Silicone defoamer: Type analysis and industry application overview
-- Efficient defoaming technology promotes the green transformation of industry



introduction
In chemical, textile, food processing and other industrial fields, the foam problem has long plagued production efficiency and product quality. Silicone defoamer has become the core technology to solve this problem because of its unique chemical properties and wide applicability. In this paper, combined with the latest industry dynamics and scientific research progress, the type of silicone defoamer and its application advantages in different fields are systematically analyzed, and scientific selection reference is provided for industry users.


First, five types of silicone defoamer
Oil type defoamer


Composition and characteristics: silicone oil as the core component, with very low surface tension (about 20-21 mN/m), can quickly penetrate the foam film, destroy its stability 69.


Application scenario: Suitable for oil-based systems such as lubricants, oil extraction and fuel processing, especially in high temperature and pressure environments.


Case study: In oil drilling, ethyl silicone oil defoamer can significantly reduce mud foam and improve drilling efficiency8.


Solution type defoamer


Composition and characteristics: Silicone oil is dissolved in organic solvents (such as kerosene, diesel), with high defoaming efficiency and long defoaming time, suitable for scenarios with high solvent compatibility 9.


Applications: coating, ink production and high-energy fuel processing, which can avoid finished product defects caused by solvent residues.


Emulsion type defoamer


Composition and characteristics: The silicone oil is dispersed into oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion by emulsifier, which has strong stability and is easily soluble in water-based system, and is the type with the largest dosage at present.


Typical case: In the sizing process of the textile printing and dyeing industry, adding 0.2-0.25g /L emulsion defoamer can effectively control the slurry foam and improve the quality of the cloth.


Solid type defoamer


Composition and characteristics: The organic silicon component is loaded on the surface of silicon dioxide or mineral powder, easy to transport and storage, suitable for the direct addition of powdered products (such as detergent) 9.


Advantages: In paper pulping, solid defoamer can accurately control the addition amount (90g/ ton paper), reducing the burden of wastewater treatment.


Polyether modified defoamer


Innovative breakthrough: Through the introduction of polyether chain segments into siloxane molecules, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, suitable for complex systems (such as high temperature dyeing, biological fermentation) 79.


Performance comparison: Compared with traditional silicone oil, its dispersion in water-based system is increased by 50%, and the bubble suppression time is extended by 30%.


Second, industry application and benefit analysis
Textile printing and dyeing industry


Pain points: The foam in the dyeing process can cause stains and fabric blemishes.


Solution: Polyether modified defoamer achieves high temperature defoaming and low temperature dissolution in jet dyeing, reducing equipment cleaning frequency 78.


Petrochemical field


Case: When crude oil is demulsified and dehydrated, adding 0.2 mg/kg silicone defoamer can improve the oil-gas separation efficiency by 15% and reduce energy consumption 68.


Food processing


Safety standards: Food grade polysiloxane defoaming agent (dosage ≤ 0.05g /kg) is widely used in fermentation and sugar production, in line with FDA and EU food safety regulations 69.


Environmental protection field


Wastewater treatment: Emulsion defoamer can reduce foam overflow in activated sludge treatment and avoid secondary pollution6.


Iii. Future trends and technology outlook
With the improvement of industrial refinement demand, silicone defoamer is developing towards "multi-functional compound" and "green environmental protection". For example, self-emulsifying defoamants are optimized for molecular structure and remain active under extreme pH and temperature conditions, reducing the use of auxiliary additions89. In addition, the development of biodegradable silicone oil will further reduce the environmental burden and promote sustainable development.