China’s total coal production in 2021 exceeded 4.13 billion tons, 52% of the world’s total. Coal gangue, a solid waste of coal mining accounts for 15–20% of coal production, when directly discharged on the ground surface as waste heaps, it occupies large areas of land and cause environmental pollution. This paper summarizes the existing gangue backfilling methods, their working principles, efficiency, and application status. The methods that are meeting Middle and Western China’s mining demands are discussed in detail. The state-of-the-art technologies that can realize high-efficiency, centralized, and large-scale underground backfilling of coal gangue are analyzed. This paper shows that the industrial implementation of these technologies can increase the current maximum disposal capacity of coal gangue by three times, reaching five million tons per year. The equipment innovation and automation are analyzed, and the environmental effect of coal gangue backfilling is discussed. This review offers inspirations and guidelines for coal gangue disposal and the environmental hazard reduction of coal mining.
Sand-based cemented backfill (SBCB) mining technology is instrumental in utilizing coal resources buried under the water bodies. SBCB is exposed to the long-term action of mining-induced stresses in the goaf and groundwater permeating via microcracks along the rock strata. Studying the permeability evolution of SBCB under varying stress states is crucial for protecting coal and water resources below the aquifer. This study is focused on the influence law of different stress states on the SBCB permeability exposed to groundwater, which was tested under different axial and confining pressures using a laboratory seepage meter, particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Best-fitting quadratic polynomials linking the SBCB permeability with confining and axial pressures, respectively, were obtained via statistical processing of test results. The permeability gradually dropped within the elastic range as the confining and axial pressures increased. Moreover, an increase in the confining pressure caused a more dramatic reduction in the SBCB permeability than the axial pressure. Finally, the SBCB seepage mechanism under different stress states was revealed based on the particle size analysis, XRD patterns, and SEM microstructure. These findings are considered instrumental in substantiating safe mining of coal resources below the water bodies and above the confined groundwater.
Fly ash cement is used to solidify marine clay to prepare marine-clay-based cemented paste backfill (MCCPB) to fill the underground goaf of mines, which not only utilizes solid waste such as fly ash and marine clay, but also controls surface subsidence and protects the environment. To simulate the complex underground mine water environment of the filling body, a dry-wet cycle aquatic environment test under different material ratios and curing ages was designed. The water absorption and unconfined compression strength (UCS) of MCCPB with curing ages of 7 and 28 days under the action of 0, 1, 3, and 7 dry-wet cycles were investigated. The results indicate as the number of dry-wet cycles increases, the surface of MCCPB becomes significantly rougher, and the water content and the solid mass decrease accordingly. Different ratios and curing ages of MCCPB in dry-wet cycles of the UCS tend first to increase, then decrease. Meanwhile, the stress-strain curve of the specimen shows that the trend in the elastic modulus is consistent with that of UCS (first increasing, then decreasing), and that, the minimum UCS value of the specimen still meets the early strength requirements of cemented paste backfill in coal mine geothermal utilization. On the one hand, it proves the feasibility of fly ash cement-solidified marine clay for use as cemented paste backfill in coal mines; on the other hand, it also expands the available range of cemented paste backfill materials in coal mines.
Previous studies have shown that coal-based solid waste can be utilized in combination with cement, silica fume, and other modified materials to create a cemented backfill material. However, traditional cemented backfill materials have poor mechanical properties, which may induce the emergence of mining pressure and trigger dynamic disaster under complex mining conditions. In this study, the nanocomposite fiber was used to modify the traditional cemented backfill materials and a new cemented backfill material was developed using coal-based solid waste, nanocomposite fiber and other materials. Specifically, coal gangue, fly ash, cement, and glass fibers were used as the basic materials, different mass fractions of nano-SiO2 were used to prepare cemented backfill materials, and the mechanical enhancement effect of the compressive strength, tensile strength, and shear strength of the modified materials was analyzed. The results show that when the nano-SiO2 dosage is 1%, the optimal compressive strength of the specimens at the curing age of 7 d can be obtained compared with cemented materials without nano-SiO2, and the compressive strength of the modified specimens raises by 84%; when the nano-SiO2 dosage is 1%, the optimal tensile strength and shear strengths of the modified specimens can be obtained at the curing age of 28 d, increasing by 82% and 142%. The results reveal that nanocomposite fibers can be used as additives to change the mechanical properties of cemented backfill materials made using coal-based solid waste. This study provides a reference for the disposal of coal-based solid waste and the enhancement of the mechanical properties of cemented backfill materials.
Shotcrete material has found extensive applications as a reinforcing material in the engineering sector. This study examined the effect of doped glass fibers on the mechanical performance of the modified shotcrete material composed of aeolian sand, fly ash, cement, quicklime, and doped glass fibers. Its tensile and shear strengths values were experimentally determined via a WAW-1000D computerized hydraulic universal tensile testing machine. Its microstructure was analyzed via a size analyzer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). A 2D simplified mechanical model was elaborated to reflect the influence mechanism of the doped glass fibers on the mechanical performance of the modified shotcrete material. The experimental and mechanical analysis results indicated that, at the macroscopic scale, the experimental tensile and shear strengths of the shotcrete material doped with glass fibers were significantly higher than those of the undoped shotcrete material (by up to 310% and 596%, respectively). These results were in concert with the proposed model predictions, where the compound stresses in the shotcrete material were derived as the sum of the stress borne by the shotcrete material itself and the bridging stress exerted by the glass fibers. At the microscopic scale, SEM observations also revealed that the glass fibers were intertwined with each other and tightly enveloped by the shotcrete material particles within the modified shotcrete specimens, connecting the particles of different components into a whole and improving the overall mechanical strength. In addition, the relationships of the compound stress of the shotcrete material vs. embedment length, embedment angle, and cross-sectional area of the glass fibers were established. The research findings are considered instrumental in clarifying the mechanism by which the glass fibers influence the mechanical performance of shotcrete materials and optimize their solid waste (fly ash and quicklime) utilization.
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