Train in Nuremberg after its first clean with LoClean-Nplus (diluted 1 : 200).

Sustainable vehicle exterior cleaning

Cleaning that pays - right down
to the bottom line

For decades, the exterior cleaning of buses and locomotives
has been characterized by theuse of strongly alkaline andstrongly acidic cleaning agents;for example, sodium or potassium hydroxide solutions. Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and eventhe particularly aggressive hydrofluoric acid were all used forcleaning purposes in wash facilities. Transport companies had toaccept that, not only did thesesolutions attack the paintwork,
they also attacked vehicle panelsand even components. This resulted in significant consequential costs: from replacement parts22

to re-spraying, whilst the ve
hicles concerned stood idle, tosay nothing of the impact thiswas all having on the environment. In the meantime, for everyone who has switched to using
LoClean-Easy-to-Clean
products, these issues have becomea thing of the past. Since thenew products appeared on themarket, a trend has emerged
which has seen a move awayfrom aggressive cleaning agentsto products that are neutral andgentle, with pH values in somecases less than 8.0.
Reinwerk Solutions GmbH and
Gelita AG, world market leader

SPRIMA
AUBER 2.2016
2.2016for collagen proteins, have prepared the way for this turnaround. The result of this collaboration is a new generation ofcleaning agents – going by thename of LoClean-Easy-to-Clean– that use an innovative combination of functional proteins andenvironmentally friendly surfactants. These products feature amildly alkaline cleaner and longlasting surface protection. This isbecause the functional proteins
form an invisible dirt-repellent
protective film on the surface ofthe vehicle, as detailed inSAUBER 1/2016.

Success withcleaning agentsneutralSold under the brand name ofLoClean, this product range
comprises neutral protein cleaning agents approved by railway
operators, paint manufacturers
and the railway industry. All relevant environmental standards

PHOTOS/GRAPHICS: REINWERKSOLUTIONSThe use of a new generation of organic, highly efficient cleaning agents is fundamentally changing the exterior cleaning oftrains and buses. The "LoClean-Easy-to-Clean" cleaning range,developed by specialists Reinwerk Solutions and based onfunctional proteins and mildly alkaline surfactants, is enabling
the transport industry to dispense with problematic chemicals.
Operators also benefit from reduced costs resulting from longer periods between cleaning, lower personnel expenditure andelimination of costly and time-consuming wastewater treatment.

VEHICLE CLEANING

and the respective discharge
regulations for operators are satisfied with ease, as the products
do not contain any aggressive
substances registered as hazardous. Furthermore, they do notattack the track or the technicalinstallations of the railway infrastructure. Thus cleaning is tremendously effective.
The range is based on the products LoClean-Nplus and LoClean-Cara, whose diluted formulations can be used for bothmaintenance cleaning and deepcleaning. The range is complemented with a finisher, LoCleanGlanz, which is highly diluted inconcentrations up to 1: 25,000
prior to use. This is what makes
clean vehicles shine "like new".
LoClean-NGU was recently added to the product range. This
neutral cleaning agent with a pH
value of just 7.4 is already being
used in both public and long-haultransport and, by increasing theapplication concentration whilst
ensuring it remains within permissible limits, can even be used
to eliminate inorganic defilement,
which previously had to be removed using acidic cleaningproducts.
In parallel, Reinwerk Solutions
has also developed a dry cleaning concept with the tried andtestedEasy-to-Clean
effectbased on functional proteins. Dry
cleaning is ideal for spot cleaning, for example, the door area,
during breaks in operation (alsosee SAUBER 2/2015).

So clean that you can see
your own reflectionThe switch to the new process
pays off immediately. Regular
maintenance cleaning with theLoClean-Easy-to-Clean range ofcleaning products also dispenses
with the need for costly and timeconsuming manual deep cleaning in depots, usually done twicea year. This is because there is
no longer any need for expensive, yet ultimately limited, durable permanent finishes on newvehicles. The functional NOVOTEC proteins contained in thecleaners form a protective film,
invisible to the naked eye, whichlends the cleaned surface hydrophilic properties. That meansthat it repels water. The effect of
this is that dirt can no longer
penetrate the paintwork. Instead,
it swims on the protective film
and is simply washed away nexttime it rains or the next time it iscleaned. The fleet therefore always looks at its best, as vehicles get less dirty in day-to-day
operation. In time, vehicle parts
that brushes cannot reach arealso cleaned, for example, theflexible corridor connection. This
self-cleaning effect considerably
lengthens the period between
cleans by up to eight weeks. Although the protective film is only
microscopically thin, it protects
the paintwork from the effects ofweather and intense sunlight. Itsmooths over rough surfaces,
making them shine.

