Effects of Metamorphic Degree of Coal on Coal Dust Wettability and Dust-Suppression Efficiency via Spraying

Currently, spraying is a main means for dust prevention and control in underground coal mines. The dust-suppression efficiency via spraying is highly correlated with the wettability of coal dusts. There are many factors affecting the wettability of coal dust, among which coal’s metamorphic degree has great influence. In order to gain in-depth knowledge of the effects of coal metamorphic degree on coal dust wettability and the dust-suppression efficiency via spraying, 6 coal dust samples with different metamorphic degrees were collected and used in the study. In the experiments, the microproperties, wetting performance, and dust-suppression efficiency via spraying were measured. According to the experimental results of coal’s microproperties, with the improvement of metamorphic degree, the content of hydrophilic oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface, the surface roughness, the specific surface area, and the interpore diameter all decreased. In addition, as coal’s metamorphic degree was enhanced from lignite to meager-lean coal, the wettability of the coal dust dropped. On the other hand, as the metamorphic degree of coal quality continued to be improved to anthracite, the wettability of the coal dust increased instead. The measured results revealed that the dust-suppression efficiency via spraying was highly correlated with the wettability of coal dust. The coal dust with better wettability exhibited higher dust-suppression efficiency via spraying. With the increase of water-supply pressure, the effect of coal dust wettability on the dust-suppression efficiency via spraying was weakened, and the difference of dust-suppression efficiency among different coal dust samples was narrowed.