Summary for glycol contamination in alkaline zinc bath Discussion
Glycol contamination in alkaline zinc bath is the issue raised by Mike Anderson, who said a cooling loop was slowly leaking into a barrel-line zinc bath and asked what plating problems it might cause and whether carbon filtration could remove it. The reply from Mike suggests the glycol is an organic chemical that can be removed by carbon treatment. He recommends trying a small lab-scale carbon treatment first, then checking whether any glycol contamination remains and running a panel before and after to verify results. He also notes that if the bath is not showing any problems, the contamination may have already worked itself out. The thread is brief and does not describe specific plating defects, but it points to carbon treatment as the practical corrective step.
Q. We recently noticed our cooling loop has been slowly leaking into our barrel line zinc bath.
What kind of problems could this have on plating and what can be done to address it? I read maybe carbon filtration could remove it?
Thanks.
Mike Anderson
Lab Tech – Huntingdon, PA
April 9, 2025
A. Mike,
The glycol is an organic chemical, removed by carbon treatment. Try a small quantity in lab with carbon treat; after carbon treat check any glycol contamination, run the panel before and after/
I think if you do not have any problem, it’s gone out itself.
Popatbhai B. Patel
electroplating consultant – Roseville, Michigan