Applications thus far in railtransport companies at homeand abroad have provided evidence that the protective film
lasts for three to four months andthat it is automatically renewedwith each subsequent wash. Another positive feature from theoperator's point of view is thatwindows are so clean that theysparkle, at no extra cost.
Extreme dirt resulting from operation or graffiti does not stand achance. The LoClean range's
protective film is resistant to solvents, such as, for example, cellulose thinners, acetone, aromatic compounds or ether. Likewise, organic substances, suchas bird droppings, dead insects,
tree sap or corrosive salts, do
not penetrate the paintwork.
With each clean, they are simply
removed from the protective
coating and washed away. Thiseffect occurs not only on surfaces that brushes cannot reach directly, but also in areas thatbrushes do not penetrate. In particular, water-repellent graphite
contamination, resulting fromcontact between pantographs
and overhead cables, often results in unattractive discolorationof paintwork on trams and multiple unit trains. Thanks to the new
Lo-Clean-Cara protein formula,this type of vehicle defilement
permanently removes itself after
the first three or four regularwashes - powerful cleaning witha pH value of just 8.0.

Good for people and machinery

Diagram showing a biological washing facility cycle: After cleaning thevehicle in the ARA, the dirty water is collected in a ground reservoir andpumped to the reaction container. This is where the dirty water is cleaned
by means of a biological reaction and continuously recirculated with theground reservoirs. There is no need for conventional wastewater treatment(shown as semi-transparent in the above diagram). The infrastructure for theremoval of sand/silt can be used in existing wastewater treatment facilities.

Considerable savings potential
The efficient and environmentallyfriendly cleaning agents basedon functional proteins enablesignificant cost savings: firstly,cleaning agents can be highly
diluted for use without any lossof impact. Recent experiences ofrail transport companies at home
and abroad are testimony to this.
Even when highly diluted in theratio of 1: 200, the functional proteins achieve uncompromised
high quality cleaning, at thesame time reducing surfactants—a highly desirable benefit
from an environmental point ofview. Secondly, cleaning withproteins brings huge economic
advantages as regards the infrastructure required, the exteriorcleaning facilities (ARAs) and thewastewater facilities (ABAs). If
vehicles are cleaned exclusively
using the LoClean-Easy-to-Clean
procedure, it is possible to fully
dispensewith
conventional
wastewater treatment with itscostly and time-consuming process technology. It can be replaced by a biological wastewater treatment in a closed
sytem, which is also protected bya selective filter for heavy metals
and the improved recirculation ofwashing water used achieves a24

level of effectiveness exceeding
90 percent. The operator caneven use the Lo-Clean products
where water hardness is high,
up to 40 German degrees (°dH),
without the need for any softeners or higher doses of the cleaning agent. Consequently, theapplication of the protein protective coating brings considerable
savings potential with regard toboth ongoing operating costs
and capital investment. Thus,
when
comparing
biologicalwastewater treatment with conventional treatment using chemicals, operating costs can be reduced by up to 60 percent, including costs for waste management, maintenance and repair. Newly constructed exteriorcleaning facilities immediately
bring savings running into six
figures. This is because, withless space being required andwith no need for expensive
technology
forcomplex
wastewater facilities, investment
for buildings and technology reduces by around 20 percent
compared with the overall investment that is usually required. If you add to that costsavings and low capital investment, a new ARA construction
brings a cost reduction ofaround 80 percent, over alifespanof
20years.

SPRIMA
AUBER 2.2016
2.2016

As well as costs, the benefits tohuman beings and nature areparticularly worthy of consideration. For example, when using
conventional cleaning agents, it
was previously forbidden to enter
the wash facility whilst trains
were being cleaned. This wasbecause the air could containvapors that are hazardous tohuman health. The introductionof LoClean products renders
these safety precautions unnecessary. No specific chemicalodors are produced - a featuremuch appreciated by fleet managers and line managers. Many
operators have also noticed thatplant and machinery are no longer damaged as much as they
were before. In particular, dispensing with strong acids and alkaline solutions reduces the riskof operating personnel experiencing skin or eye irritations andavoids vehicles and the washingfacility sustaining corrosion damage. Thus, the turnaround in vehicle cleaning not only pays off inthe company's balance sheet, italso protects people and machinery.

Hermann BeckerCEOReinwerk SolutionsGmbH