer excellent cleaning performance against dirt and microbial contamination. Biofilms are infiltrated and dissolved, containers and pipes are cleaned even in inaccessible places. The system cleaners are economical to use and contain biodispersants for effective removal of dissolved contaminants, as well as surfactants for efficient cleaning. They are also easy to rinse off and wash out.

Plant hygiene: cleaning is more effective than disinfection

The regular application of Vinkoclean system cleaners enables a more efficient and sustainable use of biocides. Biofilms, sometimes built up over years in the pipes, can be removed very efficiently. In this way, plant hygiene is improved in the long term, product recalls are prevented and biocides can be used much more effectively and with far more restraint.

Tobias Rheinlaender is Sales Manager System Cleaner at Vink Chemicals and the right contact person for all questions concerning plant hygiene. He recommends regular system cleaning depending on the degree of contamination: "Cleaning can be carried out with relatively low effort and at reasonable cost during breaks in operation, for example over the weekend."

Rheinlaender reports that all biofilms are completely removed and discharged and explains: "We have had very good experiences with customers flooding the system with the Vinkoclean cleaning solution on Friday and leaving it filled over the weekend. Before production is restarted the system cleaner is drained off, along with all the contaminants that are harmful to the product. The system is then flushed and production can start again under optimal hygiene conditions.

Vinkoclean is economical in usage

Vinkoclean system cleaners are applied in a dilution ratio of 1:5 for initial plant sanitisation and subsequently in a ratio of 1:10 or 1:20 for the regular maintenance of operational hygiene. "We had the best results afer flooding for 24 hours with a 1:5 mixture," recommends Rheinlaender and adds: "After 48 hours, we were able to observe the same level of cleaning in a 1:10 and 1:20 mixture, so it is not advisable to proceed according to the motto ‘a lot helps a lot’."

In the case of urgent problems and particularly stubborn contamination, the cleaning effect can be intensified by the ECOLINE PIPE PURIFICATION cleaning process. It specifically ensures significantly higher flow velocities and a strong shearing effect on the surfaces.