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Minerals
Volume 16
Issue 1
10.3390/min16010032
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Vent Dusts from the Underground Coal Mines in Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province

by
Xueming Zhou
1,
Yunfei Shangguan
1,2,*,
Xinguo Zhuang
1,
Jing Li
1,
Jihua Tan
3,
Peihua Bian
4,
Anping Jia
5 and
Bin Wu
5
1
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
2
College of Marine Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
3
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4
Shanxi Geological Exploration Bureau 211 Geological Team Co. Ltd., Xinzhou 034000, China
5
Shanxi Coal Geology 114 Exploration Institute Co. Ltd., Changzhi 046000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2026, 16(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010032 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 28 November 2025 / Revised: 17 December 2025 / Accepted: 26 December 2025 / Published: 27 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogic Analysis, Size Distribution and Environmental Impacts of Mine Dust)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study focused on the dust in the ventilation of the underground coal mine of Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province; the particle-size distribution and the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the vent dust were studied. The particle-size distribution of the vent dusts in the exhaust outlets of the four coal mines studied is similar and characterized by a single peak, which occurred at 3.5–4.0 μm. The minerals in the vent dusts are dominantly composed of kaolinite, followed by illite, quartz, calcite, dolomite, bassanite, and anhydrite. Except for the high content of bassanite, the vent dust discharged from the YS coal mine presents a similar mineral composition to the parent coal. Compared with the parent coal (and the Upper Continental Crust), the vent dust is enriched to varying degrees in the major element oxides Fe2O3, CaO, K2O, Na2O, and MgO, as well as trace elements Sb, Zn, Bi, Cd, Cu, As, W, and Pb, especially the contents of Sb, Zn, W, and As increased by 1177, 84, 15, and 12 times, respectively. The vent dusts emitted from these coal mines mainly come from the mining of coal seams; a small amount comes from the shotcrete and weathering products of the tunnel gallery, dust flame retardant, and the wear of coal cutters and coal transmission belts. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the management of coal mine vent dust emission to ensure that the mine vent emissions are pollution-free.
Keywords: vent dust; underground coal mine; mineralogy; geochemistry; environmental impact vent dust; underground coal mine; mineralogy; geochemistry; environmental impact

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhou, X.; Shangguan, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Li, J.; Tan, J.; Bian, P.; Jia, A.; Wu, B. Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Vent Dusts from the Underground Coal Mines in Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province. Minerals 2026, 16, 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010032

AMA Style

Zhou X, Shangguan Y, Zhuang X, Li J, Tan J, Bian P, Jia A, Wu B. Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Vent Dusts from the Underground Coal Mines in Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province. Minerals. 2026; 16(1):32. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010032

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Xueming, Yunfei Shangguan, Xinguo Zhuang, Jing Li, Jihua Tan, Peihua Bian, Anping Jia, and Bin Wu. 2026. "Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Vent Dusts from the Underground Coal Mines in Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province" Minerals 16, no. 1: 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010032

APA Style

Zhou, X., Shangguan, Y., Zhuang, X., Li, J., Tan, J., Bian, P., Jia, A., & Wu, B. (2026). Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Vent Dusts from the Underground Coal Mines in Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province. Minerals, 16(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16010032

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