Abstract: Coal gangue is a by-product of associated coal mining and sorting. The accumulated gangue cannot be properly used,which will cause serious environmental pollution and waste of resources. In recent years,the study of coal gangue utilization has been promoted due to the stricter environmental regulations and the potential use value of coal gangue in China. However,many studies have overlooked that due to the wide distribution of coal in China,the physical and chemical composition of coal gangue in different regions will be different. Based on the physicochemical composition of coal gangue,the importance of the physical and chemical properties of coal gangue on its utilization ways was elaborated from four aspects of the energy industry,construction industry,soil application industry and high-value application industry. The risk of secondary environmental pollution caused by different components was analyzed,and the potential problems and future research trends in the field of comprehensive utilization of coal gangue were pointed out. It is recommended that when choosing a way to use coal gangue,the requirements of the basic physical and chemical composition of the way should be considered,and increase the requirements for the physical and chemical components in the gangue that may cause secondary environmental pollution risks should be increased.In order to improve the utilization rate and economic benefits of the gangue,and reduce the risk of environmental pollution,the best use plan is selected based on the balance of the two,and the follow-up environmental secondary pollution risk assessment and follow-up investigation are established.