Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Is brewing liquor treated with lactic acid compatible with caustic?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Is brewing liquor treated with lactic acid compatible with caustic?

    Is brewing liquor treated with lactic acid compatible with caustic?

    I know caustic is disabled when in the presence of Co2. I also know that lactic acid gives off CO2 when use do treat temporary hardness. What I dont know is whether this amount will be negligible or whether it is inadvisable to not to use the combination.

  • #2
    Those two components will neutralize each other. So you'll end up using more caustic to achieve your cleaning goals than if you used a more neutral water source.
    WaterEng
    Engineering Consultant

    Comment


    • #3
      More to the point, you still have all the calcium in the water which will require large amounts of additives in the detergent to prevent mineral scale deposition. Knowing London water, I would push it through a demineralisation, softener or an RO plant first. Resin softeners are probably the cheapest - you replace the calcium with sodium, but this means it cannot and must not be used for brewing, but will be fine for cleaning.

      My window cleaner says he uses a cheap RO system and told me to look up window cleaning supplies!!. I haven't got around to it yet, but thought it might be worth passing on
      dick

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by WaterEng View Post
        Those two components will neutralize each other. So you'll end up using more caustic to achieve your cleaning goals than if you used a more neutral water source.
        What do you mean neutralise? There will be sufficient CO2 to degrade the effectiveness of the caustic or that the water will be too acidic and neutalise the alkaline cleaning properties of the caustic?

        Also, surely, if the water the water is heated long enough the CO2 will evaporate off?

        Comment


        • #5
          Neither - neutralise the calcium bicarbonate and carbonate
          dick

          Comment


          • #6
            So what is the consensus? This should work if necessary, just far from an ideal approach?

            Comment


            • #7
              Talk to your chemical supplier.
              dick

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Brewberosa View Post
                What do you mean neutralise? There will be sufficient CO2 to degrade the effectiveness of the caustic or that the water will be too acidic and neutalise the alkaline cleaning properties of the caustic?

                Also, surely, if the water the water is heated long enough the CO2 will evaporate off?
                Dissolved CO2 in the water is not a concern. It's a minor acidic component that consumes (neutralizes) a minor amount of the hydroxyl (OH-) ions that the caustic supplies.

                It's the excess hydrogen protons (H+) supplied by the lactic acid in the water that is more likely to consume more of the caustic's hydroxyl ions.
                WaterEng
                Engineering Consultant

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Brewberosa View Post
                  Is brewing liquor treated with lactic acid compatible with caustic?

                  I know caustic is disabled when in the presence of Co2. I also know that lactic acid gives off CO2 when use do treat temporary hardness. What I dont know is whether this amount will be negligible or whether it is inadvisable to not to use the combination.
                  The small amounts of Lactic acid used to adjust pH in Brewing water should not affect your caustic to a degree that would negatively affect your cleaning results. Large amounts of CO2 (residual CO2 in tank or similar) may neutralize your caustic to some degree, but small amounts of either Lactic Acid or CO2 will have a negligible effect.

                  Cheers,

                  Dirk Loeffler
                  Loeffler Chemical Corp.


                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                  Loeffler Chemical Corporation
                  (404) 629-0999
                  800-769-5020 (US & Canada only)
                  www.loefflerchemical.com

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X