Development and characterization of an environmentally friendly composite dust suppressant for suppressing iron ore dust

Underground space is limited, and dust is frequently generated during mining operations, polluting the underground environment and endangering the health of workers, as well as machinery and equipment. In this study, an environmentally friendly compound dust suppressant was developed with methyl cellulose as a binder, sucrose as a water‐retaining agent and dodecyl dimethyl betaine as a surfactant. The optimal formulation was obtained by response surface experiment: 1.3 wt % methyl cellulose, 3.0 wt % sucrose, and 0.125 wt % dodecyl dimethyl betaine. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the dust suppressor could reduce the number of dust particles. The corrosion rates of aluminum alloy, carbon steel, and stainless steel were low at 0.0127, 0.0361, and 0.0007 mm/y, respectively. The dust suppressant maintained a 3% water retention rate after 3.5 h of evaporation at 25, 30, 35, and 40°C. The dust suppressant‐sprayed sample tolerated a pressure of 0.8075 kN, twice that of tap water. Compared to those with tap water, the loss rates of the dust samples sprayed with the dust suppressant under three wind speeds were significantly reduced, at 0.0091%, 0.0255%, and 0.1249%. The dust suppressant is effective, as evidenced by its 88.16% and 80.25% dust suppression efficiency on total dust and respirable dust, respectively.