A name used to describe a chemical compound that adds or "builds" the alkalinity of a product. The higher the pH of an alkali, the stronger the chemical is (or more "caustic"). A detergent that has moderate to high alkalinity is referred to, therefore, as a "built detergent." The alkalinity builders most common to the cleaning industry are phosphates, silicates, caustics, and carbonates. Due to some potential for negative environmental impact (phosphates), health problems (caustics), and streaking (carbonates) the clesning industry has seen an increasing reliance on the silicates.********************!-- google_ad_client = "pub-1469493025383048"; google_ad_width = 160; google_ad_height = 600; google_ad_format = "160x600_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; google_ad_channel =""; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "003366"; google_color_url = "000000"; google_color_text = "000000";