February, 1936]
MEETING OF THE NORTH OF ENGLAND SECTION HELD AT THE MIDLAND
HOTEL, MANCHESTER, ON THURSDAY, 21st NOVEMBER, 1935
Mb. G. D. Clarkson in the Chair
The following paper was read and discussed:—
THE CLEANSING AND STERILISATION
By E. 0. Rounsbfell, B.A., B.So.
The remarkable growth in the last fifteen
years in the consumption of bottled beverages
has led to ever increasing demands by the
manufacturer on his bottling department,
not only in regard to the numbers of bottles
to be filled in a given time, but also in
respect of their cleanliness and bacteriological
condition. To-day the continuous advance
in the direction of production of beverages
which will retain their clarity, sparkle and
flavour for long periods makes it essential for
those beverages to be packed in bottles which
shall not only look clean and bright, but
which also shall be free from yeasts, moulds
and bacteria which might, in the worst
circumstances, be pathogenic in character,
and at the best might lead to flatness or
sourness of the beverage, a cloudy unattrac
tive appearance and the formation of heavy
deposits.
Viewed from the angle of the detergent
manufacturer, the problem is a complex one.
The kinds of bottle which his detergent is
called on to wash are themselves numerous.
They include in the brewing industry alone
such different types as have contained pale
and dark ales and stout. In the mineral
water industry, bottles may have contained
lemonade, grape fruit crush, etc. In the
milk industry, the types of bottle include
thoso used for untreated milk, pasteurised
milk and the narrow necked sterilised milk
bottles in which the milk has been raised to
212° F. after filling.
It may be of interest to examine the actual
conditions in which the bottles may bo
returned to the bottler by the consumer.
Milk bottles will contain acids, fats and
protein matter hardened on the glass by
exposure to the air or by the processing
which the milk may have received. These
deposits are ideal breeding grounds for
numerous organisms more or less dangerous
73
OF BOTTLES
in character which must be killed and
removed before the bottles can be refilled.
Mineral water bottles will contain natural
fruit acids in the residues together with acids
produced as a result of fermentation and the
action of moulds. The residues in cider
bottles are also sensitive to these influences
and high acidity must be expected.
In dealing with the returned beer bottle—
it may bo noted that the acidity will be less
than that in the case of the cider bottle.
A recent estimation of the acidity of a well-
known pale ale and cider has shown that the
acidity of the beer estimated as acetic acid
was 0-11 per cent., whilst that of the cider
was 0-43 per cent, estimated as malic acid.
Reducing the second figure to terms of acetic
acid the relative values become 0-11 com
pared with 0*39 per cent. Thus, so far as
neutralisation of acidity is concerned, the
beer bottle does not present so difficult
a problem to the detergent as the cider
bottle.
Assuming that in common with other types,
the returned beer bottles have not been
grossly contaminated with paint, varnish,
turpentine, etc., it will not be out of place to
examine in greater detail the impurities and
some of the types of infection which may
reasonably be expected to be present. By
the courtesy of Mr. A. J. C. Cosbie, the writer
has been enabled to take photographs of
various cultures and yeast organisms which
are commonly encountered.
One factor which is often quite outside the
control of the bottler is the period which
elapses before his bottles are returned for
washing. This may be estimated in weeks,
or months, with some export beers. The
complexities and difficulties to be faced in
such circumstances may be judged from a
consideration of the factors which have just
been described.

74 bounsefell: cleansing and sterilisation of bottles
In addition to bacteria, moulds and yeast
tbe detergent is called on to remove various
deposits of a more or less adhesive character
which are formed in films on the interior
surface of the bottles and consist of sugars,
proteins, resins, etc. Therefore, not only
must the detergent be a bactericide, but it
must act as an efficient solvent, emulsifier
and cleanser. This is particularly important
where the bottle has contained naturally
conditioned beer, the fermentation of which
gives rise to purging of the resins and protein
matter.
The only satisfactory method of dealing
with bottles containing even traces of paint,
varnish, turpentine, etc., is to select them
before they can enter the machine and to
throw them to waste. For such is the
resistance of paraffin and kindred materials
to chemical action that no detergent which
has yet been devised mil attack them or
remove their smell. Rather than run the
risk of the detergent tank of the machine
becoming fouled by such impurities it is
better to save time, trouble and expense by
preventing them from entering the bottle
cleaning process at all.
