Composite dust suppression material of fish scale based chitosan intercalated MMT: Synthesis process, performance...

The exposure of petroleum coke to wind in open-air petroleum coke stockpiles results in dust pollution, adversely impacting the local ecosystem and public health. To address the inadequate wetting properties of water spray dust suppression technology for petroleum coke, which is prone to volatilization and secondary dust generation, a new durable dust suppression material with enhanced wetting capabilities and the capacity to create a solidified shell, CTS-CN/MMT, has been developed. This dust suppression material is synthesized by extracting chitosan (CTS) from discarded fish scales, reacting it with cinnamaldehyde to create a Schiff base (CTS-CN), and subsequently polymerizing it with montmorillonite (MMT). Through establishing a response surface model, the optimum process conditions were determined with the dust suppression rate of 91.17 %. Performance testing indicated that the contact angle on petroleum coke powder cake was 36.52°, demonstrating successful wetting of the dust, while the compressive strength of the solidified shell generated with petroleum coke dust after drying was 81.62 KPa. Characterization results showed that CTS-CN/MMT can establish a three-dimensional network structure, enhancing water retention and prolonging efficacy duration. The weathering test confirmed that the wind erosion rate of CTS-CN/MMT was 13.23 % at a wind speed of 17 m/s, exhibiting robust erosion resistance in both freezing and heat conditions. Material Studios software was used to research the dust suppression mechanism. The findings declared that the "spider-like" multicomponent synergistic effect of CTS-CN/MMT positively influenced the dust control of petroleum coke, contributing to environmental sustainability and the reutilization of biological resources.