Synergistic dust suppression using inorganic salt and anionic nonionic complex system

Area of Science:

• Surface Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Mining Engineering

Background:

• Coal dust poses significant health and safety risks in mining environments.
• Effective dust suppression requires optimizing both wettability and moisture retention.
• Surfactant systems are explored for their potential in managing coal dust properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the synergistic effects of inorganic salts and anionic nonionic surfactants on bituminous coal dust.
• To enhance the wettability and moisture retention capabilities of coal dust formulations.
• To develop a practical strategy for sustained dust suppression and secondary dust control in coal mines.

Main Methods:

• Characterization of wettability and evaporation using sedimentation time, contact angle, surface tension, and evaporation loss.
• Formulation optimization of a ternary system comprising inorganic salt and surfactant.
• Mechanistic analysis of interfacial interactions and evaporation dynamics.

Main Results:

• The optimized ternary formulation significantly improved wetting performance, reducing contact angle to 16.17° and settling time to 6.23 s.
• The salt-containing system demonstrated superior overall performance, balancing rapid wetting with enhanced moisture retention.
• Mechanistic analysis revealed that inorganic salts strengthen interfacial interactions and regulate evaporation.

Conclusions:

• A synergistic system of inorganic salt and surfactant effectively enhances coal dust wettability and moisture retention.
• This approach provides a viable strategy for improving dust suppression efficiency in coal mining.
• The findings contribute to safer and more sustainable mining operations through better secondary dust control.