Preparation and performance evaluation of modified soy protein isolate polymeric dust suppressant using graft copolymerization

Abstract

To effectively control mine dust pollution, a polymeric dust suppressant with wetting, bonding and moisture absorption, and retention properties was prepared by graft copolymerization of soy protein isolate (SPI) with polyacrylamide (PAM) and glycerol (Gl) through chemical modification. The relevant properties of the polymeric dust suppressant were determined through microscopic and macroscopic experiments. The results indicated that the contact angle of the polymeric dust suppressant dropped to 28.34° after 15 s, with a rate of change of 2.56°/s. The viscosity of the polymeric dust suppressant was 17.5 mPa s, which meets the requirements for the viscosity of dust suppressants for spraying (5–30 mPa s). After 24 h of spraying, a nonliquid consolidated monolayer shaped on the coal sample surface, with a hardness of 86.3 HA. In a muggy environment, the moisture absorption rate of the polymeric dust suppressant was 31.6%, and the moisture retention rate remained 28.5%, far exceeding that of the coal sample sprayed with water. When the wind speed increased from 6 to 21 m/s, the wind erosion resistance rate of the polymeric dust suppressant decreased from 99.78% to 96.55%, and the average mass loss increased from 0.11 to 1.73 g/(m2·min), while still maintaining a high dust suppression efficiency.