antifoam for NaOH based distillations

[biotechdude]

quick question...

antifoam solutions are used to minimise foaming in many industrial applications like water purification processes and large bioreactors etc

Is there any obvious problems associated with adding some to a solution that will be steam distilled; where foaming from the basic NaOH environment can be troublesome sometimes. 

It is guessed the main problem is if the antifoam agent was steam volatile or caused side reactions.  Any thoughts or comments...

[wareami]

I beelieve it was LUGH? that had a post about this around a year ago. Maybe WizardX! Since the UTFSE® is tempoRAREily disabled, I'll try an alternate but painstaking way of searching for it!
Maybee he'll chime in before I dig it UP or someone else has the answer.
While I'm searching...the thread, according to my best recollection detailed the advantages of using NON-VOLATILEanti-foaming agents during distillation processes.
It may have been dealing with essential oil extraction but don't quote me. I just remember seeing it here
It was over my head so I don't recall much more than that...

One such non-volatile AFA is Anti-foam B:
•Hydrogenated tallow glycerides
•Synonyms/Common Names: Silicon Emulsion
Section X - Stability and Reactivity
•Stability: Stable Hazardous Polymerization: Will not occur
•Conditions to Avoid: N/A Materials to Avoid: Oxidizing material can cause a reaction. 
•Hazardous Decomposition Products: Silicon dioxide, carbon dioxide, and Traces of incompletely burned carbon products, and formaldehyde.

Antifoam B Emulsion

(http://hillbrothers.com/msds/abe.htm)

[biotechdude]

From Antifoam B MSDS

Flash Point: > 213.98`F (101`C)
Boiling Point/Range: 100`C; 212o F
% Volatiles: > 80%

It looks like it wouldn't be suitable for steam distillations; as it is volatile and would be liberated at close to the steam temp.

Research continues into solid silicon antifoam agents.    They seem to have a larger operational range.  Dont know enough about them yet to make any more suggestions.  TFSE will prove useful as well

[Organikum]

Your question will be hard to impossible to answer as long you dont tell WHAT you want to steamdistill and WHAT anti-foaming agent you thought to use.

What about corn-oil?