Preparation and characteristics of a multifunctional dust suppressant with agglomeration and wettability performance used in coal mine

The present study uses sodium alginate as the base, and conducts chemical modification through the grafting copolymerization technique so as to prepare an agglomeration-based dust suppressant with decent liquidity and wettability. Specifically, caprolactam and acrylic acid are selected as the grafting monomers. Single factor experiments are conducted to determine the optimal conditions, i.e., reaction temperature being 60 degrees C; the optimal mass ratio of sodium alginate to caprolactam being 1:4; the mass ratio of sodium alginate to acrylic acid being 1:2.67; the amount of initiator being 0.8 mol% of monomer; and the amount of cross-linking agent being 0.25 mol% of monomer. Each step of reaction takes 1 h. FTIR and XRD are employed to analyze the reaction process and the functional groups associated with the product. The sedimentation experiment and contact angle measurement are conducted to test the wetting characteristics of the product. In accordance with the results of the contact angle measurement, 0.1% of amphiprotic surfactant BS-12 is added to the final product so as to further optimize the product's wetting effect on coal dust. Furthermore, an ultra-depth microscope and a scanning microscope are utilized to conduct microscopic analysis over the product, with the practical performance of the product tested as well. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.