An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance

Mine ramps, serving as a critical transportation hub in underground mining activities, are beset by severe issues of dust pollution and secondary dust generation. While dust suppressants are more efficient than the commonly used sprinkling methods in mines, traditional single-function dust suppressa...

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Main Authors: Zijun Li, Zhe Zhou, Yu Xu, Yin Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Atmosphere
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/4/395
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author Zijun Li
Zhe Zhou
Yu Xu
Yin Chen
author_facet Zijun Li
Zhe Zhou
Yu Xu
Yin Chen
author_sort Zijun Li
collection DOAJ
description Mine ramps, serving as a critical transportation hub in underground mining activities, are beset by severe issues of dust pollution and secondary dust generation. While dust suppressants are more efficient than the commonly used sprinkling methods in mines, traditional single-function dust suppressants are inadequate for the complex application environment of mine ramps. Building on the development of conventional single-function dust suppressants, this research optimized the components of bonding, wetting, and moisturizing agents. Through single-factor optimization experiments, a comparison was made of the surface tension water retention property and viscosity of diverse materials, thus enabling the identification of the primary components of the dust suppressant. By means of synergistic antagonism experiments, the optimal combination of the wetting agent and bonding agent with excellent synergy was ascertained. Ultimately, the wind erosion resistance and rolling resistance were measured through three-factor orthogonal experiments, and the optimal ratio of the dust suppressant was established. Specifically, fenugreek gum (FG) was selected as the bonding agent, cane sugar (CS) as the moisturizing agent, and alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (Op-10) as the wetting agent. The research findings demonstrate that the optimal ratio of dust suppressant is 0.3 wt% fenugreek gum (FG) + 0.06 wt% alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (Op-10) + 3 wt% cane sugar (CS). Under these conditions, the dust fixation rate can reach up to 97~98% at a wind speed of 8 m/s. The maximum rolling resistance can reach 65~73% after grinding the samples for 1 min. The surface tension of the solution is 13.74 mN/m, and the wetting performance improved by 81% compared to pure water. This dust suppressant is of great significance for improving the working environment of workers and ensuring the sustainable development of the mining industry.
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spelling doaj-art-24f98ae9763740ff825de9efc90beb2f2025-08-20T02:28:27ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-03-0116439510.3390/atmos16040395An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion ResistanceZijun Li0Zhe Zhou1Yu Xu2Yin Chen3School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaSchool of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, ChinaMine ramps, serving as a critical transportation hub in underground mining activities, are beset by severe issues of dust pollution and secondary dust generation. While dust suppressants are more efficient than the commonly used sprinkling methods in mines, traditional single-function dust suppressants are inadequate for the complex application environment of mine ramps. Building on the development of conventional single-function dust suppressants, this research optimized the components of bonding, wetting, and moisturizing agents. Through single-factor optimization experiments, a comparison was made of the surface tension water retention property and viscosity of diverse materials, thus enabling the identification of the primary components of the dust suppressant. By means of synergistic antagonism experiments, the optimal combination of the wetting agent and bonding agent with excellent synergy was ascertained. Ultimately, the wind erosion resistance and rolling resistance were measured through three-factor orthogonal experiments, and the optimal ratio of the dust suppressant was established. Specifically, fenugreek gum (FG) was selected as the bonding agent, cane sugar (CS) as the moisturizing agent, and alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (Op-10) as the wetting agent. The research findings demonstrate that the optimal ratio of dust suppressant is 0.3 wt% fenugreek gum (FG) + 0.06 wt% alkyl phenol polyoxyethylene ether (Op-10) + 3 wt% cane sugar (CS). Under these conditions, the dust fixation rate can reach up to 97~98% at a wind speed of 8 m/s. The maximum rolling resistance can reach 65~73% after grinding the samples for 1 min. The surface tension of the solution is 13.74 mN/m, and the wetting performance improved by 81% compared to pure water. This dust suppressant is of great significance for improving the working environment of workers and ensuring the sustainable development of the mining industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/4/395multi-functional dust suppressantbiological gluedust treatment
spellingShingle Zijun Li
Zhe Zhou
Yu Xu
Yin Chen
An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
Atmosphere
multi-functional dust suppressant
biological glue
dust treatment
title An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
title_full An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
title_fullStr An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
title_full_unstemmed An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
title_short An Innovative Green Dust Suppressant for Dry Climate Mining Areas in a Copper–Nickel Mine: Integration of Moisture Retention and Erosion Resistance
title_sort innovative green dust suppressant for dry climate mining areas in a copper nickel mine integration of moisture retention and erosion resistance
topic multi-functional dust suppressant
biological glue
dust treatment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/4/395
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