Defoamer and its Application- Balaji Chem Solutions
In the paper and pulp industry, defoamers are used to tackle different problems related to foam. Defoamers help to reduce the amount of surface foam and entrapped air. Moreover, Defoamers also cause hindrance during foam formation and stop it. These defoamers are different surface additives such as amides of fatty acids or esters. Another name given to defoamers is antifoaming agents. These agents are very important as foam formation can lead to reduced throughput, separations and overhead losses. Apart from this, the formation of foam can also affect the strength of paper in a negative way. So, it becomes more crucial for a pulp and paper industry to resist the formation of foam for better strength of paper. These defoamers have different properties.
Properties of defoamers
Defoamers are anti-foaming agents which have surfactant properties. These agents reduce surface tension when applied. Defoamers are also highly insoluble in the water. Defoamers are neither thick nor sticky, this is why they spread quickly on the foamy surface but they spread in the form of tiny droplets. Moreover, defoamers also have an affinity to spread the air-liquid interface which is the main reason for the collapse of surface foam. pH value, active material content, specific gravity, solid content and emulsifier type and shelf life are some other important parameters of defoamers.
Reasons for foam generation
There are many specific reasons which cause foam during the manufacturing of paper in the paper and pulp mill. There are many mechanical factors which are involved in forming foam. There are a number of pumps in a paper mill. If any pump has leaky seals foam can be easily created. A pump with high pressure can be another reason for the formation of foam. Agitation can also build foam in the mill but mostly the foam is generated during coating colour circulation. Not only process but different chemicals can also be a reason behind the formation of foam. Sizing agents are also a crucial aspect of foam formation. Alkaline or neutral sizing agents don’t cause much foam as compared to rosin sizing agents or acid sizing agents. As discussed, earlier Formation of foam can cause major issues for any paper and pulp mill and some of these problems can impact the paper quality.
Some of the problems that can be caused by foam in a paper mill are:-
1) Formation problem during manufacturing
2) Reduced effectiveness of different pumps
3) Bacteria generation
4) Formation of deposits
5) Problems related to drainage
6) Air bubbles during coating
7) Less efficiency due to chemical drainage
Benefits of Defoamers or antifoaming agents
A most prominent advantage of defoamers is that it improves the drainage in a paper mill. Defoamers also enhance drainage in bleaching plant screen room area, Kraft pulp stock and sulfite stock in the pulp mill. As discussed earlier, the strength of the paper is also improved because defoamers reduce the breakage in the paper. Less breakage in paper means more production and hence productivity of the paper will be enhanced automatically. Steam consumption is also decreased with the help of defoamers in the dryer this saves energy as well as reduces cost. By removing bubbles in fibres defoamers reduce the hole count in paper formation.
Importance of accurate dosage
To enhance the effectiveness in a paper mill defoamer should be used in an accurate percentage. If these are not used in a proper manner different complications can happen. For instance — Less use of defoamers may resist any paper mill to attain its goal whereas if defoamers are used in more quantity performance of sizing agents and dry strength resins can be affected. Deposit dilemmas can also be affected by more decomposers. Thus, it becomes very crucial for any paper mill to choose accurate quantities of defoamers and air content should be tested.
Different types of defoamers
To overcome troubles of foam and to enhance the productivity of the firm, a different type of defoamers are used these defoamers include:-
1) Water-based defoamers
2) Oil-based defoamer
3) Powder defoamer
4) Silicone-based defoamer
5) Polymer defoamer
6) Alkyl polyacrylates defoamers
CONCLUSION
So, these are different properties of defoamers in a paper mill. Defoamers are a crucial aspect during the production of the paper and should be used inaccurate quantity to avoid any complications. Apart from this, choosing an accurate defoamer is also crucial for any individual. Balaji chem solutions use these defoamers after testing them in different situations under the supervision and direction of expertise. This is why we are able to produce the best quality products with available resources.
