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Metal cleaning
High-performance dispersion for efficient, reliable, and sustainable metal cleaning
Enhance cleaning efficiency, extend bath lifetime, and improve surface quality
Functional Additives for Metal Pretreatment and Cleaning
Metal finishing processes such as painting, coating, surface treatment, and electroplating depend on exceptionally clean surfaces. Even trace amounts of oil, particles, or oxides can lead to coating defects, poor adhesion, plating failures, and costly rework.
At the same time, cleaning processes must deliver high performance while minimising chemical consumption, extending bath lifetime, and reducing effluent volumes. As environmental and safety requirements drive the transition from solvent-based cleaners to aqueous alkaline degreasers, formulators need additives that balance efficiency, robustness, and sustainability.
Common Challenges in Metal Cleaning
- Soil redeposition on cleaned parts
- Iron oxide accumulation in cleaning baths
- Reduced performance in hard water
- Scale formation on equipment
- Short bath lifetime
- High chemical consumption
Effective dispersion is central to addressing these challenges. By keeping oils, iron oxides, particles, and other soils suspended in the wash bath, dispersants help prevent redeposition on metal and equipment surfaces. This allows cleaning baths to tolerate higher soil loads, maintain performance for longer, and support more reliable metal pretreatment.
Biopolymer solutions for reliable cleaning performance
Borregaard’s lignosulfonate-based functional additives are designed to meet these challenges. Through effective dispersion and metal ion management, our solutions keep contaminants suspended in the wash bath, prevent redeposition, and ensure consistent cleaning performance, even under demanding conditions.
BROAD-SPECTRUM DISPERSION
BROAD-SPECTRUM DISPERSION
Effective across both inorganic and organic soils, helping maintain cleaning performance, reduce redeposition, and extend bath lifetime.
METAL ION CONTROL & SCALE PREVENTION
Helps reduce scaling, fouling, and unwanted deposits.
ROBUST PERFORMANCE IN HARSH CONDITIONS
Reliable performance in alkaline, high-temperature, and high-ion systems.
Performance data
Borregaard lignosulfonates have a long history of use in metal cleaning applications and are compatible with sensitive surface treatment and wastewater treatment operations. They are non-foaming and manufactured to strict specifications, supporting consistent quality, high purity, and reliable performance.
Reliable Cleaning Performance Under Challenging Conditions
Industrial cleaning baths must handle a wide range of contaminants while maintaining performance over time. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the robust dispersion capability of lignosulfonates under challenging conditions, including iron oxide in hard water and hydrophobic organic soils.
Unlike conventional synthetic dispersants, which can be sensitive to multivalent ions such as calcium and iron, lignosulfonates maintain strong dispersion performance across varying water chemistries. Their ability to disperse both inorganic particles and hydrophobic organic soils helps keep contaminants suspended, supporting cleaning efficiency and bath stability even as soil loads increase.
What this means for customers
- Consistent cleaning performance
- Reliable in soft and hard water
- Reduced soil redeposition
- Extended bath lifetime
- Improved process stability
- Effective against both inorganic and organic soils
Figure 1: Iron oxide dispersion in hard water (left to right: control, polyacrylate, and Borregaard lignosulfonate).
Figure 2: Dispersion of hydrophobic organic particles (left to right: control, polyacrylate, and Borregaard lignosulfonate).
Metal ion complexation
Multivalent metal ions such as calcium and iron can contribute to deposits and scale formation on metal and equipment surfaces. Lignosulfonates complex with these ions and help keep them dispersed in solution, reducing the risk of scale build-up and supporting bath stability, as illustrated in the image.
What this means for customers
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Reduced scale formation
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Improved bath stability
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Better hard-water tolerance
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More robust cleaning processes
Applications
Borregaard lignosulfonates can be used in a range of industrial metal cleaning and pretreatment applications, including:
- Alkaline degreasers
- Metal pretreatment systems
- Electroplating preparation
- Surface treatment operations
- Industrial parts cleaning
- Automotive component cleaning
- Coil coating pretreatment
- Metal finishing processes
Frequently asked questions
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What are lignosulfonates used for in metal cleaning?
Lignosulfonates are used as dispersants in metal cleaning formulations. They help keep contaminants such as oils, iron oxides, and particulate soils suspended in the cleaning bath, reducing redeposition and supporting consistent cleaning performance.
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How do lignosulfonates improve cleaning bath lifetime?
By dispersing contaminants and preventing deposits from forming on components and equipment, lignosulfonates help cleaning baths maintain performance at higher soil loads, extending bath lifetime and reducing maintenance requirements.
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Why choose lignosulfonates over conventional synthetic dispersants?
Unlike many conventional synthetic dispersants, lignosulfonates provide broad-spectrum dispersion of both inorganic and organic soils while maintaining performance in challenging water chemistries. They are also bio-based materials derived from renewable wood resources.
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Do lignosulfonates perform well in hard water?
Yes. Borregaard lignosulfonates maintain strong dispersion performance in both soft and hard water conditions. In metal cleaning systems, multivalent ions such as calcium and iron can reduce the effectiveness of some conventional dispersants and contribute to deposits, scale, or fouling. Lignosulfonates help keep these ions and contaminants dispersed in solution, supporting stable cleaning performance and improved bath stability.
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Can lignosulfonates be used in alkaline metal cleaners?
Yes. Borregaard lignosulfonates are suitable for aqueous alkaline metal cleaning systems and remain stable under demanding operating conditions, including high pH, elevated temperatures, and varying water qualities. They help disperse oils, iron oxides, particles, and other soils, reducing redeposition and supporting consistent cleaning performance in alkaline degreasers and metal pretreatment processes.
Why choose Borregaard lignosulfonates
BIO-BASED CHEMISTRY
Water-soluble biopolymers derived from natural wood lignin.
FORMULATION FLEXIBILITY
Available as liquids, powders, and microgranules to support a wide range of formulation and handling requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE
Known for a benign environmental profile and low toxicity. Exempt from REACH registration.
PROVEN EXPERTISE
PROVEN EXPERTISE
Backed by the industry's broadest lignosulfonate portfolio and long-standing experience in purified grades.