Process for avoiding foaming during cleaning of metal salts of intermediate length carboxylic acids from surfaces

摘要

Aqueous alkaline cleaning solutions are used to remove metal intermediate length carboxylate salts from a solid substrate. Foaming of the aqueous alkaline cleaning solution can be adequately reduced by treating the anions of the metal intermediate length carboxylate salts with cations. The anions of the metal intermediate length carboxylate salts constitute a separate solid phase layer that be readily separated from the cleaning solution, resulting in a regenerated aqueous alkaline cleaning solution.