What’s the difference between an antifoam and a defoamer?

Antifoams and defoamers are antifoaming agents we can use as chemical additives in industries. The key difference between antifoam and defoamer is that antifoam agents can prevent foam from forming, whereas defoamers can control the amount of existing foam. Therefore, antifoams reduce foam formation while defoamers reduce existing foam. Besides, silicone compounds and high boiling alcohols including oleyl alcohol and octylphenoxyethanol are examples of antifoams while oil-based defoamers, powder defoamers, water-based defoamers, silicone-based defoamers, alkyl polyacrylates, and EO/PO based defoamers are examples of defoamers.

Defoamer and Antifoam are different:

• Defoamer will be used in urgent situation, when foam already appears, and need to be eliminated quite urgently, before to reach harmful consequences. (Post-Defoaming)
• Antifoam will be used in order to control a situation, to avoid foam. (Pre-Defoaming)

Indeed, Antifoam are developed to prevent foam, whereas Defoamers eliminate existing foam.

In concluson, the distinction between the different terms is somewhat blurried since in several industries combination of both effects is used.Antifoams and defoamers are antifoaming agents we can use as chemical additives in industries. The key difference between antifoam and defoamer is that antifoam agents can prevent foam from forming, whereas defoamers can control the amount of existing foam.

Amber Zhang Ms.

Foreign trade 

Zhejiang Ruico Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. (Stock No.873233)

Add: No.188, Liangshan Road, Linghu Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China 313018

Phone: +86 (572) 2903236

Fax: +86 (572) 2905222

Wechat: 15534631339

Website: www.ruicoglobal.com 

Email: [email protected]