Preparation and Performance study of covalently polymerized dust suppressant via Maillard reaction

To effectively address coal dust pollution, the amino group (−NH₂) in soy protein isolate was reacted with the carbonyl group (C=O) produced by corn starch through the Maillard reaction, overcoming the disadvantages of the existing modification methods such as sophisticated process and toxic monomer, and the optimal surfactant was determined to be SDBS by sedimentation experiments, an environmentally friendly polyhydroxy dust suppressant with both wetting and coagulation functions was finally prepared. The structural changes of the product, the reaction mechanism, and the microscopic morphology of the coal were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, and SEM. The large amount of hydroxyl groups (-OH) contained in the dust suppressant, combined with the oxygen-containing groups of the coal dust, is able to form hydrogen bonds, which promotes the agglomeration of the coal dust. The wind erosion resistance rates of this dust suppressant were 99.87 % and 99.01 % at wind speeds of 6 m/s and 12 m/s, respectively.