In order to address the problem of dust pollution formed during coal production processes, we chemically modified sodium alginate (SA), an environmentally friendly macromolecule polymer, to achieve a grafted product. IR and NMR were employed to investigate the structure of the grafted products. A contact angle experiment was used to select surfactants with good wettability, which were subsequently combined with the water-retaining agent CMS and SAE-XG-3, to fabricate an environmentally friendly dust suppressant. A high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyze the morphology of the cured film that formed on the surface of coal dust. A spraying test was performed to measure the dust suppressant's performance. The experimental results demonstrated that the environmentally friendly dust suppressant possessed good water retention, viscosity, and wettability, and could achieve suitable dust bonding and settlement performance. In addition, the newly developed dust suppressant is environmentally friendly and has economic benefits. (C) 2019 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.