DeRouging

CERTIFIED AND ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING OF STAINLESS STEEL SURFACES

Stainless steel, consisting of a base of at least 11% chromium, forms a paper-thin protective coating rich in chromium oxide.  In practical applications, this protective or passive layer over time is depleted of chromium, and the remaining surface, rich in iron oxide gradually forms rouge.  The typical treatment for removal of these iron oxides has been removal by high-concentrated acids.  Though simple and effective, the handling and disposal of the acids is anything but simple.  With the introduction of "Diruneutra" developed by Ateco Services AG, Rheinfelden, and solely distributed in the United States by UltraClean Electropolish Inc., this neutral pH derouging agent makes the cleaning process safer, the disposal simpler, and overall is more cost effective then traditional acid solutions.

The Diruneutra product only targets and decomposes iron oxides and neither etches chromium or nickel and leaves an intact production system surface.  By monitoring the iron content in solution, the cleaning process is complete when the Fe content reaches a stable value after a certain period.  The typical treatment period is one to four hours at 70 to 80° C.  The completed solution has a neutral pH-value of 7, is void of heavy metals, and therefore can be easily disposed of down drain with no neutralization.

Visit our Literature section under the Resources tab to download a PDF of the Diruneatra product sheets.  For further discussion contact our offices at 877-823-7911.