Defoaming agent

Description

An additive used to prevent or reduce gas bubbles in a liquid system. Defoaming agents are often used in the papermaking operations since the Kraft process is particularly susceptible to foamy pulp. Many types of chemicals, such as liquid surfactants as well as solid particles, help reduce surface tension and thus rupture bubbles. Examples of defoaming agents are 2-octanol, oleic acid, paraffinic waxes, amide waxes, sulfonated oils, organic phosphates, silicone oils, mineral oils, and dimethylpolysiloxane.

Synonyms and Related Terms

defoamer; antifoamer (AAT); antifoaming agent; anti-foaming agents

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 742

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Boise Cascade Paper Group, The Paper Handbook, Boise Cascade, Portland OR, 1989

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• The Dictionary of Paper, American Paper Institute, New York, Fourth Edition, 1980

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000 Comment: preferred term = antifoamer