Materials and methods for maintaining industrial, mechanical and restaurant equipment
The subject invention provides yeast-based products, as well as their use to improve industrial production and performance by, for example, efficiently cleaning contaminating and/or fouling substances such as FOG, biofilm, paraffin, and/or asphaltenes from industrial equipment.
1. A method for cleaning a contaminant from a surface of an engine or a part thereof, said contaminant being selected from fats, oils and greases (FOG); hydrocarbon deposits; asphaltenes; paraffins; waxes; resins; biofilms; scales; sludge; dirt and dust, wherein the method comprises:
applying a cleaning composition, comprising a yeast fermentation product and a solvent selected from isopropyl alcohol and ethyl acetate, to the surface;
allowing the cleaning composition to soak on the surface; and
removing the cleaning composition and the contaminant from the surface,
wherein the yeast fermentation product comprises a yeast and/or fermentation broth resulting from cultivation of the yeast, and a glycolipid biosurfactant, and
wherein the yeast is Starmerella bombicola.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition is applied to the surface by spraying.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the spraying is achieved using a pressurized spraying device, and wherein the composition is sprayed at a pressure of 1,000 psi to 7,000 psi.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition is rubbed, spread or brushed onto the surface using a cloth or brush.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the cleaning composition comprises dipping, dunking or submerging the surface into a container having the cleaning composition therein.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the cleaning composition and contaminant comprises rinsing or spraying water onto the surface.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the cleaning composition and contaminant comprises rubbing or wiping the surface with a cloth until the cleaning composition and contaminant have been freed from the surface.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition comprises a purified biosurfactant.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the yeast fermentation product comprises the fermentation broth without the yeast cells.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biosurfactant is selected from sophorolipids, rhamnolipids, and mannosylerythritol lipids.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a chelating agent to the surface.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the chelating agent is sodium citrate, citric acid or EDTA, or a combination thereof.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biosurfactant is a sophorolipid.