Study on the thermal hazards of anionic surfactant AES on lignite via experiments and calculations

• Published in: Journal of molecular liquids 2024-12, Vol.416, p.126461, Article 126461
• Main Authors: Jiang, Bingyou, Cui, Leyun, Yu, Chang-Fei, Lu, Kunlun, Zhou, Yu, Su, Mingqing, Zhang, Yuqian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Average apparent activation energy; Coal dust; Combustion characteristic index; Reaction kinetics
• ISSN: 0167-7322
• DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2024.126461

[Display omitted] •Thermal kinetics of coal dust was studied via TG-DTG tests.•The changes in functional group content of wetted coal dust were discussed.•Combining thermal analysis and FTIR studies coal dust thermal hazards.•Evaluated the combustion index of lignite before and after being wetted by AES. Spray dust reduction is a commonly used dust reduction method in coal mines and has been widely adopted. However, the thermal stability of coal dust after being wetted by dust suppressants remains unknown. The work aimed to investigate the potential environmental hazards posed by the secondary dust dispersion resulting from the cracking of lump coal dust after being wetted by surfactants and subsequently air-dried. Lignite and AES were used as experimental samples. Use thermodynamic equations to analyze, calculate, and compare the changes in the average apparent activation energy of lignite before and after AES solution wetting. Compared with lignite before AES solution wetting, the combustion characteristic index of lignite decreased by 1.93 % after wetting, and before and after AES solution wetting, the average apparent activation energy of lignite calculated by reaction kinetics methods decreased by 7.6 %, 6.7 %, and 17.1 % respectively. FTIR analysis shows the proportion of aliphatic hydrocarbons in lignite after AES solution wetting has decreased compared with before wetting, and the proportion of oxygen-containing functional groups has shown an upward trend. The work elucidated the complex microscopic mechanisms underlying hazards caused by secondary dust dispersion, providing new scientific evidence for preventing and controlling coal dust explosion accidents.