Surfactants are present in every aspect of our daily life, and their applications range from food products, shampoos and detergents over firefighting foams to oil recovery. Designing novel surfactant formulations in a sustainable manner by estimating their stability and performance before going into synthesis and further experimental assessment is highly important for achieving industrial efficiency. This is even more valuable in the current industrial context where new, preferably bio-sourced materials, need to be assessed as replacement of mineral-oil based surfactants and for eliminating fluorinated species.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are essential components of aqueous film-forming fire-fighting foams (AFFF) because of their capacity to reduce water’s surface tension and therefore suppress fire vapors that are responsible for reignition. The high C–F bond strength and oleo- and hydrophobic characteristics of PFAS are their main features of their optimal surfactant behavior which is responsible for fire suppression activity at the molecular level. Macroscopically this results in stopping the fuel from reigniting and therefore, allowing rapid extinction. Nevertheless, PFAS are known to be persistent pollutants with severe negative health consequences, including cancer, reproductive health problems, and kidney disease. In particular, the utilization of PFAS in fire-fighting foams is a significant factor contributing to environmental pollution at sites AFFF has been used. Consequently, the creation of fluorine-free alternative surfactants that are both efficient for fire suppression formulations and environmentally safe has become increasingly crucial. A potential PFAS-free substitute consists of trimethylsiloxanes (TriSil) surfactants, which are made up of hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) units and hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) segments. The presence of TriSil surfactants decreases the surface tension of the foam, leading to a reduction in the time required to coat a flammable surface. A remaining concern is to understand how these substances will break down under given environmental conditions, thereby evaluating their effects on the environment.
In this webinar we will compare the performance of TriSil type of surfactants with PFAS surfactants based on their ability to reduce the interfacial tension of water / oil systems. From an environmental point of view, we will also study at the molecular level the degradation of TriSil in aqueous solution. Therefore, this webinar will demonstrate how material simulations as implemented in MAPS can help to find environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional surfactants.
