Abstract

To address the problem of dust pollution caused by open limestone mining, a highly effective microbial dust suppression agent (MDS/PVAc) was successfully prepared using Bacillus megaterium and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) as raw materials. The results showed that when 0.7 mol·L−1 cementing solution and 4% PVAc were added, and the bacterial concentration was 20% and the surface tension and contact angle of MDS/PVAc solution were 33.8 mN /m and 10.75°, respectively, which could effectively wet the dust and enhance its surface hardness up to 83 HA. Compared to water, the MDS/PVAc-treated dust showed stronger wind erosion and water resistance. In addition, the pores between the dust particles and those between adjacent particles were filled with calcite crystals produced by microbial mineralization, showing high thermal stability. The results show that Bacillus megaterium and polyvinyl acetate can improve the wettability and microbially mediated dust suppression, which is of great significance for mine dust treatment technology.