So far only the complexity of bottle
washing from the detergent manufacturer's
point of view, in so far as different types of
bottle are concerned, has been discussed. At
the same time, it must be remembered that
a detergent is expected to give uniformly
satisfactory results in a large variety of bottle
washing machines.
Broadly speaking, these machines may be
divided into three classes, namely:—(1) The
hand-soaker, (2) The hydro, (3) The hydro-
soaker.
(1) In the hand-soaker machine the bottles
are normally subjected to the following pro
cesses:—(a) an immersion in detergent solu
tion, the bottles being supported in a cage or
rotating wheel; (6) a soak in a shallow trough
of clean water; (c) brushing internally and
externally by means of mechanically operated
brushes; (d) rinsing by jets of clean water.
Owing to the fact that the bottles must be
transferred by hand from the soaking tank
to the soaking trough, it is clear that a limit
is set to the strength and temperature of the
detergent solution which can be used by
what the operatives' hands will stand. In
general, therefore, it is customary to use a
somewhat lower concentration and tempera
ture in this type of machine than in others.
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[February, 1936
(2) The hydro machine.—This machine is
generally designed in such a way that the
Dottles pass in an inverted position on an
endless conveyor or on a series of trays
through a tunnel. In this tunnel jets are
arranged above, below, and at each side of
the conveyor so that the bottles may be
thoroughly sprayed inside and out. In some
machines the upper and side jots are inclined
instead of at right angles to the conveyor to
ensure that the outsidcs of the bottles are
thoroughly washed.
(3) The hydro-soaker.—This machine is so
constructed that the bottles pass on cages
suspended between chain conveyors first
through a soaking tank and then between jets
of the corresponding liquid. Thus, in the
first compartment the bottles are soaked in
rinse water, emptied by tilting and are then
sprayed with rinse water. In the second
compartment they aro soaked in a moderately
strong detergent solution, emptied and
sprayed. The detergent strength and tem
perature are raised in the third tank and the
bottles leaving the spray pass through rinse
"liquors" which gradually reduce the tem
perature and remove the last traces of alkali.
A simplification of this machine is the type
in which the bottles pass through soaking
tanks alone without subsequent spraying.
It is to be noted that with both hydro and
hydro-soaker types of machine relatively
high detergent concentrations and tempera
tures may be used, since the bottles are not
handled during the washing process.
A further modification of this type of
machine is that in which the bottles are not
only soaked and sprayed, but are also
brushed by mechanical means. There can
be no doubt that the use of brushes is of
great value in dealing with certain types of
heavily soiled bottles, but it must be remem
bered that when a brush removes the soiling
matter the latter tends to cling and sooner
or later the brush will become so loaded with
the deposit that it will re-deposit it on
subsequent bottles. It is, therefore, neces
sary to ensure that the brushes are changed
frequently before that can happen. Careful
allowance must also bo made for wear and
tear. Some firms consider it necessary to
replace the brushes once every eight hour
working day.
Another factor of outstanding importance
which frequently gives rise to considerable
difficulty is the character of the water supply.

February, 1936] bounsefell: cleansing and stebilisation of bottles
The Manchester district is fortunate in so
far as its water supply is of a soft nature, but
in some less favoured parts of the country
the bottler is faced with the utilisation of a
supply which may rise to as high as 60° or
more of hardness. The use of such waters
leads to the formation of scale in the machine,
pipe lines, pumps, etc. and the deposition of
the so-called " bloom " on the bottles. Where
these waters have to be employed the introduc
tion of a water softening plant cannot be too
strongly recommended, if only in the water
supply system of the bottle washing machine.
There is little doubt that in many instances
the installation of a water softening plant
can be justified not merely by the improved
results which the bottle washing plant will
turn out but also in the actual savings
effected by the disappearance of costs en
tailed in stopping the plant, breaking joints
and de-scaling pipes and pumps.
Another important point with regard to
the water supply—and one which is fre
quently overlooked—is its bacterial content.
It is useless to put bottles through a carefully
designed washing process and to use a
detergent which sterilises them, and then to
rinse in the last stage of the process with a
water containing deleterious bacteria.
In this country the municipal water sup
plies are of excellent quality: but in those
cases where the bottler is drawing on a water
supply of uncertain bacterial quality it
is desirable that periodic tests should be
carried out, especially in hot weather. If
the water is found to be contaminated
seriously it must be carefully treated to
ensure the destruction of the bacteria, but
such treatment must be so regulated that
any traces of bactericide added to the water
and remaining in the bottles after rinsing
do not in any way affect the quality of the
beverage.
