New Silicone Antifoam Technologies for Automatic Dishwashing Application

Silicone antifoams were invented in the mid 1940s and later introduced on the market as foam control agents for consumer laundry detergents. Since then, the use of this technology has been extended across markets and applications involving foaming medium, synthetic surfactants or both. Silicone antifoams are available as pure compounds, dispersions, emulsions or granulates. They are now largely accepted and used in a variety of industries for their exceptional properties and performance. Synthetic surfactant-based aqueous systems are the most widely known foaming medium in which silicone antifoams are used either at the industrial or consumer level. In addition, specific silicone antifoam technologies have been developed for the pulp and paper, fermentation, coating, petroleum, food and beverage, agricultural and textile industries. Surprisingly, in the household area, the automatic dishwashing (ADW) application has remained without a suitable antifoam solution. Due to the very high shear and high foam generated by the washing process and the absence of suitable antifoam, the inclusion of organic surfactants in ADW detergent has been significantly limited, and this represents a constraint. New high performance silicone antifoams are now capable of controlling foam in a surfactant-based ADW composition and process. This technology may trigger and enable important future changes in ADW compositions, allowing better cleaning at lower washing temperatures and/or development of new claims.