During the extraction and utilization of coal resources, a large amount of CO₂ and coal-based solid wastes (CBSW), such as coal gangue, are generated. To reduce the carbon and waste emissions, an effective approach is to mineralize the CO₂ with the CBSW and then backfill the mineralized materials into the goaf area. However, efficient CO₂ mineralization is challenging due to the low reactivity of coal gangue. To this end, mechanical activation was used for the modification of coal gangue, and the mechanical activation mechanism of coal gangue was revealed from a microcosmic perspective by dry powder laser particle size testing (DPLPST), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that compared with the unground coal gangue, the average particle size of coal gangue after 0.5 h, 1 h, and 1.5 h milling decreases by 94.3%, 95%, and 95.3%, respectively; additionally, the amorphous structures of the coal gangue after milling increase, and their edges and corners gradually diminish. After the pressure mineralization of coal gangues with different activation times, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis was performed, and the CO₂ mineralization effect of the mechanically activated coal gangue was explored. It is found that the carbon fixation capacity of the coal gangue after 0.5 h, 1.0 h, and 1.5 h mechanical activation is increased by 1.18%, 3.20%, and 7.57%, respectively. Through the XRD and SEM, the mechanism of CO₂ mineralization in coal gangue was revealed from a microcosmic perspective as follows: during the mineralization process, alkali metal ions of calcium and magnesium in anorthite and muscovite are leached and participate in the mineralization reaction, resulting in the formation of stable carbonates such as calcium carbonate.

The wet carbonation of coal gangue-based backfilling slurry (CGBS) is considered to be an effective method for the resource utilization of coal gangue solid waste and CO₂ sequestration, but CO₂ sequestration has a negative impact on the rheological properties of CGBS. This investigation explores the effect of carbonization pressure on the rheological properties and CO₂ sequestration properties of CGBS by using a carbonization reactor, a rheometer, X-ray diffraction, a nitrogen adsorption–desorption instrument, a scanning electron microscope and other testing methods. The results show that increasing the carbonization pressure can increase the CO₂ sequestration capacity of CGBS, and the carbonization products produced make the pores of CGBS smaller and the structure more compact; however, increasing the carbonization pressure will reduce the rheological properties of the slurry, and the optimal carbonization pressure is 0.7 MPa. At this time, the yield stress, plastic viscosity and hysteresis loop area of CGBS are 171.66 Pa, 0.0998 Pa·s and 1376 Pa/s, respectively. However, when the carbonization pressure is further increased, the CO₂ sequestration capacity tends to remain unchanged. This is mainly because the carbonization pressure causes the carbonization reaction to intensify, forming a calcified layer on the particle surface, which hinders the penetration of CO₂ into the particles. This study is of great significance for improving the utilization rate of gangue solid waste and CO₂ sequestration.

The entrainment of gangue particles always increases the ash content of coal flotation concentrate. In the present work, the adjustment for entrainment of kaolinite in coal flotation was studied focusing on the parameters including solid concentration and frother dosage. The results indicated that the ash contents of concentrates were always higher in the early or late stage (flotation time: 0–30 s or 120–180 s) than that in the middle stage (flotation time: 30–120 s). This is mainly because of the mechanical entrainment in the early stage and the entrainment caused by water transportation in the later stage. It has been confirmed that reducing the feed solid concentration and frother dosage effectively decrease mechanical entrainment in the early stage. Furthermore, better flotation results can be obtained under a high solid concentration and frother dosage in the late stage of the flotation process. Therefore, a novel two-stage flotation process was proposed for the coal flotation. A better flotation performance (combustible recovery: 91.28%; ash content: 4.09%) can be achieved by two-stage flotation, compared to the flotation results (combustible recovery: 93.12%; ash content: 5.16%) of the one-stage flotation process.

Coal gangue, the primary bulk solid waste generated during coal utilization, requires decarbonization and the enrichment of valuable components such as calcium and magnesium through methods like hydrocyclone separation for comprehensive utilization. This study observed the free-settling behavior of coal gangue particles using a high-speed dynamic image analysis system and analyzed their kinematic characteristics to guide the hydrocyclone separation process. The results indicate that particle size and density significantly influence settling behavior. Fine-grained, low-density particles exhibited more pronounced directional deflection and velocity fluctuations, while high-density coarse particles demonstrated higher settling velocities. Based on terminal velocity, the drag coefficient of fluid resistance acting on particles was calculated. The findings show that high-density coarse particles have larger drag coefficients, likely due to fluid disturbances and the hydrophobic nature of particle surfaces. Additionally, the mechanical properties of settling motion were analyzed, indicating that gravity dominates the settling process of coarse particles, while fine particles are subjected to relatively balanced forces. Furthermore, density variations primarily affect hydrodynamic drag, which is related to the surface properties of particles. Therefore, enhancing the centrifugal force field through cyclone structural optimization is necessary to improve separation precision for fine coal and gangue particles.