Emulsion
An emulsion may separate despite using a suitable emulsifier.
About SURFALCHEMY
Applied surface chemistry. Practical industrial thinking.
A formulation is more than a list of ingredients. Its performance depends on how those ingredients interact—and what happens at the interfaces between them.
SURFALCHEMY is a founder-led technical consulting business specialising in surfactants, interfacial science and industrial formulations. We help companies investigate formulation and application challenges by examining the science behind product behaviour, rather than relying solely on repeated raw-material substitutions.
Discuss Your Technical ChallengeWhere formulation performance becomes complex
Many performance problems are linked to surface-active and interfacial phenomena.
Wetting
A liquid may fail to wet a substrate even when its surface tension appears acceptable.
Foam
Foam may be desirable during application but disruptive during manufacturing.
Dispersion
A dispersion may be stable in the laboratory yet behave differently when formulation or process conditions change or production scale increases.
Understanding the system
Understanding these behaviours requires looking beyond individual ingredients. Surfactant adsorption, interfacial tension, wetting dynamics, emulsion and dispersion stability, foam generation and decay, ingredient compatibility, and interactions between the formulation and its surrounding surfaces can all influence performance. The relevant mechanisms depend on the particular system and application.
SURFALCHEMY brings scientific understanding together with practical considerations such as raw-material selection, processing conditions, performance requirements, stability, scale-up and cost. Depending on the challenge, our support may involve technical assessment, root-cause investigation, formulation development, performance optimisation or application-focused advisory work.
Our approach is to understand the system first—then identify formulation and process changes worth evaluating.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Meet Dr. Bhushan Sonchal
Founder, SURFALCHEMY
Chemical Engineering | Surfactants & Interfacial Science
Dr. Bhushan Sonchal is the founder of SURFALCHEMY. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai. His doctoral thesis, "Studies in Dynamics of Surfactant Aggregation," examined the behaviour of surfactant systems.
He also holds an M.Tech. in Technology of Oils, Oleo-chemicals & Surfactants from the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai and a B.Tech. in Technology of Oil, Fats & Surfactants from Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT), Nagpur.
His professional experience spans research, formulation development, technical service and industrial scale-up across coatings, textiles, oilfield chemicals, personal care and construction chemicals. His work has included emulsion- and dispersion-based formulations, surfactant performance, application testing and technical troubleshooting.
Experience behind SURFALCHEMY
Dr. Bhushan Sonchal's professional journey connects research in surfactants and interfacial science with industrial formulation development, application testing, troubleshooting and scale-up.
His experience includes work with Asian Paints, ITC, GE, Texport Syndicate and Khosla High Performance Textile, alongside research experience at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.
Through SURFALCHEMY, he brings this cross-industry perspective to companies seeking specialist technical support.
FOUNDER'S NOTE
Why I founded SURFALCHEMY
Throughout my work in research, formulation development and industrial applications, I have seen how a product's performance depends on much more than the ingredients listed in its formulation.
Often, the individual raw materials are well understood, but how they interact with one another—and how they behave at interfaces—is less well understood. Yet these interactions can be central to the way a formulation performs.
Emulsions
In an emulsion, the behaviour of droplets and the properties of the interface between phases influence stability.
Foams
In a foam, the formation and stability of thin liquid films influence how foam develops and persists.
Wetting
In wetting, the interactions between a liquid, a solid surface and the surrounding phase influence how readily the liquid spreads.
Dispersions
In a dispersion, interactions between particles and the surrounding medium influence whether particles remain distributed or aggregate.
A formulation may perform well in the laboratory yet behave differently during manufacturing, storage or use. Changes in raw materials, mixing sequence or process conditions can affect wetting, foaming, emulsion stability or coating performance. Investigating these challenges requires an understanding of both the chemistry and the conditions in which the product must work.
My academic research in surfactants and interfacial science gave me a foundation for studying these behaviours. My industrial experience reinforced the importance of connecting scientific understanding with application requirements, production realities, cost and customer expectations.
I founded SURFALCHEMY to bring these perspectives together: to work with technical teams on defined formulation and performance challenges, examine the relevant factors and develop practical approaches that can be evaluated and implemented.
I also believe specialised scientific knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared. Through SURFALCHEMY's training initiatives, I aim to help formulators and technical professionals connect scientific principles with the decisions they make in their work.
For me, good technical work begins with asking the right questions, understanding the system and testing solutions against the conditions that matter.
Dr. Bhushan Sonchal
Founder, SURFALCHEMY
Let's discuss your technical challenge
If you are evaluating a formulation, investigating a performance issue or seeking specialist technical support, contact SURFALCHEMY to begin a discussion.
Discuss Your Technical Challenge