[BeefWingz]

Hi all, I am working on making an industrial cleaner similar to another product in the field. Few notes on the existing one:

30-50% KOH
No silicates
Very foamy
Gets REALLY dark when heated to near boiling (think Coca-Cola)
No cloud point
Concentrate is colorless

This is used in a heated washer, really dirty operation and rust isn't an issue.

The main thing I am getting stuck on is the significant darkening when heated. I've used gluconates and polyglucosides, thinking those would darken under high heat, but not to such a degree. One final tidbit is the product splits in the heat, and there is a black powder that develops between the layers. I can't help but feel there's one thing I am missing.

I've got hydrotrope, sequestrant, builder, surfactant.....something else I need to be looking at? Anti-redeposition?

[Ammaniya]

I’m quite surprised by the darkening when heated—sounds tricky! I guess it's related to the specific interactions under high heat. Have you considered testing different surfactant blends or additives that might stabilize the solution? Tbh, an anti-redeposition agent could help, but it may also be worthwhile to explore different alkaline builders. Just a comment; this sounds like quite a challenging formulation! Good luck!

[BeefWingz]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the is a proprietary CAS number that also shows up in Neutral De-Rusters like Blaster or Metal Rescue. Makes me thing that it's HEDP/phosphonic acid