Preparation and properties of modified starch-based low viscosity and high consolidation foam dust suppressant

Aiming at the high-concentration dust pollution in open-pit coal mines, a foam dust suppressant with low viscosity and consolidated coal dust is developed. In order to reduce the limited effect of binder viscosity on the foaming ability and wettability of foam, tapioca starch is oxidized with Cu²⁺/H₂O₂ System in this study to reduce the molecular weight of the polymer and prepare materials with high consolidation and low viscosity. The dust suppression performance of the sample is measured, and the microscopic adsorption mechanism of the dust suppressant is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the oxidized starch adhesive solution consists of 20 g tapioca starch, 0.88 ml hydrogen peroxide, 2.4 g sodium hydroxide, and 0.48 g copper sulfate, which need to be diluted to 10 times the original volume, and 1 g of surfactant (sodium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate/alkyl Glycoside=1:4) is added to prepare a new foam dust suppressant. The viscosity is 2.6 mPa·s, the foaming multiple is 6.25, the contact angle is 13.73° at the first second, the hardness reaches 70.75 HA, and a dust suppression rate of 98.17% for PM10. The dust suppressant can effectively suppress coal dust.