Coal spontaneous combustion remains a critical safety and environmental challenge in coal mining and storage operations. Conventional prevention measures, such as inert gas injection and chemical inhibitors, often suffer from limited durability, high operational cost, and environmental concerns. Meanwhile, large quantities of industrial solid wastes, including fly ash and slag, require sustainable and high value utilisation pathways. Developing functional materials derived from solid wastes offers a promising approach to simultaneously address coal fire hazards and waste management issues.
This project focuses on developing a solid waste based geopolymer foam for suppressing coal spontaneous combustion and evaluating its performance and feasibility for mining applications. More specifically, the project aims to:
- To develop and optimise geopolymer foam formulations using industrial solid wastes as primary raw materials.
- To investigate the stability and water retention capacity of the geopolymer foam.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of geopolymer foam in inhibiting coal oxidation and spontaneous combustion.
- To assess the environmental and economic feasibility of applying solid waste based geopolymer foam as a sustainable fire prevention material in coal mining operations.
School
Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering
Research Area
Mining engineering | Fire prevention | Geopolymer materials
Suitable for recognition of Work Integrated Learning (industrial training)?
Yes
- Research environment
- Expected outcomes
- Supervisory team
- Reference material/links
This project will be conducted in a specialised laboratory dedicated to coal fire prevention and materials research. The laboratory is equipped with facilities for material synthesis and performance testing. The candidate will have access to advanced experimental equipment and technical support. Under the supervision of experienced academic staff, the student will engage with other postgraduate researchers within a collaborative and multidisciplinary research environment.
- Demonstrate the feasibility of developing a solid waste based geopolymer foam for coal spontaneous combustion control.
- Provide preliminary experimental data on material stability, water retention capacity, and inhibition performance under laboratory conditions.
- Offer a technical basis for further optimisation and potential future scale up studies.
- Bhatt, A., Priyadarshini, S., Mohanakrishnan, A., Abri, A., Sattler, M., Techapaphawit, S., 2019. Physical, chemical, and geotechnical properties of coal fly ash: A global review. Case Studies in Construction Materials 11, e00263.
- Shi, Q., Long, L., Sun, Y., Zhao, S., Pang, Y., Xia, C., 2024. Formation mechanism and the extinguishment performance of gel stabilized foam for inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion. Energy 303, 131995.
- Zhao, W., Ma, L., Wang, Z., Wang, F., Zhang, L., 2024. Preparation and characterization of highly stable double crosslinked gel foam for inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 685, 133179.