In the industrial production process, foam problems often affect production efficiency and product quality. To solve this problem, defoaming agents are often used. According to different ingredients, defoaming agents can be divided into silicone defoaming agents and non-organic silicone defoaming agents. So, what is the difference between these two defoaming agents?
Silicone defoamer
The main component of silicone defoamer is silicone oil, which has high stability, heat resistance and oxidation resistance. These characteristics allow silicone defoaming agents to still exert good defoaming effects in harsh environments such as high temperatures, strong acids, and strong alkali. In addition, silicone defoamer has a strong inhibitory effect on bacteria and mold, which can effectively extend the shelf life of products.
Silicone defoamer has the following advantages:
Low surface tension and strong defoaming power.
Good stability, high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance.
Less dosage and good economy.
However, the disadvantage of silicone defoamers is the high surface tension, which may affect the spread and penetration properties of the product. At the same time, because silicone oil is difficult to degrade, excessive use may have certain impact on the environment.
Non-silicone defoamer
The main components of non-silicone defoaming agents are other compounds, such as polymers, high-carbon alcohols, esters, polyethers, fatty acids and other substances. These ingredients have good antibacterial and defoaming effects, and at the same time have small surface tension and will not affect the spreading and penetration properties of the product. Therefore, in some application scenarios, non-silicone defoamer may be more effective than silicone defoamer.
Non-silicone defoamer offers the following benefits:
No silicon plaque residue, suitable for food, pharmaceutical and other fields.
Good biodegradability and environmental protection.
However, the disadvantage of non-silicone defoaming agents is that they have poor high temperature resistance, generally around 80°C. At the same time, this kind of defoaming agent also has a greater impact on the environment and is not easy to biodegrade.
In summary, silicone defoamer and non-silicone defoamer each have their own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing to use a defoamer, you need to make a choice based on specific application scenarios and needs. If scenes with high performance requirements such as high temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, acid and alkali resistance, etc. are required, silicone defoamer may be more suitable; if scenes with higher environmental requirements such as low surface tension and good biodegradability are required, non-organic silicone defoamer may be more suitable. Defoaming agents may be more suitable.