MechChem Africa November 2018

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Henkel has helped Entinox, a leading Spanish manufacturer of stainless steel beer kegs, to set up an innovative pickling and passivating line using a nitric acid-free Bonderite process. Nitric acid-free pickling of stainless steel

A significant challenge in pickling stainless steel lies in the removal of all scale, iron contamination andwelding oxides to achieve fully passivated surfaces with an even, clean and aesthetic finish. In the food industry and for key products such as beer kegs, the surface must also be absolutely free from any traces of pickling agents after the process. In addition, manu- facturersfaceincreasinglystricthealth,safety and environmental (HSE) regulations with regards to the release of potentially harmful substances, such as NOx emissions in air and nitrate effluents in water. “In our state-of-the-art keg plant at Zaragoza, we decided to implement Henkel’s BonderiteC-CP1300picklingandpassivating process because of its excellent combination of high productivity and uncompromising sustainability,” says JoséEnriqueGerona, gen- eral manager of Entinox. “Moreover, Henkel’s

expertswere instrumental inhelping us to set up and optimise the process.” BonderiteC-CP1300 is the latest genera- tion of Henkel’s established nitric acid-free cleaning technologies originally developed several years ago. In contrast to common mixed acid pickling systems, which are still used in many stainless steel segments today, noHNO 3 (nitric acid) is used, while delivering excellent pickling and passivating results. Furthermore, the absence of citric com- pounds also addresses the growing concern among beer brewers about residual flavours in the barrels. “Our Bonderite C-CP 1300 process was developedwith a clear target to eliminate the risks associated with nitric acid in traditional mixed acid pickling systems,” explains Ronald Elemans, business development manager for Cleaners at Henkel. “Nitrogen oxide emis- sions fromthese systems can incur significant neutralisationcosts,andthereispracticallyno feasible way of removing nitrate effluents in wastewater. Both factors also limit the pos- sibility of increasing the productivity of the pickling process without heavy investments in NOx and NO 3 ion removal technologies.” BonderiteC-CP1300 can be used in spray booths or in immersion baths and is suitable for almost any stainless steel grades – austen- ite, ferrite, martensite or duplex – including high-chromium AISI/SAE 4XX grades. The system includes a starter (ST) for bath make- up, two components (R & Z) to maintain the acidity of the bath aswell as the oxidising and passivating capacity of the pickling solution, and an optional accelerator (TO) for use in tough to pickle materials or in applications with limited contact times. Entinox’s beer kegs are normally made from 304L grade stainless steel sheet, which is one of the most widely used austenitic stainless alloys. After bending, forming and welding, each keg has a surface of 2.0 m 2 . Prior to pickling, the barrels are cleaned and degreased using a BonderiteC-AKproduct in a spray washer. The Bonderite C-CP 1300 R and Z mix is then applied in another spraying step. Themanufacturer’s newZaragoza plant has a production capacity for up to 450 000 barrels per year and offers kegs in standard sizes of 20 to 50 ℓ aswell as 7.75 and 15.5U.S. gallons, including various customisedoptions. “The pickling quality and efficiency that we achievewithHenkel’s process is outstand- ing,” says Angel Roche, technical manager for Entinox. “While the resulting corrosion resistance is on par with that provided by

Industry diary November Certification Renewals CEMCEA CRM CEA REP CWEP 29 November 2018 Sub-Saharan Africa Thieda Ferreira. Project Administrator Bonderite is a registered trademark of Henkel and/or its affiliates in Germany and elsewhere. q mixed nitric acid-based systems, Bonderite C-CP 1300 provides a significantly longer bath life. Moreover, as a more environmen- tally friendly nitric acid-free solution, it also eliminates the risk of nitric fumes within the production area. And the absence of hexava- lent chromium means that all effluents can be treated in our existing wastewater plant.” Apart fromkegs for transportationof beer tobars and restaurants, BonderiteC-CP1300 has awidepotential for leveraging similar cost and environmental benefits in many other markets where stainless steel is processed. Examples span from heat exchangers and chemical process equipment to stainless steel devices and machines in the food and beverages industry as well as in the pharma and semiconductor segments.

Tel: +27 84 011 5500 Fax: +27 86 720 8199 thieda@entf.co.za

Entinox, has set up an innovative pickling and pas- sivating line for its 304L stainless steel beer kegs.

Corporate Governance and Strategic Leadership

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40 ¦ MechChem Africa • November 2018