SEPAWA® CONGRESS 2022 

Speaker: Sondre Lomeland

Company: Borregaard

Title: Cellulose Fibrils in Acid Cleaners

Abstract: Acid cleaners are used in a variety of applications to clean hard-to-remove stains where milder cleaners do not suffice. Depending on the application, rheology modifiers are added to tune the viscosity, stabilize the formulation, suspend particles, improve the spray pattern, adhesion to surface and more. The harsh conditions in acid cleaners make it difficult to implement rheology modifiers that perform well and are stable over time. Exilva® cellulose fibrils is a sustainable, non-toxic, and microplastic-free rheology modifier produced from Norwegian spruce wood pulp. It is a 100% bio-based product consisting of cellulose and water. The pulp fibers are processed into fibrils, that form a highly entangled 3D network with an extremely high surface area. The product exhibits properties such as shear-thinning behavior, high water holding capacity and good suspending abilities. The network of fibrils is stable in a wide range of conditions (pH, temperature, high-shear processing, salt content, surfactants) and the product is ready-to-use in water borne or polar solvent systems. Due to the extreme shear-thinning behavior, formulations with cellulose fibrils can be sprayed with a homogeneous spray pattern, even in challenging formulations (high viscosity, high surfactant concentration, extreme pH). Anti-sagging properties and a good vertical cling help formulate an efficient cleaner that improve the end-user safety. In this presentation, the following unique properties of cellulose fibrils in acid cleaners will be presented: - Adhesion to vertical surface - Long-term stability - Spray ability - Compatibility with different acids and surfactants