Which surfactants can be used to control foam during cleaning？

Low-foam surfactants include several nonionic and amphoteric compounds with broad performance capabilities and application possibilities. It is important to note that these surfactants are not zero-foaming agents. Rather, in addition to other properties, they provide a means of controlling the amount of foam generated in certain applications. Low-foam surfactants are also distinct from defoamers or antifoamers, which are additives specifically designed to reduce or eliminate foam. Surfactants offer many other essential functions in formulations, including cleaning, wetting, emulsifying, dispersing, and more.

Amphoteric Surfactants​

Amphoteric surfactants with very low foam profiles are used as water-soluble surfactants in many cleaning formulations. These ingredients offer coupling, stability, cleaning, and wetting properties. Novel multifunctional amphoteric surfactants exhibit extremely low foaming characteristics while providing cleaning performance, excellent environmental and safety profiles, and compatibility with other nonionic, cationic, and anionic surfactants.

Nonionic Alkoxylates​

Low-foam alkoxylates with ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) content can deliver superior rinsing and spray-cleaning performance for several high-agitation and mechanical cleaning applications. Examples include rinse aids for automatic dishwashing, dairy and food cleaners, pulp and paper processing applications, textile chemicals, and more. Additionally, linear alcohol-based alkoxylates exhibit very low foaming properties and can be combined with other low-foam components (e.g., biodegradable water-soluble polymers) to formulate safe and economical cleaners.

EO/PO Block Copolymers​

EO/PO block copolymers are known for their excellent wetting and dispersing properties. The low-foam variants in this category can serve as efficient emulsifiers for various industrial and institutional cleaning applications.

​Low-Foam Amine Oxides

Amine oxides with very low foam measurements are also recognized for their cleaning performance in detergents and degreasers. When combined with low-foam amphoteric hydrogels, amine oxides can serve as the surfactant backbone in many formulations for low-foam hard surface cleaners and metal cleaning applications.

Linear Alcohol Ethoxylates​

Certain linear alcohol ethoxylates exhibit medium to low foam levels and can be used in various hard surface cleaning applications. These surfactants offer excellent detergency and wetting properties while maintaining favorable environmental, health, and safety profiles. In particular, low-HLB alcohol ethoxylates are low to moderately foaming and can be combined with high-HLB alcohol methoxylates to control foam and enhance oil solubility in many industrial cleaning formulations.

Fatty Amine Ethoxylates​

Certain fatty amine ethoxylates possess low foaming properties and can be used in agricultural applications and thickened cleaning or wax-based formulations to provide emulsifying, wetting, and dispersing properties.