Abstract

During underground tunnel construction, dust endangers the safety and health of workers. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) represents a novel green dust suppression technology for addressing coal dust pollution, capable of effectively mitigating coal dust pollution. Nevertheless, the concentration of urease will exert a certain influence on the performance of MICP to some extent. Therefore, how to improve the efficiency of urease activity on coal dust suppression is a popular research topic. In this study, based on MICP technology, the properties of microbial dust suppression materials were investigated through contact angle, surface tension, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests in combination with molecular dynamics simulations, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction using Bacillus megaterium and the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100. The results demonstrate that when the concentration of the bacterial solution is 20 % and the concentrations of urea and calcium chloride are 0.7 mol·L–1, the addition of 1 % Triton X-100 can increase the yield of calcium carbonate to 21.83 %, enhance the structural density of the gel, and increase the UCS by 15.63 %. The calcite and quartz formed on the coal dust surface improved its wettability with a contact angle of only 22°, showing an excellent dust-suppression effect. These research findings serve as a reference for enhancing the MICP dust suppression efficacy and have significant implications for the development and application of microbial dust-suppression agents. This dust suppression method has potential applications in quarries and underground environments.

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