Chlorine is the bactericide which conforms
most closely to these requirements, and is
generally admitted to be the most efficient
and economical agent for sterilising water
supplies. Even water which is heavily con
taminated with bacteria can be rapidly and
completely sterilised by the addition of
chlorine and the amounts required are so
small that the water is not rendered in any
way unpalatable nor will the treatment
result in the water acquiring a corrosive
action on metal pipes and fittings. The
method is of universal application since the
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75
cost of treatment is low and the administra
tion of the chlorine by means of special
"dosage" plants is simple and does not
require expert supervision. In addition to
its widespread application for the sterilisation
of drinking water, chlorination is also used
to inhibit the development of algae and other
biological growths which are frequently a
cause of difficulty in industrial water sup
plies. It is of interest to note that chlorine
in the form of sodium hypochlorite solution
is a convenient agent for the sterilisation of
plant and equipment. Such a solution is not
only a powerful sterilising agent, but by
virtue of its oxidising nature it also possesses
cleaning and deodorising properties. In this
capacity it is used for treating screw bottle
stoppers which are well known to be difficult
to clean and which are frequently the cause
of the transmission of contamination. Im
mersion of the stoppers in dilute sodium
hypochlorite solution will effectively sterilise
and deodorise. The addition of a small
amount of sodium hypochlorite solution at
regular intervals to the water in pasteurising
tanks is a convenient method of keeping
down the objectionable odours which fre
quently arise from such tanks on continued
use. It should be noted that sodium
hypochlorite solutions are non-poisonous at
the dilutions required for use which is an
advantage shared by few other bactericidal
agents.
The ideal detergent must be capable of
removing deposits from a wide variety of
bottles in numerous types of machines. The
bottles must be rendered sterile and be free
from dirt: they must not retain any detergent
liable to affect the beverage, i.e., the deter
gent must be "free rinsing." At the same
time it must lubricate the bottle washing
machine and yet prevent the formation of
"bloom" on the bottles, of scale in the
machine, and, further it must not pulp labels.
Much trouble is frequently experienced
owing to the chemical attack of an un
balanced detergent on the cellulose of labels
with the result that a shredded pulpy mass is
introduced into the pumps and pipe lines,
and although fine enough in consistency to
pass the mesh of the filter gauze it is suffi
ciently coarse to build up in. the jets and
prevent their working.
It is obvious that the detergent must not
be corrosive towards the common materials
of construction employed in the manufacture

76 rounsefell: cleansing and sterilisation of bottles
of bottle washing machines. Since various
types of steel are the commonest of these,
the use of acids or acidic substances which
might be employed as detergents with advan
tage from some points of view is precluded.
On the grounds of general efficiency, economy
and availability, detergents of alkaline pro
perties—more especially the soda alkalis—
have come into universal favour.
The soda alkalis most commonly employed
in bottle washing are caustic soda, sodium
carbonate (also known as soda ash), sodium
silicate (a commonly known form of which is
waterglass), and trisodium phosphate.
Occasionally bicarbonate of soda is also used
but its efficacy is doubtful.
Caustic soda is, amongst the economically
practicable detergents, the one which most
nearly satisfies the requirements which we
have outlined. It is an excellent bactericide.
A recent test carried out at the London
School of Hygiene of Tropical Medicine has
shown that a 0-25 per cent, solution of
caustic soda will lull the organisms of
Bacillus typhoaus in an exceedingly short
space of time. Caustic soda is a saponifier,
and emulsifier and therefore will remove
fatty and oily matter easily. It is an
excellent lubricant and ensures, other condi
tions being favourable, the smooth running
of the long chain conveyor systems which are
a feature of many bottle washing machines.
But caustic soda has two serious dis
advantages: it is not "free rinsing" and it
readily pulps labels. In solution, caustic
soda is one of the most difficult substances to
remove by an ordinary water rinse from a
glass or metal surface. The complications
introduced in this way are as follows: If the
water supply is soft, caustic soda will cling
to the surface of the bottles and pass through
the rinsing section of the bottle washing
machine almost unaffected. On drying in
the atmosphere, however, the alkaline film
rapidly absorbs carbon dioxide from the air
with consequent formation of sodium car
bonate which appears as a white chalky
deposit known as "bloom." If the water
supply is hard, not only does the caustic soda
itself cling to the glass, but it also carries with
it lime and magnesium compounds deposited
from the water. These tend to emphasise
the " bloom" to a very marked degree.
