Hardness sequestration
Helps keep Ca/Mg in solution, improving surfactant efficiency and reducing mineral deposits.
Product Specialty Additives
Chelating Agent (GLDA)
GLDA (glutamic acid diacetic acid) chelating agent used to sequester hardness ions, reduce scale risk, and improve performance stability in cleaning and process formulations—commonly selected when a readily biodegradable chelant is preferred.
Supply forms: liquid salt solutions or solid (grade/lane dependent)
Packaging: drums / IBC / bulk (as applicable)
Documentation: SDS / COA / TDS on request
Why buyers specify GLDA
GLDA is frequently used as a builder/sequestrant to keep calcium and magnesium in solution, helping surfactants and alkalinity do their job in hard-water conditions. It can improve clarity, reduce precipitates, and support consistent cleaning results—especially in alkaline systems. Share your water hardness and formulation goals and we’ll align the appropriate grade and supply lane.
- Hard-water tolerance (reduces soap scum / mineral interference)
- Cleaner stability (limits haze/precipitation in many blends)
- Scale-risk reduction (supports CIP and circulation cleaning programs)
Product overview
Chelating agents bind (“complex”) metal ions that can otherwise reduce detergency, trigger precipitation, or destabilize formulations. GLDA is widely used in industrial and institutional (I&I) cleaning, CIP programs, and specialty process blends where hard-water control, reproducible performance, and documentation-ready sourcing are required.
Formulation stability
Reduces haze/precipitation risk in many alkaline blends; supports clearer, more stable products.
Process consistency
Helps stabilize cleaning results across variable water quality and rinse conditions.
Where GLDA is commonly used
GLDA is commonly dosed as a co-builder/sequestrant in alkaline and neutral cleaning systems and can also support certain process applications where metal-ion control is required. Selection depends on pH, hardness, temperature, and the rest of your formulation package.
- I&I cleaners: degreasers, floor care, general purpose and spray-and-wipe
- CIP/COP: circulation cleaning where mineral control supports performance and uptime
- Laundry and warewash boosters (hard-water areas)
- Process blends requiring iron/hardness management (case dependent)
Applications
Typical usage patterns. Share your formulation goals and constraints (pH, hardness, actives, foam profile, substrate compatibility) and we’ll align the right grade.
- Builder/sequestrant in alkaline cleaners (supports detergency in hard water)
- Scale-control support in circulation/CIP programs (reduces mineral interference)
- Stabilization support (helps reduce precipitation and improves clarity in many blends)
- Metal-ion management where iron/hardness affects process performance (case dependent)
Formulation notes (practical)
Chelation demand increases with water hardness and the amount of alkaline builder present. GLDA performance is often optimized in neutral-to-alkaline systems. Actual dose depends on your hardness level, soil load, temperature, and the target “free hardness” you want to maintain.
- Provide hardness (ppm as CaCO₃) to size the chelant demand
- Confirm compatibility with your surfactant package and electrolytes
- Pilot-test on your soils/substrates; verify no haze/phase separation at storage temperatures
Typical specifications & formats
Values depend on grade and customer requirements. Confirm details on quotation and supplied documentation.
Chemistry
GLDA (glutamic acid diacetic acid) chelating agent; supplied typically as sodium-salt solutions or solid grades (lane dependent)
Primary targets
Hardness ions (Ca/Mg) and other metal ions that impact stability/performance (application dependent)
Operating window
Performance depends on pH and formulation; commonly used in neutral-to-alkaline systems (confirm)
Appearance
Clear to slightly hazy liquid (solutions) or free-flowing solid (grade dependent)
Packaging
Drums, IBC, bulk (as applicable)
Documentation
SDS / COA / TDS available on request
What you can specify (to tighten procurement)
If you need a “drop-in” raw material for an existing formula or customer approval, share your target specification and we’ll align the closest lane/grade.
- Supply form: liquid solution vs solid, and preferred active content range
- Salt form preference (if required by your formulation)
- Limits: color/clarity, chloride/sulfate (if relevant), metals/insolubles, pH window
- Storage/handling needs (freeze-thaw tolerance, viscosity, pumpability)
- Compliance docs required for your market (provide checklist)
Specifications may vary depending on batch, origin, and packaging selection. Offer + SDS/COA/TDS are controlling documents.
Selection guide
Selecting a chelant is usually a balance of performance, stability, and compliance requirements. The fastest way to a correct recommendation is: share water hardness, pH, temperature, and the residue/soil type you’re targeting.
Hardness level
Higher ppm as CaCO₃ typically requires higher chelant dose or a stronger builder package.
pH & builders
Chelation effectiveness depends on pH and competing ions; alkaline builder systems often benefit from optimized sequestration.
Stability targets
Define clarity, low-temperature stability, and precipitation limits to prevent callbacks and field failures.
Typical evaluation checklist
For formulation projects, we recommend a quick screening: clarity at target electrolyte load, stability after heat/cool cycling, and performance in your actual water and soil conditions.
- Bench test in your plant water (not only DI)
- Observe haze/precipitation at storage temperatures
- Verify compatibility with surfactants, alkalinity, and any oxidizers/actives