Advances in studies investigating the comprehensive utilization of coal gangue: a visualization analysis based on CiteSpace

Coal gangue, as a byproduct of coal mining and washing, has experienced a significant surge in production due to escalating energy demands. The extensive accumulation of coal gangue has resulted in significant challenges, including resource wastage and severe environmental contamination. To better understanding of the current research landscape, hotspots, and emerging trends in the comprehensive utilization of coal gangue, we employed the CiteSpace bibliometric software to visually analyze 200 articles published in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2004 to 2023. The majority of these publications (85%) were published between 2019 and 2023, with most originating from China. This study used cooperative network analysis to examine and synthesize the contributions of different institutions and scholars on the research examining the comprehensive utilization of coal gangue. By employing advanced techniques such as keyword co-occurrence and cluster analysis, our study delves into dynamic research hotspots in this field over different time periods. Through trend and current situation analyses, future research directions for the comprehensive utilization of coal gangue are proposed, with the aim of inspiring relevant research and guiding future policy formulation.