Step blasting is an important part of open-pit mining, which is accompanied by hazards such as large blasting blocks, flying stone splashing, blasting noises, and blasting dust during the blasting process. In order to reduce the harm caused by blasting, this paper uses impact dynamics and rock dynamics to explain the deformation damage and motion law caused by detonation of the material blocked by the gun hole. By simulating the motion of the blocked material in the gun hole, the motion and failure characteristics of the blocked material in the gun hole are revealed. In this paper, geological polymer is introduced into the field of open-pit mine blasting, and 700 g rock powder, 200 g slag, 40 g NaOH solution (30%), and 140 g water glass with a modulus of 3.2 and 80 g of water are selected to prepare geological polymer-modified plugging materials to change rock powder blockage from bulk to solid, and improve the plugging performance. Finally, a field test was carried out in the open-pit mine explosion area, and a comparative test was carried out through the high-speed photography system; it is demonstrated that the modified blocking material could improve the blockage ability of the gun hole, reduce the large block rate of the upper part of the step, reduce the amount of dust, reduce the amount of flying stone, and improve the production efficiency and safety.

Coal gangue, a major solid waste from coal mining, is prone to spontaneous combustion during long-term storage, releasing toxic gases and creating serious environmental and safety concerns. In this work, coal gangue was converted into layered double hydroxides (C-LDH) using a deep eutectic solvent, and the resulting nanosheets were incorporated with gangue for flame-retardant applications. Thermal analysis and CO release experiments showed that the addition of C-LDH effectively delayed combustion and suppressed toxic gas emissions, with optimal loadings significantly improving both ignition resistance and heat-release performance. Structural characterization indicated that the inhibition mechanism proceeds in two stages. At intermediate temperatures, the release of interlayer water and carbonate provides gas-phase dilution and heat absorption, while at higher temperatures the LDH-derived oxides generate compact barriers and catalyze CO oxidation, thereby stabilizing the system. Notably, C-LDH demonstrated regeneration capability, as samples subjected to moderate combustion and subsequent hydration partially recovered their layered structure and continued to provide multi-stage inhibition throughout the combustion process, while further reducing heat release. These results demonstrate a sustainable strategy in which coal gangue is valorized into recyclable flame-retardant additives, delivering both environmental benefits and practical potential for mitigating spontaneous combustion hazards.