TEGO® Foamex 8850 and 8820: Silicone like performance defoamers with high biorenewable content
Benefits at a Glance
- High bio-renewable content
- Highly effective at grinding respectively let down stage
- Free of mineral oil
- Complies with a wide range of food packaging regulations
The challenge
Sustainability and safety are two key drivers in the printing ink industry that inspire innovation. Inks with high bio-renewable content are in demand across numerous end-use applications. Especially in the packaging industry, consumer and food safety are of paramount importance. Our development task was to develop defoamers that were safe and sustainable – without sacrificing performance.
The approach
Historically, strong, and effective defoaming in waterborne inks has been synonymous with siloxane-based products. To provide our customers with an alternative, our approach was to develop siloxane-free defoamers with similar defoaming properties, but with a bio-renewable content of more than 50%. In addition, we needed to ensure compliance with the highest regulatory standards and global food contact regulations.
Therefore, a screening approach combined with statistical methods was chosen to develop two new defoamers. Potentially interesting natural raw materials were identified and screened in a design of experiment (DOE) approach to understand the interactions. Synthetic components were then tailored to achieve optimal performance of the resulting defoamers.
Market research and strategic planning for defoamers:
We performed the initial screening on our high throughput equipment (HTE). We then fine-tuned and validated the results in our global applied research and technology laboratories. In this way we were able to reflect regional differences in formulation.
The solution
The result was two high-performance defoamers, one targeted for addition to the grinding stage and the other for the let-down stage: TEGO® Foamex 8820 and TEGO® Foamex 8850. Both offer the same performance as standard siloxane-based defoamers but are safer and more sustainable due to their high bio-based content.
However, they differ in terms of defoaming power and compatibility. TEGO® Foamex 8820 is very powerful and shear stable, ideal for use in the grinding stage.
TEGO® Foamex 8850 offers highest compatibility and easy incorporation, making it ideal for addition at the let-down stage or post addition.
Both products also exhibit high compliance with food safety regulations, as shown in the table below:
| Food contact compliances | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 % active | Contains solvents, biocides, mineral oil | Renewable content | SwissA | FDA 175.300 | FDA 175.170 & 176.180 | China GB | BfR XIV | |
| TEGO® Foamex 8820 | yes | no | > 50 % | yes | yes | yes | no | yes |
| TEGO® Foamex 8850 | yes | no | > 95 % | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
More data on these products is available on COATINO® Campus. There, we offer more detailed information in our online course “TEGO® Foamex 8820 and 8850 for WB inks and varnishes”.
Summary
With TEGO® Foamex 8820 and 8850 Evonik continues to grow its additive portfolio with high bio renewable content - without sacrificing performance or global food contact compliance.