In view of this absence of "free rinsing"
property, it is clear that caustic soda alone
cannot be regarded as a universal detergent,
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[February, 1936
and to approach the ideal more nearly it is
necessary to mix other compounds with it
to counteract its disadvantages. Caustic
soda itself is not a complete water softener,
but during the exposure of its solution in a
bottle washing machine carbon dioxide is
absorbed from the atmosphere with the
result that sodium carbonate is formed and
this reacts with calcium compounds in the
water depositing calcium carbonate as an
insoluble precipitate.
In order to ensure immediate softening of
the water in the detergent tank, so that even
if it is hard the washing operation will take
place efficiently from the beginning, it is
desirable that the detergent should contain
sodium carbonate. This product is slightly
more "free rinsing" than caustic soda, but
not sufficiently so to overcome the highly
tenacious properties of the latter. These
can however be overcome by the addition
of sodium silicate and trisodium phosphate
to the mixture. The latter product indeed is
most remarkable for its "free-rinsing" pro
perties, and it assists sodium silicate in
imparting an attractive sparkle to the glass
when dry.
In passing, it may be of interest to note
that from bactericidal experiments carried
out on several types of organism, Levine and
his collaborators in the United States have
suggested that sodium carbonate when
mixed with caustic soda increases the
bactericidal efficiency of the latter. This is a
somewhat surprising result since if it be
supposed, as is probable, that the bactericidal
efficiency of the alkali products is closely
associated with their alkaline strength (or
expressed scientifically, with the hydroxyl
ion concentrations of their solutions), it
would not at first sight be anticipated that a
relatively mild alkali like sodium carbonate
would have actually increased the bactericidal
efficiency of a strongly alkaline compound
such as caustic soda. Nevertheless the
observation opens up a wide field of investiga
tion which up to the present cannot be said
to have been adequately covered.
In districts with hard waters, difficulties
are invariably encountered owing to the
formation of scale in the bottle washing
machine itself. The tendency is most marked
in the hydro or hydro-soaker type of machine,
and it is found in practice that the deposition
of the scale takes place not in the detergent
tank itself but in the rinsing tank. Even

February, 1936] rounsefell: cleansing and sterilisation of bottles, discussion
with an otherwise well balanced detergent
this is found to be the case. Reference has
already been made to the water-softening
properties of a mixture containing caustic
soda and sodium carbonate, and it would not
have been expected that such a mixture
would deposit lime and magnesium salts
from the water in a scale-forming condition.
However, it appears that the detergent
solution carried over by the bottles into the
rinsing tank reacts with the hardness
constituents of the large volumes of water
encountered there and by continuous pre
cipitation builds up a scale on the bottom and
sides of the tank and hi the pipe lines,
pumps and jets associated with it. The
nuisance and expense entailed in periodical
removal of the scale to ensure efficient
working of the machine are obvious and a
considerable amount of research has been
directed to overcoming the trouble by means
of a modification of the detergent. By
applying a complex phosphate compound,
the manufacture of which has recently been
introduced into this country from America,
it has been shown that over periods of
several months, formation of scale has been
inhibited which hi the normal course of
events would have prevented effective opera
tion of the bottle washing machine in less
than a week.
The author wishes to thank the Directors
of Imperial Chemical Industries for per
mission to publish this paper.
Discussion
The Chairman (Mr. G. D. Clakkson) said
that it had been stated that when the labels
were washed off the bottles the washings
were returned to the detergent solution.
Would not the gum from the labels con
taminate the detergent ?
Mr. C. F. Hyde said the author had
referred to a cloudy effect on the surface of
the bottles and ascribed it to the alkali hi
the rinsing water. He (the speaker) had had
a soaker "The 20th Century" that had just
been Bcrapped after 21 years' use. No
trouble arose from the labels in that machine.
The soaking tank contained 2-2A per cent, of
caustic soda at 130° F., hi which the bottles
remained for 11 minutes. The bottles were
discharged into clean water and the labels
fell off hi the tank. In the case of the
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77
machine referred to by the author, no
particulars were mentioned as to the length
of the soaking period and spraying by the
alkali solution. Two soakings without
brushing should be ample. With regard to
the bloom which was attributed to the
formation of calcium carbonate he had
found that bottles became slightly "frosty"
if left in soak overnight, and that was due
not to a deposit of carbonate of lime but to the
prolonged action of the caustic soda on the
silicate of the glass.
