Influence of Hydrophilic Groups of Surfactants on Their Adsorption States and Wetting Effect on Coal Dust

Surfactants are often used in the process of coal dust suppression, and the wetting effect is greatly affected by the surfactant hydrophilic group structures. In order to explore the influence of hydrophilic groups of surfactants on their adsorption states and wetting effect on coal dust, three surfactants with similar hydrophilic groups were selected, namely, anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), anionic-nonionic surfactant alkyl ether sulfate (AES), and nonionic surfactant alkyl polyoxyethylene ether-3 (AEO-3). To assess surfactant efficiency, surface tension, wetting time, infrared spectra, and wetting heat were analyzed. These parameters provide insights into molecular adsorption, interfacial behavior, and energy changes during wetting. The different adsorption states of surfactants on the coal dust surface due to EO and SO42- hydrophilic groups were analyzed. Results show that both anionic surfactant SDS and nonionic surfactant AEO-3 form the monolayer adsorption structure on the coal dust surface. Due to the electrostatic repulsion of SO42- groups, the adsorption density of SDS is lower than that of AEO-3, which results in the higher wetting heat of AEO-3 compared to SDS. In addition, the EO groups without electrostatic repulsion make AEO-3 molecules more tightly adsorbed at the air-liquid interface, causing the minimal surface tension. Therefore, the wetting time of AEO-3 is shorter than that of SDS. The anionic-nonionic surfactant AES has both EO and SO42- groups. Because the EO groups in the inner surfactant adsorption layer can attract Na+ ions to distribute around them, the free AES molecules further form the outer adsorption layer under the electrostatic attraction between SO42- groups and Na+ ions. The double-layer adsorption structure causes the hydrophobic groups of the outer AES molecules to face outward, the hydrophobic sites on the coal dust surface are not completely transformed into hydrophilic sites. Although AES exhibits the highest adsorption density, it has the lowest wetting heat and the longest wetting time. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for the selection of suitable surfactants for coal dust suppression.