To help manufacturers meet consumers’ demands for green and high-performance premium flat paints, Cognis has launched two new defoamers: FoamStar EF 20 and FoamStar EF 22. Both represent a breakthrough in defoaming efficiency with very low VOC, according to the company. They can reduce the amount of defoamer needed in paints by up to 50 percent, thereby reducing the paint’s total amount of VOCs even further. Within its FoamStar EF series, they are among the most efficient defoamers requiring 30 to 50 percent less dosage in order to achieve the benchmark performance of mineral oil defoamers. Besides a lower VOC contribution and very low odor they effectively prevent micro foam, making them ideal for use in premium paints that contain less than 100 grams of VOC per liter. They also offer high persistency and fast bubble break times. For example, at a 40 percent lower dosage, FoamStar EF 20 and FoamStar EF 22 have a bubble break time of less than 100 seconds in 50 g/l paint, the company said.