The influence of agricultural emulsifiable concentrate on the formation of aqueous phase foam

Abstract

Foam pollution in water bodies is increasing year by year, while agricultural emulsifiable concentrate, a common formulation used in agricultural production, is often discharged into various water bodies after use. An analysis of references revealed that surfactants and organic solvents in agricultural emulsifiable concentrates have a significant impact on water phase foam. Among them, anionic and nonionic surfactants mostly promote foam formation by changing the surface tension of the liquid and the strength of the liquid film. For example, alkylbenzene sulfonate has strong foaming ability and high stability, while sodium diester succinate sulfonate has weak foaming ability and low stability. In terms of organic solvents, aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols and lipids increase foam production, while ketones and solvent oils have less effect. In view of this, improvements such as adjusting the HLB value of surfactants and introducing ethanol or n-butanol as defoamers are proposed to reduce water foam pollution caused by agricultural emulsifiable oils, providing a reference for the field of environmental prevention and control.