Materials and methods for maintaining industrial, mechanical and restaurant equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788034-B2
Application number	US-201816500492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2018
Priority date	Apr 9, 2017
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

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.

First claim

We claim:

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.

Assignees

• Locus Solutions Ipco Llc

Inventors

• Farmer Sean
• Alibek Ken

Classifications

• C11D3/381 Primary

  Microorganisms · CPC title

• B08B1/002

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B08B1/006

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B08B3/026

  Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor · CPC title

• B08B3/04

  Cleaning involving contact with liquid · CPC title