Experimental and simulation study on Compound optimization of water-based mucilage for inhibiting gas desorption from coal

Abstract

Abnormal gas outbursts induced by high-intensity mining operations in coal mines constitute a key factor in triggering underground gas limit exceedance accidents. This study focuses on inhibiting gas desorption from coal by employing a composite thickening agent (PAM + XTG) and a wetting agent (CDEA). Combined with viscosity tests, surface tension and contact angle measurements, as well as gas desorption experiments, we developed a novel, highly efficient water-based Mucilage for gas sealing and suppression in mines. Experimental results indicate that the thickening formulation containing 0.2 % XTG and 0.6 % PAM exhibits the best synergistic thickening performance, while also demonstrating the most significant inhibition of gas desorption. On this basis, the addition of 0.5 % CDEA as a wetting agent not only significantly enhances the coal’s wettability, achieving optimal performance, but also synergizes with the thickening agent to further strengthen the inhibition of gas desorption from the coal. Through molecular dynamics simulations, the superiority of the water-based mucilage formulation was further validated from perspectives such as the relative concentration of water molecules, radial distribution function, and diffusion coefficient, demonstrating its optimal wettability performance. Consequently, the water-based mucilage can rapidly wet the coal body, significantly reducing both the desorption amount and rate of gas within the coal, providing important theoretical support and practical guidance for the prevention and control of gas disasters in coal mines.