Antifoaming agents are a class of chemicals used to control foams in industrial processes, such as wastewater treatment. These compounds act by reducing the surface tension of foam, which makes it less stable and easier to eliminate.

The Emultrol DFM® range includes antifoaming agents specifically designed for the treatment of wastewater from multiple industrial sectors. With its use, it is possible to either eliminate foam at all stages of the process, or achieve its effective control, avoiding a loss of productivity due to unwanted foam formation.

Concentrol has products for the treatment of media such as biological, protein, special, physicochemical, biodegradable and wide functioning spectrum.

The product range

Anaerobic and aerobic microbial metabolism of biological media can lead to persistent foams resulting in filamentous infestations, fast temperature and pH changes, change in the composition of wastewater and shock loads or starting and restarting of plants. We have specially indicated products for both anaerobic sludge digestion systems and for aerobic sludge digestion systems.

Products specially formulated for high protein wastewater as in scalding and peeling in pig slaughterhouses. We have a range of antifoaming agents classified as food additives for direct use in food, as well as a range of antifoaming agents for direct or indirect food contact. Some have the Kosher and Halal certification.

Concentrol has products developed for severe or very severe conditions. Thus we have antifoaming agents for very alkaline or very acidic systems or very high temperatures.

With the aim of eliminating contaminants and reducing DQO values, wastewater treatment has become a need for many companies. Very often wastewater has unwanted foam formation. We have adequate products for physicochemical means for the elimination of these foams of multiple industrial processes.

The company has products made with biodegradable and non-toxic raw materials for those processes related to 100% ecological products or services.

In addition, we have a wide range of products with a wide spectrum of operation and we can design bespoke ones to meet customers’ needs.

Each antifoaming solution is suitable for a specific type of treatment and with certain singularities.

Types of treatment

The treatment consists of a series of physical, chemical and biological processes that aim to eliminate pollutants. Three types of treatments are distinguished: primary or physicochemical, secondary or biological and tertiary. There are those who consider a fourth type of treatment prior to the primary that includes the preliminary stages for the correct processing of water.

Physicochemical or primary treatment is used to reduce the elements suspended in liquids, particularly in industrial waters. The most common methods are flotation and coagulation-floculation.

Flotation is applied when matter suspended in water is less dense than water, such as oils, fats or emulsions. This is achieved generating a large amount of air bubbles to displace the elements suspended to the surface. On the other hand, coagulation-floculation is used for very small particles or that sediment very slowly. In this case, chemical substances are added to favour the coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation of the particles. Other options to eliminate harmful substances from wastewater are precipitation, ion exchange and UV treatment.

Biological or secondary treatment is often applied, not necessarily, after physicochemical treatments and makes use of microorganisms that actively degrade organic matter or biological content so that the elements to be eliminated are released from the aqueous environment.

Two different processes are distinguished depending on whether the matter is treated on oxidants or not, aerobic processes and anaerobic processes. In the first, aerobic microorganisms are incorporated whose objective is to increase the oxygen content in the liquid by means of solid surface irrigation, agitation and submerged aeration. In this process dissolved biodegradable substances serve as food for incorporated microorganisms, becoming biomass of aerobic conditions, carbon dioxide and water. Next, the elimination of nitrogen compounds in the water that is being treated is done by means of nitrification and denitrification. Nitrification uses microorganisms to convert the ammonium of wastewater into nitrates, denitrification reduces nitrate to nitrogen allowing the product to escape in a gaseous state towards the atmosphere. 

On the other hand, anaerobic processes, also considered fermentative or degrading, are characterized by converting the processed organic matter into compounds of methane and carbon dioxide by bacteria that are responsible for the degradation of the solids that reach this stage. In this process there is no compound based on oxidants, so the chemical reactions resulting from these processes release a small part of the energy, while the remaining energy remains in the methane compound. 

Finally, tertiary treatment is performed, this can have physicochemical or biological nature and to refine the result of the composition of the effluent the methods applied will be very variable depending on the origin and destination of the water to be treated.

Treatment control

In all specified treatments, foam formation in the fluid is common both by the agitation of the medium in hydraulic or mechanical processes, as well as intentional aeration. This foam, if out of control, can generate irregularities in the processes, as well as damage the machinery used or produce alterations in biological purification systems, increasing associated costs and decreasing the productivity of the processes. For this reason it is necessary to incorporate auxiliary agents in the processes, such as antifoaming agents.

Antifoaming agents are chemicals that allow controlling and, if necessary, eliminate foam in treated water to avoid the negative consequences of its appearance or excess in stages in which it is not desired. Antifoaming agents contain surfactants that allow the control of the surface tension of the liquid. Antifoaming agents are quickly spread in the liquid-gas interphase to destabilize the micellar structures favouring the collapse of the bubbles.

Antifoaming agents for water treatment may be necessary in very diverse industrial sectors. Their composition and formulation will depend on the processes to which water is subjected and physicochemical or biological treatments used with agitation or aeration, biological reactors, control arches and collectors, distillation and vacuum systems etc. The selection of each chemical will be based on the surfactants present in the water, on the engineering and on the required water quality.

Concentrol is a chemical company with a long experience in multiple industrial sectors that has developed the Emultrol DFM range of antifoaming agents that includes solutions specifically designed for wastewater treatment in different industrial sectors.

Las soluciones EMULTROL DFM

  • Emultrol DFM DV-1 T Antifoaming agent in emulsion with 10% silicone content.
    • Properties: broad spectrum in water treatment.
    • Benefits: very stable, even in a 50% water dilution.
  • Emultrol DFM DV-8 P Antifoaming agent in emulsion with 5% silicone content.
    • Properties: Wide spectrum.
    • Benefits: “Ready-to -use”. Due to its concentration / dilution it incorporates rapidly.
  • Emultrol DFM DV-25 Antifoaming agent concentrated with 25% solid silicone base (16% silicone)
    • Properties: broad spectrum.
    • Benefits: Dilution needed before use.
  • Emultrol DFM AFO-5 Antifoaming agent in emulsion based on vegetable oils at 22% solids.
    • Properties: It is used in biological media.
    • Benefits: 100% biodegradable. It does not block membranes.
  •  Emultrol DFM OLM-14 Antifoaming agent, hydrocarbon based, 100% solid.
    • Properties: It is used in biological media. Characteristic hydrocarbon smell.
    • Benefits: It does not block membranes.
  • Emultrol DFM OLM-12 Emultrol DFM OLM-12 Antifoaming agent, mineral oil based (contains silicone), 100% solid.
  • Properties: broad spectrum.
  • Benefits: It is used as an alternative to silicone-based antifoaming agents.

The wide range of sectors in which Concentrol works provide extensive knowledge of the nature of waters and the engineering of water treatment processes of most industries. In this way, Concentrol’s technical team works together with the experts of each industry to know in depth the specific requirements in order to provide the solution that best suits the needs, optimizing the costs and the desired result.

The extensive track record and experience of Concentrol in additives for the treatment of wastewater enables the possibility of offering individualized solutions for each client from tests, studies and developments carried out in our laboratories. Contact us for more information.