Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression

Air pollution from fugitive dust poses a significant health risk to population in arid regions. Conventional chloride-based suppressants offer temporary dust control, leading to soil contamination and infrastructure corrosion. This study proposes the synthesis of a starch-based powder that regenerat...

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Main Authors: Maedeh Hesami, Ravi Kiran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Cleaner Engineering and Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001788
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author Maedeh Hesami
Ravi Kiran
author_facet Maedeh Hesami
Ravi Kiran
author_sort Maedeh Hesami
collection DOAJ
description Air pollution from fugitive dust poses a significant health risk to population in arid regions. Conventional chloride-based suppressants offer temporary dust control, leading to soil contamination and infrastructure corrosion. This study proposes the synthesis of a starch-based powder that regenerates into hydrogel for dust mitigation, owing to its agglomeration and crust-forming abilities. The hydrogel was synthesized by thermally degrading amylopectin-rich starch, undergoing a freeze-thaw cycle, and pulverizing into powder. The powder was then added to hot water (>65 °C) at concentrations of 0.5 %, 1 %, 2 %, and 3 % by weight of solution to form regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogel (RASH). Dust suppression performance was evaluated using PI-SWERL (Portable in-situ Wind Erosion Lab) to assess wind erosion rates, and penetration tests to measure crust strength. Results demonstrated that 1 %wt. RASH achieved a 100 % reduction in wind erosion rates, even at speed of 90 km/h. This is attributed to the agglomeration of soil grains and formation of thick crust. Field tests over 20 days confirmed sustained PM10 suppression in extreme arid conditions (39°C) across various soil types. As a result, a novel, energy-efficient starch-based dust suppressant is proposed, offering a low-cost and scalable solution for long-term dust control in arid climates.
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spelling doaj-art-dd8a7a2a05ac40cd9f3ebb0d05a1d8c02025-07-26T05:24:33ZengElsevierCleaner Engineering and Technology2666-79082025-09-0128101055Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppressionMaedeh Hesami0Ravi Kiran1School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USACorresponding author.; School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USAAir pollution from fugitive dust poses a significant health risk to population in arid regions. Conventional chloride-based suppressants offer temporary dust control, leading to soil contamination and infrastructure corrosion. This study proposes the synthesis of a starch-based powder that regenerates into hydrogel for dust mitigation, owing to its agglomeration and crust-forming abilities. The hydrogel was synthesized by thermally degrading amylopectin-rich starch, undergoing a freeze-thaw cycle, and pulverizing into powder. The powder was then added to hot water (>65 °C) at concentrations of 0.5 %, 1 %, 2 %, and 3 % by weight of solution to form regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogel (RASH). Dust suppression performance was evaluated using PI-SWERL (Portable in-situ Wind Erosion Lab) to assess wind erosion rates, and penetration tests to measure crust strength. Results demonstrated that 1 %wt. RASH achieved a 100 % reduction in wind erosion rates, even at speed of 90 km/h. This is attributed to the agglomeration of soil grains and formation of thick crust. Field tests over 20 days confirmed sustained PM10 suppression in extreme arid conditions (39°C) across various soil types. As a result, a novel, energy-efficient starch-based dust suppressant is proposed, offering a low-cost and scalable solution for long-term dust control in arid climates.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001788Regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogelDust suppressionFugitive dustWind erosionParticulate matterAnd agglomeration
spellingShingle Maedeh Hesami
Ravi Kiran
Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
Cleaner Engineering and Technology
Regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogel
Dust suppression
Fugitive dust
Wind erosion
Particulate matter
And agglomeration
title Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
title_full Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
title_fullStr Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
title_full_unstemmed Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
title_short Starch-based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
title_sort starch based hydrogel powder for enhanced dust suppression
topic Regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogel
Dust suppression
Fugitive dust
Wind erosion
Particulate matter
And agglomeration
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790825001788
work_keys_str_mv AT maedehhesami starchbasedhydrogelpowderforenhanceddustsuppression
AT ravikiran starchbasedhydrogelpowderforenhanceddustsuppression