ALKASOLVENT LIQUID 
IMO
HEAVY-DUTY ALKALINE TANK CLEANER
• Highly effective for cleaning after drying, semi-drying and non-drying natural oils and fats.
• Cleaning of cargo holds, refrigerated holds and containers.
• Ideal to use for cleaning after coal and pet coke.
• Rapid emulsifier of vegetable, animal and fish sediments.
• Final treatment for cleaning tanks from “black to white” or “black to grain”.
• Free from petroleum solvents, non-flammable.
• Can be used as an acid-neutralizing agent.
• Can be used for tank deodorizing.
• Can be mixed in all proportions with fresh or seawater.
• Safe to use on most ferrous metal surfaces.
• Easy to use and can be automated.
• IMO-approved, minimizing environmental concerns.
DESCRIPTION
ALKASOLVENT LIQUID is a powerful liquid alkaline tank degreasing agent based on strong surface-active agents to remove oils and greases.
Alkaline cleaning blends alkalinity sources with a balanced amount of surfactants to constitute a highly effective metal cleaner. The concentrate is dissolved in water and, in combination with mechanical action and temperature, generally removes most contaminants.
High-alkalinity products, such as ALKASOLVENT LIQUID, saponify fats and vegetable oils into soluble soaps. These alkaline salts also neutralize acidic contaminants and aid in dispersing oils. The primary advantage of ALKASOLVENT LIQUID is that it is an effective cleaner, even on the most tenacious soils. It will clean just about any oil, grease or metalworking fluid.
ALKASOLVENT LIQUID is IMO-approved. Only cleaners registered in Annex10 of IMO’s MEPC.2/Circular can be used and disposed of at sea for cargo tank cleaning, when the cargo residue slops are disposable at sea.
APPLICATION
ALKASOLVENT LIQUID has an extensive application on most tank cleaning operations. It is applied as a diluted solution to remove greases, vegetable and animal oils, pet coke deposits, dirt and grime. It is also suitable when there is a large amount of soil to be cleaned.
ALKASOLVENT LIQUID may be used as an effective deodoriser of refrigerating cargo holds, or petroleum-based tanks. It can also be used as a general purpose cleaner to remove oil and grease from surfaces in the engine and deck departments or other areas, where dirt and oil are encountered. Very effective in cleaning boiler fire side tubes.
USE AND DOSING
Instructions are based on experience and are meant only as a guide since circumstances for each tank cleaning operation vary. They are not intended to interfere with the judgment of the vessel’s responsible personnel.
Precleaning tanks with high pressure water is highly recommended since large deposits of oil or other residues in the tank must be removed to ensure an effective cleaning operation. Furthermore, this prevents from polymerization and evaporation of the lighter oil fractions.
Dose rates of ALKASOLVENT LIQUID are mostly governed by: the amount of contamination, the degree of cleaning required, the number, and the capacity of tanks to be cleaned. The recommendations provided are designed to achieve optimum results and are meant only as a guide.
The most economical method of using ALKASOLVENT LIQUID is by direct injection followed by recirculation washing, using tank cleaning machines.
Use 3-5% of ALKASOLVENT LIQUID in fresh water and it is best if the solution is heated to 60-80°C. However, the polymerizing nature of some natural oils demand lower cleaning temperatures. For zinc silicate coatings use ALKASAFE CLEANER.
Cleaning Cargo Hold Tanks
Apply ALKASOLVENT LIQUID mixed 10 to 25% (ratio 1:9 to 1:3) in water, using spray equipment. If combined with FOAM BOOSTER, the chemicals will stick longer to the surface and thereby gain a longer working period and optimize the cleaning effect.
Leave chemicals on the bulkhead to react, but make sure that they do not dry on the surface.
Rinse and repeat the procedure if necessary.
Changing Refrigerated Cargoes
When changing refrigerated cargoes, the need may arise to clean holds to remove animal or vegetable fat and deodorise before the next cargo. A 5-10% solution of ALKASOLVENT LIQUID in fresh water can be used for this purpose, and may be sprayed on neat and high pressure hosed off.
Boiler Fire Side Cleaning
A 5-10% hot solution should be applied to the surfaces to be cleaned by spraying. Allow solution to penetrate for 20 minutes and flush off. For deposits which are very hard to remove, increase the concentration and repeat if necessary.
Advice on Rinsing
An important part of the cleaning process is the rinse stage. As the substrate leaves the cleaner stage, it carries spent cleaner, emulsified soils and other contaminants. If not immediately rinsed, these contaminants can redeposit on the part and become difficult to remove. The rinse must remove these unwanted materials and not interfere with subsequent operations.
Hot water can assist in rinsing; however, care must be exercised so that drying does not occur just before the rinse tank. Double rinsing is common, using either deionized water for spot-free parts or adding a corrosion inhibitor to the final rinse if rusting is a problem