Inhibition Characteristics of Gel-Based TiO2/OPC/CPAAM Composite Inhibitor to Control Coal Spontaneous Combustion

Abstract

ABSTRACT Spontaneous combustion of coal is a major problem in coal industry. In order to improve the environmental performance and effectiveness of existing inhibitors used to inhibit coal spontaneous combustion, this study utilized physical inhibitors such as chitosan (CS), acrylic acid (AA), and acrylamide (AM) and copolymerized them with the chemical inhibitor procyanidin (OPC). The resulting composite inhibitor was then in situ polymerized with modified nano-TiO2 to create an environmentally friendly gel-based composite inhibitor, referred to as TiO2/OPC/CPAAM. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed a significant increase in the number of laminar folds and pores within the inhibited coal samples. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis showed that all characteristic temperature points of the inhibited coal samples were raised, with an average increase of 21.34%. Differential scanning calorimetry also indicated a reduction in the total heat release and heat release intervals of the inhibited coal samples. Gas infrared spectroscopy provided evidence that the inhibitory treatment significantly slowed the growth of CO and CO2 during the heating process of the coal samples, leading to an improvement in environmental performance. Furthermore, diffuse reflection infrared spectroscopy testing demonstrated that the inhibitory treatment resulted in the passivation of active groups’ free hydroxyls and an increase in the content of stable group ether bonds. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the composite inhibitor TiO2/OPC/CPAAM offers superior inhibition effects on coal spontaneous combustion.