Mr. R. W. Hyde said that he had used a
gum. for labels which when passed through
the bottle washing machine caused the labels
to adhere more firmly to the bottle than
before.
Mr. C. A. Hyde said he had tried a deter
gent similar to the one mentioned at the end
of the paper. He found that the labels were
not pulped to the same extent as when
caustic soda was used. There was a better
polish on the bottles and they appeared to be
cleaner, whether cleaner from a bacteriologi
cal standpoint he could not say.
Mr. B. J. Herrod asked if there was any
economical way of recovering the detergent
after use.
The Chairman asked if the author had had
any experience with a machine hi which no
brushes but jets of water at very high
pressures were used.
Mr. G. Hyde asked if there was a tendency
for cider residues hi bottles to become
acetous.
Mr. F. C. Hyde remarked that a label
which did not require to be gummed and
which would stand the cleaning process was
required.
Mr. A. C. Cosbie asked the author if he
had worked out a method whereby the
brewery chemist could determine the sterility
of the washed bottles. Was it better to
rinse the bottle leaving the washing machine
with sterile distilled water and plate out a
portion or to pour culture medium into the
bottle and rotate until the surface was
covered and then incubate? Many varia
tions in the strength of caustic soda solutions
and temperature appeared to be used
throughout the country hi bottle washing
machines. The strength of the alkali to some
extent was governed by the type of bottle
to be cleaned. With bottles which had
contained chilled and filtered beers, washing
was much easier than those which had

78 bounsefell: cleansing and sterilisation of bottles, discussion
contained naturally conditioned beers. He
did not think it was necessary to exceed a
strength of 2 per cent, at 140° F., as in most
machines the length of time was 20-25
minutes from entry to exit from the machine.
The temperature, however, had to be main
tained.
A certain amount of trouble was ascribed to
traces of carbolic acid in bottles. In most
cases the stopper was the cause, and it was
rare to find carbolic acid associated with
crown sealed bottles. Could the author
suggest any method of guarding against
carbolic contamination when cleaning stop
pers ? It had been stated that the B. lyphosus
was killed by caustic soda solution of
0-25 per cent, strength. Did it follow that
all the organisms in beer bottles or spores
could be killed similarly? The removal
of caustic soda was undoubtedly a difficulty,
but he might remind those present of the
old practice of running a solution of common
salt through the main following the caustic
soda.
The Author, in reply, said he knew of no
way of overcoming the difficulty of the
accumulation of gum in detergent solutions.
The removal of labels in the rinsing tank
might be satisfactory or otherwise according
to the design of the machine. In most cases
the labels came off in the detergent solution,
and it was desirable at that stage to remove
Errata.—January 1936 issue, Table 4 following p. 14. Under column Extract on Raw
Barley, Barley No. 20 should read 102-7 and No. 21, 103-2 in place of 108-7 and 109-8
respectively.
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[February, 1936
them and to avoid the production of pulp.
He could confirm Mr. Hyde's remarks about
the "frosty" appearance of bottles which
had been soaked in caustic soda solution.
The time that the bottles were in contact
with alkali depended on the speed of the
machine. Personally he would not like to
see any bottle treated for less than five
minutes. There could be no doubt that
apart from the trouble of labels pulping and
the formation of a hard scale, caustic soda
alone was an ideal detergent, for, as had been
stated, it was bactericidal and was an excel
lent cleaner. In districts with hard water a
bloom was formed on the bottles, and in such
cases its use had to be modified. He knew
of no way of economically restoring a deter
gent after use to its original efficiency. In
reply to Mr. Cosbie, the method he used to
determine sterility was to rinse the bottle
with sterile water and prepare plate cultures.
He thought that 2 per cent, caustic alkali at
140° F. was sufficient for detergent purposes.
The traces of carbolic acid might be removed
from stoppers by treatment with hypochlorite,
but generally he thought it was advisable to
throw out such contaminated stoppers. A
possible renson for the removal of caustic
soda by rinsing with sodium chloride was the
depression of the dissociation of the caustic
alkali by the introduction of the sodium ion
from the salt.