In an effort to effectively control coal dust pollution and thereby reduce the harm of coal dust to human health, we prepared a highly efficient composite dust suppressant. First, dynamic contact angle and zeta potential measurements were used to select sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) over sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and trisodium methyl silicon as the complementary additive to soy protein isolate for the dust suppressant. We employed viscosity and wind erosion resistance tests to compare the performance of the composite dust suppressant with three common, commercially available suppressants. As the concentration of the composite dust suppressant was increased, the viscosity increased, reaching a maximum value of 22.7 mPa·s at a concentration of 5 wt%. The 5 wt% concentration of the composite dust suppressant provided the lowest wind erosion rate (20.62%) at a wind speed of 12 m/s. The composite dust suppressant also had good bonding performance and wind erosion resistance. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the properties of the dust suppressants. The dust suppressant, which had a crystal-like structure, could easily capture coal dust and form an effective package. In addition, the density of the dust suppressant film increased as its crystallinity increased. The increased density was beneficial in that it enabled the dust suppressant to form a hard, solidified shell on the surface of coal dust, which improved dust suppression. The composite dust suppressant also had good thermal stability.

In an effort to control dust pollution in open-air environments such as pit coal mines and coal transportation systems, a new dust suppressant with a cross-linked network structure was prepared. Graft copolymerization of soy protein isolate (SPI) and methacrylic acid (MAA), using potassium persulfate (KPS) as the initiator and hexametaphosphoric acid (SHMP) as the cross-linking agent, formed the network structure. The optimal MAA/SPI mass ratio for the dust suppressant was determined through a single factor experiment to be 3:4, with 0.8 and 0.2 g of SHMP and KPS, respectively. The grafting reaction required 30 min at 60 ℃. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry were used to characterize the structure and application performance of the dust suppressant. The experimental results showed that the graft copolymerization reaction successfully formed the desired cross-linked network, and that when the cross-linked network material was sprayed on coal dust it formed a dense, solidified shell, which effectively resisted wind erosion and served as a dust suppressant. The average reduction of the total suspended particulate matter of an open-air coal pile reached 79.95%, demonstrating effective dust suppression.

The dust generated during coal mining poses a significant threat to miners’ health and safety. Surfactants, as effective agents for improving coal wettability, require a deeper exploration of their microscopic action mechanisms. This study systematically investigates the micro-interaction behaviors and wetting regulation mechanisms of four types of surfactants—anionic (SDBS), cationic (CTAB), zwitterionic (BS-12), and nonionic (AEO-9)—with lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite through molecular simulations and dynamic contact angle experiments. To correlate the wettability differences with the physical and chemical properties of different coal ranks, XRD and SEM observations were employed to analyze the mineral composition and surface microstructure. The results demonstrate that SDBS has the strongest adsorption capacity on coal, with the wettability capacity ranked as follows: SDBS > CTAB > BS-12 > AEO-9. This research reveals the regulation mechanism of surfactants on coal wettability, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing dust prevention technologies and fostering the development of green mining.