GPC Clear Solutions offer a wide range of antifoam and defoaming products.
Issues with foam? then you need an Antifoam / Defoamer to fix this problem before things turn bad.
To ensure that such systems are well maintained and operate at optimum efficiency it is essential that the correct water conditions are maintained at all times. This can be achieved using carefully selected antifoams and defoamers.
Typically wastewater treatment processes consist of a series of stages, both mechanical and biological, which clean the water and remove contaminants.
In industrial processes, foams pose serious problems. They cause defects on surface coatings and prevent the efficient filling of containers.
A defoamer or an anti-foaming agent is a chemical additive that reduces and hinders the formation of foam in industrial process liquids. The terms anti-foam agent and defoamer are often used interchangeably. Commonly used agents are insoluble oils, polydimethylsiloxanes and other silicones, certain alcohols, stearates and glycols. The additive is used to prevent formation of foam or is added to break a foam already formed.
In industrial processes, foams pose serious problems. They cause defects on surface coatings and prevent the efficient filling of containers. A variety of chemical formulae are available to prevent formation of foams.
A variety of chemical formulae are available to prevent the formation of foams.
Powder defoamers
Powder defoamers are in principle oil based defoamers on a particulate carrier like silica. These are added to powdered products like cement, plaster and detergents. We can supply you with powder defoamers just contact us below to get started.
Oil based defoamers
Oil based defoamers have an oil carrier. The oil might be mineral oil, vegetable oil, white oil or any other oil that is insoluble in the foaming medium, except silicone oil. An oil based defoamer also contains a wax and/or hydrophobic silica to boost the performance. Typical waxes are ethylene bis stearamide (EBS), paraffin waxes, ester waxes and fatty alcohol waxes. These products might also have surfactants to improve emulsification and spreading in the foaming medium.
These are heavy duty defoamers and are normally best at knocking down surface foam.
Water based defoamers
Water based defoamers are different types of oils and waxes dispersed in a water base. The oils are often mineral oil or vegetable oils and the waxes are long chain fatty alcohol, fatty acid soaps or esters. These are normally best as deaerators, which means they are best at releasing entrained air.
Silicone based defoamers
Silicone-based defoamers are polymers with silicon backbones. These might be delivered as an oil or a water based emulsion. The silicone compound consists of an hydrophobic silica dispersed in a silicone oil. Emulsifiers are added to ensure that the silicone spreads fast and well in the foaming medium. The silicone compound might also contain silicone glycols and other modified silicone fluids.
These are also heavy duty defoamers and are good at both knocking down surface foam and releasing entrained air.
Polydimethylsiloxane is a widely used antifoaming agent.
Silicone based defoamers are also suitable in non-aqueous foaming systems like crude oil and oil refining. For very demanding applications fluorosilicones may be suitable.
EO/PO based defoamers
EO/PO based defoamers contain polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol copolymers. They are delivered as oils, water solutions, or water based emulsions. EO/PO copolymers normally have good dispersing properties and are often well suited when deposit problems are an issue.
Alkyl polyacrylates
Alkyl polyacrylates are suitable for use as defoamers in non-aqueous systems where air release is more important than the breakdown of surface foam. These defoamers are often delivered in a solvent carrier like petroleum distillates.
Industrial problems
The most noticeable form of foam is foam floating on the stock surface. It is easy to monitor and relatively easy to handle and is more a cosmetic issue. Surface foam may cause problems with liquid levels and give overflow leading to pools of oils around the equipment which is a safety concern. Additionally, this might reduce the process speed and availability of process equipment. The main mechanical problem tends to be when foam enters the system as air is a poor lubricant, meaning metal to metal contact can occur.
Foam in process and coolant liquids
Foam, entrained and dissolved air that are present in coolants and processing liquids, may cause various kinds of problems, including:
- Reduction of pump efficiency (cavitation)
- Reduced capacity of pumps and storage tanks
- Bacterial growth
- Dirt flotation / deposit formation
- Reduced effectiveness of the fluid solution(s)
- Eventual downtime to clean tanks
- Drainage problems in sieves and filters
- Formation problems (i.e. in a paper mill it may cause the fibers to form an inhomogeneous sheet)
- Cost of replenishing the liquid
- Cost of entire material rejection due to imperfections
Mechanical problem factors
Mechanical factors that may generate foam and entrapped air:
- Leaky seals on pumps
- High pressure pumps
- Pressure release
- Poor system design (tank, pump inlet, outlet and manifold design)
The main classes of air that are of concern to the mechanical systems are:
- Dissolved air behaves as part of the fluid phase, except that it can come out of solution as small bubbles (entrained air)
- Entrained air consists of bubbles that are small enough to collect on top of a fluid
- Bubbles that have sufficient buoyancy to rise to the surface and are described as foam
- Pumping, aeration and evolution of biological gases from digestion processes can lead to foam formation within the waste water treatment plant affecting plant efficiency.
ANTIFOAM AND DEFOAMERS CRITERIA
We offer antifoam and defoamer formulations that are Kosher, organic, GRAS, food grade, oil based, mineral oil based, petroleum based, vegetable oil based, etc.
ANTIFOAM AND DEFOAMERS: DESIGN AND SELECTION – Some Questions we ask and look for are
What is the pH?
What is the temperature?
What is the viscosity?
What is the solids content?
What is the volatile content?
What is the dissolved organic content, or chemical composition of the foam? Exactly which type of process is generating foam?
ANTIFOAM AND DEFOAMERS: PROCESSING PARAMETERS OF THE FOAMING SYSTEM
What is the flow rate of the liquid?
Is the foam mechanically generated?
Is the foam chemically produced?
Is the foam being generated during the application of your product?
How will the defoamer be introduced into the foaming system?
What is the starting medium of the process involved?
ANTIFOAM AND DEFOAMERS: OTHER CONCERNS
Are there any Kosher or Passover requirements?
Are there any FDA food clearances?
Are there any EPA or other environmental restrictions?
Are there any undesirable ingredients, for example silicone?
Is there any chemistry incompatible with your process/product?
GPC Clear Solutions Ltd offer a range of FLOFOAM antifoam products for wastewater treatment applications suitable for aerobic and anaerobic digestion, clarification and settlement.
These FLOFOAM products act as antifoam and defoaming agents by preferentially displacing foam stabilizing species at the bubble surface, allowing liquid in the bubble surface to drain, and destabilizing it leading to rupture. This destabilizing effect is a purely physical one and does not rely on any chemical reaction.
Using our high standard antifoaming products, we can control or eliminate the unwanted generation of foam in your production. Also, see our foam control section for more information.
For more information about antifoams and the products available, please fill in our enquiry form.
Products
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