Selection Criteria for Antifoams Used in the Acid Gas Sweetening Process

Antifoam plays an essential role in maintaining the continuous removal of acid gases by the absorption process. However, a holistic review of the fundamentals and desirable selection criteria for different types of antifoams for the gas sweetening process is scarcely available. Therefore, this review analyses the selection criteria of each type of antifoam for acid gas sweetening, particularly silicone, polyether glycol, alcohol, and blended-based antifoams. These selection criteria are crucial in defining the properties and antifoaming performance in terms of solubility, dispersibility, surface tension, viscosity, defoaming rate, thermal stability, stability of defoaming performance, potential hazard, and chemical inertness. Hence, this review provides valuable insight into the existing and potential antifoams that could be employed in the acid gas sweetening process along with their distinctive antifoaming ability, benefits, and drawbacks. From this review, blended antifoam is able to fulfill most of the selection criteria and will be further explored in a subsequent study.