AQUALIC™ FN-001: A High-Performance Polymeric Cleaning Agent for Dishwashing Agents and CIP Cleaners

Dishwasher detergents and clean-in-place (CIP) cleaners can benefit from high-performance chelating agents that improve ingredient efficiency while being safer and more environmentally friendly than amino carboxylic acid-based alternatives.

Nippon Shokubai’s AQUALIC™ FN-001 fits the bill, offering a high-performance polymeric chelating agent with excellent chelating capacity, anti-redeposition properties and hard-water resistance.

Less Ingredients, More Environmentally Friendly

Ideal for hard surface cleaners, AQUALIC™ FN-001 enhances cleaning performance while reducing the need for other required ingredients. For example, its use in alkaline detergents lowers the amount of alkali agents. At the same time, it can also replace other common chelating agents due to its high performance.

Here are some example model formulations of AQUALIC™ FN-001 with less alkaline amount:

Compared to amino carboxylic acid-based chelating agents like sodium triphosphate (STPP), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) derivatives, AQUALIC™ FN-001 is safer and more environmentally friendly. And, it provides higher chelating capacity, dispersion and cleaning performance than both amino carboxylates and sodium polyacrylic acids.

High Chelating Capacity

AQUALIC™ FN-001 provides a higher chelating capacity of calcium ions in both neutral and alkaline conditions compared to typical chelating agents (MGDA/EDTA/citric acid), as well as Nippon Shokubai’s polyacrylic acid, AQUALIC™ YS-100. To test this performance, we used an ion electrode to measure the prevalence of free calcium ions in a 1-millimolar calcium ion solution with 200 parts per million of the chelating agent.

Here are the test results:

Figure 1: Chelating capacity of calcium ions.

Post-Cleaning Finish

After washing, AQUALIC™ FN-001 provides a better finished look with minimal scale thanks to its high chelating capacity and scale inhibition. Additionally, it includes a non-filming feature that performs well — even in environments with high hard water.

Here are results from washing a glass plate with AQUALIC™ FN-001:

Figure 2: Observations of a glass plate after washing.

FN-001 As A Dispersion Agent

In addition to their chelating performance, polymeric chelating agents like AQUALIC™ FN-001 provide high dispersion performance for stains and can act as a dispersion agent. We tested AQUALIC™ FN-001’s anti-redeposition performance with a glass plate and egg stain.

Here are the results:

Figure 3: Observation of a glass plate with an egg stain after an anti-redeposition test.

Washing Time Reduction

Because of AQUALIC™ FN-001’s excellent cleaning performance, in some cases it can even reduce washing time. Case in point, we compared washing times for egg stain removal:

Figure 4: The required time to remove all egg stains through washing.

As a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to amino carboxylic acid-based chelating agents, AQUALIC™ FN-001’s excellent performance enables detergents and CIP cleaners to use less alkali ingredients. Find out more on our product page.

To learn more about AQUALIC™ FN-001, enter your email below to download our technical document and safety data sheet.