## 1 Introduction  
Fugitive dust emissions from industries such as mining pose a significant threat to the environment and the health of workers and surrounding communities [1; 2; 3; 4]. These emissions can cause respiratory diseases such as pneumoconiosis, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [5], increase vehicle maintenance, and reduce occupational safety by limiting visibility [6; 7]. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events [8; 9], fugitive dust emissions are expected to rise in the coming decades. This is because prolonged heat waves lead to a faster depletion of soil moisture, increasing the susceptibility of soil particles to be suspended and become fugitive dust. Industries, such as mining, quarrying, construction, and agriculture, constitute the main sources of anthropogenic fugitive industrial (non-combustion) dust [10]. By their very nature, these domains encompass large, barren surfaces with a scarce vegetative cover exposed to frequent windblow and mechanical disturbances. Hence, these industries are challenged to reduce fugitive dust emissions at their sites. Measures such as (vegetative) barriers or encapsulations reduce fugitive dust emissions but are unsuitable for protecting large, exposed areas or mitigating emissions caused by mechanical disturbance. In mining, the spray-on application of water is the oldest yet-established means for decreasing dust emissions, but its effect rapidly diminishes upon evaporation. Dust suppressants constitute an alternative solution for controlling dust emissions. They act by either agglomerating small particles, making them less prone to be suspended in the air, or are hygroscopic, absorbing moisture from the air to increase soil moisture [11]. However, many traditional dust suppressants, such as chloride salts or petroleum-based products, can adversely affect the environment [12] or are costly, resulting in the need for environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternatives. Recently, the potential of biopolymers as environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional soil amendments has been increasingly investigated in the fields of soil stabilisation and dust control (e.g., [13; 14; 15; 16; 17]). Biopolymers are produced by living organisms, such as plants, microbes, and animals, are biodegradable, and can be classified into polysaccharides, proteins, and polynucleotides (e.g., deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)) [18]. Soil stabilisation refers to the process of mixing soil amendments into the soil to enhance its engineering properties, while dust control refers to the spray-on application of dust suppressants [19]. Table A1 provides a comprehensive review of previous studies on different biopolymer types, and several reviews summarise the current research in the respective fields [20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. Based on previous studies (cf. Table A1) and reviews, the current knowledge on biopolymers tested in soil stabilisation and dust control can be summarised as follows. (a) Most research focuses on polysaccharides, with xanthan and guar gum being the most studied, whereas only a few studies investigated proteins. Polynucleotides have not yet been investigated, likely because of their extremely high cost. (b) Many previous studies examined biopolymers from botanical sources native to tropical, arid, and partially temperate climates (e.g., guar, Persian, acacia, and locust bean gum, or soybeans), hindering the ability of regional sourcing in regions with a continental climate, such as central and eastern Europe. (c) Some tested biopolymers are only dissolvable at high temperatures (>80 \({}^{\circ}\)C) or in acetic or alkaline solutions. While such properties make these biopolymers more effective or resistant to degradation [25], such dissolution behaviour prevents large-scale field testing and site applications. (d) Most studies have focused on extensive testing with a single or a few biopolymers, with only a few comparative studies analysing multiple biopolymers.