A systematic review of the physiological and environmental impacts of coal dust and its control technologies

•Surface tension test is regarded the most reliable and efficient method for surfactant efficiency evaluation.•Coal dust has contributed to several deaths through pneumoconiosis infections.•Coal dust has also been linked to cancer related deaths in coal mining communities. Dust pollution has persisted for centuries, and concerns about its mitigation have grown continuously with each passing decade. Coal mining activities contribute significantly to the emission of respirable dust particles which serves as a critical occupational hazard for miners by contributing to respiratory infections and other health issues. This calls for the implementation of coal dust mitigation measures by stakeholders and governmental bodies. Several research studies have been carried out on the evaluation of surfactants added to water used for sprays to improve water sprays for coal dust control. However, existing research on the summarization of techniques for assessing dust pollution and the evaluation of surfactant performance in controlling coal dust pollution is scant, thus highlighting the need for this study. This study, therefore, seeks to address three main research objectives: (1) What are the sources and types of coal dust in mining areas? (2) What are the physiological and environmental effects caused by coal dust exposure? and (3) What are the effective methods for evaluating surfactants used in coal dust control? In order to conduct a systematic analysis, the PRISMA guidelines were adopted. Major search engines used in conducting this study included Google Scholar, CNKI, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Surfactant evaluation methods including surface tension, contact angle measurement, and sink test were reviewed as the most reliable and widely used methods for the evaluation of surfactants. Additionally, remote sensing technologies and aerosol dust monitors were also studied. The results of this study can be adopted by researchers and stakeholders to mitigate coal dust pollution in mines and mining communities.