In industrial cleaning, foam not only affects decontamination, but is also difficult to rinse off, prone to residue, and may even overflow from the cleaning equipment, causing waste. Moreover, foam can carry away surfactants from the cleaning liquid phase. Therefore, it is necessary to use low-foam cleaning products to achieve good cleaning results.
The generation and stability of foam in industrial cleaning are influenced by various factors, such as the structure of surfactants, other components in the cleaning solution, acidity-alkalinity and electrolytes, temperature, water hardness, oil stains, and cleaning methods. Therefore, low-foam surfactants refer to surfactants that do not produce foam under usage conditions, or whose foam is unstable and can disappear quickly.
Performance Characteristics of Low-Foaming Surfactants
Acid/alkali resistance: Under normal conditions, they can be considered acid/alkali resistant, especially alkyl-capped alcohol ethers, which can remain stable for a long time under high-temperature and high acid/alkali conditions (their own structure will not change). Surface activity: Due to the limitation of molecular structure, the polarity difference between the hydrophilic group and the lipophilic group in the amphiphilic structure of the surfactant is significantly reduced. Cloud point reduction: Due to the relatively increased lipophilic groups in the structure, the cloud point of low-foam nonionic surfactants is relatively low. Freezing point drop: Since the hydrophilic end is blocked by lipophilic or relatively lipophilic groups, the intermolecular force is weakened, resulting in a drop in the freezing point of the product. This property facilitates the use of such products. Reduced tendency to gel: The tendency of such products to form gels in water is greatly reduced, which is very beneficial for product preparation.
Application of low-foam surfactants in industrial cleaning
Dishwashing machine cleaning: Usually, it refers to pre-washing tableware before they enter the dishwasher. In-situ cleaning: It mainly refers to cleaning during the food production and processing process. In the cleaning process, the main role of surfactants is wetting. At the same time, the surfactants in cleaning products are low-foaming surfactants, which have defoaming and foam-inhibiting effects and can ensure the smooth progress of cleaning. Cleaning of recycled beverage bottles: It mainly involves the cleaning of recycled beer bottles. Metal cleaning: In metal cleaning, in addition to wetting, defoaming and foam-inhibiting, surfactants must also have strong decontamination effects. In addition, as cleaning proceeds, oil stains may cause an increase in foam in the system, so surfactants are required to have good decontamination properties. At the same time, they should not only be low-foaming themselves but also have the ability to inhibit foam caused by oil stains.
Post time: Mar-12-2026