Preface

A quotation from the chapter on the history of surfactants: "The concept of cleanliness has been important for mankind since ancient times when water and available natural compounds were used for washing the body and cleaning clothes." In fact it is true to say that improvements in hygiene, cleaning and disinfection are major contributors to the increase in life expectancy in developed countries in the twentieth century. The development from early times to the diversified and complex area of cleaning and decontamination applications that we face today is a fascinating story. The aim of these two volumes is primarily to gather information within the hygiene sector to provide a practical understanding of cleaning and disinfecting processes as well as a greater knowledge of the mechanisms involved. Hence this publication should serve as a means to - increase and deepen the basic practical knowledge of those working in the cleaning formulation and application sectors and - provide physical and theoretical chemists a greater understanding of practical situations. The reader must judge if these goals have been achieved, but every effort has been taken to provide comprehensive coverage of the subject. Thus we cover areas ranging from household cleaning to microelectronics by bringing together a multidisciplinary team of scientists and practitioners. On the theoretical side, contents include - General aspects of physical chemistry, describing what is going on at the molecular level when dirt is released from a surface by means of surface active compounds (Volume 1, Chapter A). Discussions of the importance of microemulsion behaviour of the whole cleaning system including dirt, mostly grease (Volume 2, Chapter 7). - New aspects of the removal of particulate soil (Volume 2, Chapter 8).
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Preface

Cleaning is a complex as well as a delicate process. In applications involving solid substrates or biosurfaces, care must be taken to clean with minimum alteration or disturbance to the original materials. This is particularly the case for metal wafers, minerals or body surfaces. More practical information will be found in the various application sections, for example - Household cleaning such as laundry (Chapter B.I.I), Carpet cleaners (Chapter B.I.II), Hand dishwashing and general cleaning (Chapter B.2.I), and Auto dishwash (Chapter B.2.II). - Personal care such as cleaning of the human body, skin and teeth (Chapters C.1-C.4). Institutional and industrial cleaning such as dry and wet cleaning (Chapters D.1 and D.2). - Vehicle cleaning (Chapter E.1). Extreme cleaning needed within the electronic industry using techniques like CO2-based fluids and discussing the difficulties with metallic impurities as well as corrosion issues (Chapters E.2.I-E.III). Disinfectant formulations and Biocides (Chapters F.1 and F.2).
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It could be argued that there are many more institutional and industrial cleaning areas that have not been touched upon but the line had to be drawn somewhere. Hopefully much of the practical information given can be applied for other areas also. The use of enzymes has not been given a separate chapter but the following references to the rich literature that already exists on that subject might be of some help: J.H. van Ee and O. Misset (eds.), Enzymes in Detergency, Surfactant Science Series, Vol. 69, New York: Marcel Dekker, 1997. A. Crutzen and M.L. Douglas, Handbook of Detergents, Surfactant Science Series (G. Broze, ed.), Vol. 82, Chapter 18, New York: Marcel Dekker, 1999. The evolution of cleaning chemicals has led to the development of technically more sophisticated ingredients and formulations, but this has also been accompanied by numerous environmental and product safety concerns over the years. Hence the need for Volume 2 of this handbook which mainly focuses on these issues. A historical perspective on the development of surfactants with minimum impact on the environment (Volume 2, Chapter 1) is then followed by three key environmental issues: biodegradability (Volume 2,
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