Research on microscopic wetting mechanism of talcum powder by compounded surfactant for spraying dust reduction

Adding surfactant is an effective method to improve the dust removal efficiency of talcum powder dust. Based on the optimization of surfactants, this paper proposed an efficient compound surfactant scheme by calculating interaction parameters, adsorption simulation, and wettability test experiments. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to analyze the interaction mechanism between compound surfactant and talcum powder. Tests of spraying talcum powder with compound surfactants under different pressures were carried out. The results show that the combination of anionic surfactants SDS and SDBS with nonionic surfactants Tween 80 and AEO9 has a positive synergistic effect. The better the wetting effect of the compound system, the more ordered the surfactant molecules are arranged. Meanwhile, the diffusion ability of water molecules is stronger, and the thickness of the solid-liquid interface is larger. The wetting effect of compound surfactant on talcum powder is mainly influenced by van der Waals force. The dust removal efficiency test shows that SDS-Tween 80 compound surfactant with a pressure of 1.5 MPa and molar ratio of 0.4:0.6 is the best spray dust removal scheme. The research results are helpful to guide the application of compound surfactants in talcum powder dust control.