In industrial scenarios such as alkaline cleaning, textile dyeing and printing, papermaking and pulping, and metalworking, foam problems under strong alkali conditions often lead to lower production efficiency, accelerated equipment corrosion and fluctuations in product quality. Traditional antifoams tend to fail in systems with a pH above 12, showing defects such as demulsification, oil floating or a short foam suppression time, which not only increases extra costs but may also cause secondary pollution.
The Chemi Tech alkali-resistant antifoam was developed specifically for this pain point. It uses a specially modified composite structure of polysiloxane and hydrophobic particles and can maintain stable dispersion in strong alkali media such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Its core advantage is that, under extreme conditions of pH 13-14, it can still quickly reduce surface tension and achieve instant foam breaking; at the same time, an intermolecular cross-linked network extends the foam suppression time and reduces the dosing frequency.
To address the instability problems common in practical applications, Chemi Tech provides a three-step implementation method:
Step one, evaluate the system. Measure the actual pH value, temperature and foam generation intensity in production. For example, in an alkaline cleaning tank, if the foam layer is more than 10 cm high and does not break within 5 minutes, it means the current antifoam has failed.
Step two, determine the dosing method and dosage. Continuous drip feeding or intermittent addition is recommended, with an initial dosage of 0.05%-0.2% of the total system volume. Adjust the dosage by observing the speed at which the foam subsides, until the foam layer is controlled below 1 cm.
Step three, monitoring and optimization. After 2-4 hours of operation, check whether the antifoam shows stratification or precipitation. If the foam suppression time is shorter than 30 minutes, appropriately increase the proportion of hydrophobic particles or switch to a high-concentration model.
A metal surface treatment enterprise once faced a difficult problem: the pH of its degreasing tank had long been maintained at 13.5, and the original antifoam failed completely within 40 minutes after startup, causing foam to overflow and pollute the floor, with three additions needed per shift. After introducing the Chemi Tech alkali-resistant antifoam, only a one-time addition of 0.15% at startup was needed, and the foam layer stayed below 0.5 cm throughout the subsequent 8 hours of production with no topping up required. The antifoam consumption per shift fell by 67%, while equipment downtime and cleaning caused by foam overflow were avoided.
Another textile dyeing and printing plant, when handling a scouring process containing high-concentration alkali liquor, suffered uneven fabric folding and frequent dye spots because of foam. After using the Chemi Tech product, the foam was completely eliminated within 20 seconds, the foam suppression time exceeded 6 hours, and the finished product qualification rate rose by 12%.
Choosing the Chemi Tech alkali-resistant antifoam means saying goodbye to frequent topping up, equipment contamination and performance fluctuations. We provide full-process technical support from laboratory bench tests to workshop pilot tests, ensuring that every step achieves the expected result.