What is an antifoam made of?
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Summary
Foam in industrial processes
The formation of foam
Operational stability is the foundation of industrial competitiveness. Fiprokim, with its experience in applied chemistry, understands that uncontrolled foam formation is not simply an aesthetic inconvenience, but a concrete cause of inefficiencies, quality defects, and plant downtime. The FIPRO DEFOAM line includes specific silicone and non-silicone formulations that represent the ideal solution for ensuring process optimization while fully complying with regulations and the environment.
The value of quality in industrial chemistry
Thanks to its in-house laboratory and rigorous raw material testing, Fiprokim focuses on the quality of each product and each batch of FIPRO DEFOAM to best meet every customer request. We combine industrial power and technical flexibility to offer customized formulations. This approach is essential in demanding sectors such as textiles, tanning, electroplating, and water treatment.
Foam phenomenology and process criticalities
The formation of foam
In industrial waters, foam is formed by the presence of surfactants, organic macromolecules, and solid particles. These substances settle at the interface between the air and the liquid, triggering the Gibbs-Marangoni effect, a self-healing mechanism that draws liquid into the thinnest regions of the bubbles, fueling their foaming. This process prevents the natural breakdown of the bubbles, making the foam extremely persistent and difficult to remove without chemical intervention.
Critical impacts in industrial processes
Uncontrolled foam generates serious cascading inefficiencies in many sectors. In wastewater treatment plants, it acts as an insulator, increasing energy costs and safety risks. In surface treatment and painting, bubbles prevent proper surface wettability and chemical interaction with the metal, causing unacceptable aesthetic defects and thus waste. In mechanical processing, a foaming fluid loses its lubricating and cooling properties, causing overheating of tools, dangerous spills, and harmful pump cavitation.
How is an antifoam made?
To destroy these stubborn formations, FIPRO DEFOAM products work through a purely physical, surface-level action. Dispersing in tiny, homogeneous, insoluble droplets without leaving unwanted deposits, the defoamer creates a "bridge" on the bubble wall, repelling water and thinning the liquid film until it immediately breaks. This is how a antifoam is made; the true added value of our technology lies in the balanced formulation: we achieve instant reduction of existing foam and prevent its reformation over time by dispersing ourselves.
FIPRO DEFOAM – Antifoam Engineering
Fiprokim's answer to these challenges is embodied in the FIPRO DEFOAM range. This comprehensive family of solutions, each designed to excel under specific operating conditions and process constraints, stands out for its versatility, offering both silicone-based options and, more importantly, advanced non-silicone technologies.
The choice between a silicone and a non-silicone defoamer is crucial and depends entirely on the final application. While silicone-based defoamers offer unparalleled efficiency in terms of speed and dosing, non-silicone defoamers are essential where silicone is a critical contaminant (for example, before painting) or where specific biodegradability characteristics are required.
These are the main products of the FIPRO DEFOAM line:
Non-silicone antifoams: safety and performance for finishes
This category represents the core of Fiprokim's offering for the manufacturing and surface treatment industries. By eliminating the risk of silicone contamination, these products ensure that subsequent painting, bonding, or coating processes are flawless.
FIPRO DEFOAM 181 – For tough foams
FIPRO DEFOAM 181 is a "as is" defoamer designed to address the most challenging situations where foam is stabilized by high-tenacity synthetic polymers.
Target applications: It is the solution of choice for the removal of persistent foam generated by acrylic or vinyl resins, cationic or anionic surfactants. It is widely used in the tanning and textile industries and in the treatment of complex municipal wastewater.
FIPRO DEFOAM 155 – Water-based emulsion technology
FIPRO DEFOAM 155 represents a technological leap toward easier-to-manage and disperse systems. It is an aqueous emulsion, appearing as a milky liquid.
Double action: Unlike traditional defoamers that only act on the surface, 155 offers a dual action mode:
Surface action: Breaks up existing bubbles floating on the liquid.
Deaeration (bulk effect): Penetrates the liquid mass, promoting the coalescence of dispersed micro-bubbles before they can rise and form surface foam. This deep-seated "defoaming" effect is valuable in high-viscosity systems such as inks or paints.
FIPRO DEFOAM 154
A highly efficient variant of FIPRO DEFOAM 155, specifically enhanced for heavy-duty alkaline degreasing and purification systems with particularly high organic loads. It is the recommended choice when the pollutant load changes suddenly and a greater safety buffer is required.
Silicone antifoams and special solutions
When the process allows it (no subsequent painting or critical gluing stages) and the conditions are extreme (very high or low pH, high temperatures), silicone chemistry offers unrivaled performance.
FIPRO DEFOAM 156 – The power of silicone
This silicone emulsion defoamer is designed to instantly break down foam. Silicone's low surface tension (about 20-21 dynes/cm versus 72 for water) allows it to spread through foam at supersonic speeds compared to mineral oils.
