Surface-active agent effect

Salas, F. and Labuza, T.P., Surface active agents effects on the drying characteristies of model food systems. Food TechnoL, 22 1576-1580, 1968. 

Defoamers. Foam is a common problem in papermaking systems (27). It is caused by surface-active agents which are present in the pulp slurry or in the chemical additives. In addition, partially hydrophobic soHd materials can function as foam stabilizers. Foam can exist as surface foam or as a combination of surface foam and entrained air bubbles. Surface foam usually can be removed by water or steam showers and causes few problems. Entrained air bubbles, however, can slow drainage of the stock and hence reduce machine speed. Another serious effect is the formation of translucent circular spots in the finished sheet caused by permanently entrained air. 

Internal surfactant antistats ate physically mixed with the plastic resin prior to processing. When the resin is melted, the antistat distributes evenly in the polymer matrix. The antistat usually has some degree of solubiUty in the molten polymer. However, when the polymer is processed (extmded, molded, etc) into its final form and allowed to cool, the antistat migrates to the surface of the finished article due to its limited solubiUty in the solidified resin. The molecule of a surface-active agent is composed of a polar hydrophilic portion and a nonpolar hydrophobic portion. The hydrophilic portion of the surfactant at the surface attracts moisture from the atmosphere it is the moisture that has the static dissipative effect. 

Information on the coefficients is relatively undeveloped. They are evidently strongly influenced by rate of drop coalescence and breakup, presence of surface-active agents, interfacial turbulence (Marangoni effect), drop-size distribution, and the like, none of which can be effectively evaluated at this time. 

Frothers. These are also surface-active agents added to the flotation pulp primarily to stabilize the air bubbles for effective particle-bubble attachment, cariyover of particle-laden bubbles to the froth. 

Weekman and Myers (W2) examined the fluid-flow characteristics of cocurrent downward flow of gas and liquid. The pulsing effect first noted by Larkins et al. was also observed in this work. Pressure-drop data could be correlated satisfactorily by a relation similar to those used for two-phase flow in pipes. Surface-active agents were observed to have a pronounced influence upon flow regime transition and pressure drop. 

See also Sections IJIA and 11IB for the effect of surface-active agents on bubble velocity. 

III. Effect of Surface-Active Agents A. Experimental Studies... 

Adsorption is one of the primary components of surfactant effectiveness. Surfactants are adsorbed on interfaces of the aqueous solution. That may be another solution which is immiscible with water, a gas phase, or a solid surface. Solid surfaces in particular are significantly altered by the adsorption of surface-active agents. Hence this effect is used in many fields. 

The inhibition of Streptococcus mutans adherence to hydroxyapatite with combinations of alkyl phosphates and nonionic surfactants was tested. Seven alkyl phosphate derivatives and three nonionic surfactants were examined for their ability to inhibit the adherence of 3H-labeled cells of S. mutans to hydroxyapatite treated with buffer or parotid saliva. No compound by itself effectively hindered binding of bacteria to hydroxyapatite. A combination of certain of the alkyl phosphates, notably a disodium phosphate of 1-octadecanol, and nonionic surfactant at a 1 1 molar ratio gave a strong inhibition of S. mutans adherence. Treatment with this combination resulted in 98% reduction of adherence. Adsorption of the two types of surface-active agents alone and in combinations was studied using 14C-labeled agents. Electrophoretic measure-... 

The effects of the addition of surface active agent were investigated because the distribution of air might be affected and the slip velocity reduced. As a result of reducing the surface tension from 0.07 to 0.045 N/m, the maximum efficiency of the pump was increased from 49 to 66 per cent. 

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs Chapter 10) such as cetrimide, and also the bisbiguanide, chlorhexidine, are notoriously prone to promote clumping. A non-ionic surface-active agent of the type formed by condensing ethylene oxide with a long-chain fatty acid such as Cirrasol ALN-WF (ICI Ltd), formerly known as Lubrol W, together with lecithin, added to the diluting fluid has been used to overcome this effect. 

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