Experimental Investigation into the Performances of Water Adsorption in Kaolinite Clay: Implications for Occupational Pneumoconiosis Prevention and Treatment

Abstract

Pneumoconiosis is a systemic disease mainly caused by diffuse fibrosis (scar) of lung tissue due to long-term inhalation of productive mineral dust in occupational activities and retention in the lungs. The mineral dust concentrration can be effectively controlled using water-based mineral dust reduction technique. Therefore, the investigation into water-clay mineral dust interaction is useful for pneumoconiosis prevention and treatment. In this study, the adsorption performances for water molecules in kaolinite clay mineral were investigated. The findings reveal that the performances of water molecules adsorption in kaolinite clay mineral can be divided into primary adsorption and secondary adsorption. Under the lower vapour pressure, water molecules are primarily fixed in primary sites. At the higher vapour pressure condition, the secondary adsorption sites become the utilizable main adsorption centers. Primary adsorption is monolayer adsorption, while water molecules adsorption in secondary adsorption centers is occurred by the formation of water clusters.

Keywords

• Occupational pneumoconiosis
• water
• clay mineral dust
• adsorption
• Dent's model