Abstract
Aiming to further improve the dust suppression performance of the dust suppressant, the present study independently develops a new type of biodegradable environmentally-friendly dust suppressant. Specifically, the naturally occurring biodegradable soybean protein isolate (SPI) is selected as the main material, which is subject to an anionic surfactant, i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) for modification with the presence of additives including carboxymethylcellulose sodium and methanesiliconic acid sodium. As a result, the SDS-SPI cementing dust suppressant is produced. The present study experimentally tests solutions with eight different dust suppressant concentrations under the same experimental condition, so as to evaluate their dust suppression performances. Key metrics considered include water retention capability, cementing power and dust suppression efficiency. The optimal concentration of dust suppressant solution is determined by collectively comparing these metrics. The experiments indicate that the optimal dust suppressant concentration is 3%, at which level the newly developed environmentally-friendly dust suppressant solution exhibits a decent dust suppression characteristic, with the water retention power reaching its peak level, and the corresponding viscosity being 12.96 mPa·s. This performance can generally meet the requirements imposed by coal mines. The peak efficiency of dust suppression can reach 92.13%. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the dust suppression mechanism of the developed dust suppressant. It was observed that a dense hardened shell formed on the surface of the pulverized coal particles sprayed with the dust suppressant. There is strong cementation between coal dust particles, and the cementation effect is better. This can effectively inhibit the re-entrainment of coal dust and reduce environmental pollution.
Highlights
Coal serves as the fundamental source of energy in China
The chemical dust suppressant functions effectively on open dust sources, and this technology has been widely applied to those enterprises with a major generation of coal dust, such as railroad transportation departments, dumping sites and thermal power plants [31–36]
The application of cementing dust suppressant is an effective method for preventing and controlling dust dispersion, with cementing power, water retention ability and dust reduction efficiency being the key factors dictating the dust suppression performance of the cementing dust suppressant. Those aspects have been extensively discussed by domestic and overseas scholars, their studies are mainly focused on certain individual characteristics, without covering the entire suite of metrics [49–53]; those cementing dust suppressants are subject to certain disadvantages, including toxicity, lack of biodegradability, and the tendency to cause secondary pollution, etc. [54–60]
Summary
Coal serves as the fundamental source of energy in China. Throughout the foreseeable future, coal will still occupy a significant proportion of primary energy in China [1–5]. Yang et al [47] utilizes film coalescing aid, fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether and polyvinyl alcohol as the raw materials to develop a dust suppressant with a decent ability to withstand rainfall and wind, making it primarily applied to coal transportation The spray of this suppressant causes a thick hardened layer to form on the particles surface, resulting in a long dust suppression duration. The application of cementing dust suppressant is an effective method for preventing and controlling dust dispersion, with cementing power, water retention ability and dust reduction efficiency being the key factors dictating the dust suppression performance of the cementing dust suppressant Those aspects have been extensively discussed by domestic and overseas scholars, their studies are mainly focused on certain individual characteristics, without covering the entire suite of metrics [49–53]; those cementing dust suppressants are subject to certain disadvantages, including toxicity, lack of biodegradability, and the tendency to cause secondary pollution, etc. The research results provide ideas for the development of other types of high-efficiency environmental dust suppressants
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
