Acids & Descalers

Acids & Descalers are the mineral and organic acids used to dissolve limescale, rust, and hardened mineral deposits during industrial cleaning, descaling, and metal-surface preparation. By lowering pH, these chemistries break down carbonate scale, iron oxides, and other buildup that accumulates in boilers, heat exchangers, cooling towers, and process piping, restoring flow and heat-transfer efficiency. RawSource supplies this family in bulk — drums, totes, and container loads — to defined concentration and purity specifications.

Selection depends on the deposit type, the substrate, and how aggressive the descaling duty is. Hydrochloric Acid (muriatic acid, HCl) and Sulfuric Acid are strong mineral acids used for aggressive limescale and heavy scale removal and for metal pickling. Phosphoric Acid (orthophosphoric acid) is common for rust removal, metal surface prep, and descaling where a lower-chloride mineral acid is preferred. Sulfamic Acid (amidosulfonic acid) is a dry, granular acid dissolved on site to descale heat exchangers, cooling systems, and stainless steel where chloride-free cleaning is specified. Among the organic acids, Citric Acid and Glycolic Acid 70% (hydroxyacetic acid, GA) are used for boiler and membrane descaling, CIP (clean-in-place) cleaning, and metal passivation; Lactic Acid and Acetic Acid (glacial acetic acid) handle milder descaling and acidic cleaning; Formic Acid (methanoic acid) is used for descaling and acid cleaning; and Oxalic Acid (ethanedioic acid) is applied for rust and stain removal and metal brightening.

All grades are supplied for industrial and professional use only. Consult the current SDS for each product, and confirm material compatibility and regulatory status for your specific process and jurisdiction before use.