WHAT ARE THE THREE APPLICATION AREAS OF SURFACTANTS?

Surfactants have been used as emulsifiers, detergents, wetting agents, penetrating agents, foaming agents, solubilizers, dispersants, suspending agents, cement water reducers, fabric softeners, levelling agents, fixing agents, bactericides , Catalyst, waterproof agent, antifouling agent, lubricant, anti-acid mist agent, dustproof agent, preservative, spreading agent, thickener, membrane permeating agent, flotation agent, leveling agent, oil displacing agent, anti-knot Block agents, deodorants, antistatic agents, surface modifiers and other dozens of functional reagents are used in daily life and many industrial and agricultural production fields. In addition to being widely used in detergent industry and cosmetic industry, surfactants are also used as additives or additives in food, dairy, paper, leather, glass, petroleum, chemical fiber, textile, printing and dyeing, paint, medicine, pesticides, film, Traditional industries such as photography, electroplating, metal processing, mineral processing, new materials, industrial cleaning, construction, and high-tech fields. Although they are often not the main body of the industrial product, they can play a key role in the production of various products. Although its dosage is not large, it can play a key role in increasing product variety, reducing consumption, saving energy and improving quality.

1. Application of Surfactants in the textile industry

Surfactants are widely used in the textile industry. Such as spinning, spinning, sizing, weaving or knitting, refining (smelting and bleaching), dyeing, printing, finishing and other textile processing processes, surfactants or surfactant-based auxiliary agents should be used To improve efficiency, simplify processes, improve performance and improve quality. In practical applications, surfactants are used as detergents, wetting agents, penetrating agents, emulsifiers, solubilizers, foaming agents, defoamers, smoothing agents, dispersing agents, levelling agents, retarding agents , Color fixing agent, refining agent, softener, antistatic agent, waterproof agent, bactericide, etc. The earliest application in the textile industry is non-ionic surfactants. Although its consumption rate has gradually declined in recent years, its usage is still large compared to other industrial sectors. It is widely used as a solubilizer, detergent, wetting agent, and dispersant. , Emulsifier, leveling agent, refining agent, softener, antistatic agent, etc. Among ionic surfactants, anionic surfactants are mainly used as detergents, penetrants, wetting agents, emulsifiers and dispersants; cationic surfactants can be firmly adsorbed on fabrics due to their negatively charged fibers. Commonly used as fabric softener, leveling agent, waterproofing agent, antistatic agent and color fixing agent; amphoteric surfactants are generally used as levelling agent for metal complex dyes, fabric softener and antistatic agent.

2. The application of Surfactants in the leather and fur industry

The process of making leather is quite complicated and cumbersome, from naked skin to finished leather, it needs to go through many processes. Before tanning, preparations for soaking in water, soaking in lime, enzyme softening, pickling and deacidification, degreasing, etc. are required; after tanning, dyeing, fatliquoring, and finishing are also required. In all these processes, surfactants are used as auxiliary agents to promote the physical and chemical effects and processes of each process, shorten the production cycle, improve the quality of finished leather, and save chemical raw materials.

Fur processing also needs to go through multiple processes. Surfactants are also used as additives in the processes of water immersion, degreasing, softening, tanning, bleaching, dyeing, fatliquoring and finishing. Tanning must remove animal hair, while fur processing requires that the original structure of the hair is not damaged as much as possible, and the use of surfactants can play a good protective role.

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The main functions of surfactants in leather production and fur processing are solubilization, emulsification, wetting, penetration, foaming, defoaming, washing, level dyeing and fixing. In each process, the requirements for its role are different. For example, in immersion in water, it is mainly required to play the role of wetting and penetration; in degreasing, it is required to play the role of emulsification, wetting and penetration; in decontamination, it is required to have Good solubilization; it needs good diffusion, penetration and foaming in dyeing; it needs good emulsifying properties in fatliquoring.

3.  Application of Surfactants in the pulp and paper industry

Paper is made from pulp. Pulp is made of certain plants, such as wood, grass, and cotton, using chemical or mechanical methods to remove all or most of the impurities, and obtains pure or near-purity plant fiber pulp. In addition to cellulose, which is the main component of fibers, pulp contains hemicellulose, lignin, and a small amount of resins, pigments, gums and other substances. As far as papermaking is concerned, cellulose and hemicellulose are the basic components that make up the pulp, while the presence of other impurity components in the pulp has an adverse effect on the quality of the paper. It should be removed as much as possible during the papermaking process, so it is necessary during the paper formation process Use chemical additives. Chemical auxiliaries can be divided into two categories: process auxiliaries and functional auxiliaries. Process auxiliaries are mainly chemicals that promote and improve the efficiency of the paper sheet formation process to prevent fluctuations and interference, including retention aids and filter aids. , Resin control agent, defoamer, molding aid, preservative, net and felt cleaning agent, etc.; functional additives are chemicals that improve the performance and quality of the final product, including dry strength agents, wet strength agents, sizing Agents, fillers, dyes, whitening agents, softeners, etc.

In the pulp and paper industry, surfactants are widely used as chemical additives in cooking and pulping, waste paper deinking, paper making, finished product finishing, paper processing, wastewater treatment and other processes. For improving processes, improving product quality , Increasing economic benefits and reducing environmental pollution play an important role. For example, surfactants are used as resin removers and dispersants as well as wood chips and cotton fiber penetrants in cooking pulp; used as deinking agents for waste paper in the process of making recycled pulp from waste paper; used in paper sizing process Used as sizing agent and emulsifier; used as defoamer and felt cleaning agent in papermaking process; used as dispersant, defoamer, lubricant, preservative, antistatic agent, emulsification stabilizer in paper coating; Used as softener and wetting agent in the processing of thin paper products.