An important sector of the economy lies with mining as the extracted minerals enables the manufacturing of materials which will be used in our daily lives like the manufacturing of materials or vehicles for civil construction. Further, mining in several countries drives the growth and development of the country which contributes to the generation of indirect and direct jobs. But this large scale, extractive industry, mining is also involved in a number of environmental problems which may result in damages to countries like those which occur in Brumadinho and Mariana in Brazil. The dust is one of the major environmental challenges of the mining operation which affects the air quality of cities, neighborhoods, the workers themselves, and causing disease.

Dust is a solid particle which results from the mechanical rupture of a solid and can be classified into categories which are based on the diameter of particles which are suspended in the air or based on the tissue reaction in the body. There are three classifications of dust based on the diameter –

  • Thoracic dust
  • Inhalable dust
  • Breathable dust

Inhalable dust is one that has a diameter between 25 microns and 100 microns. This can enter via our nose and mouth. The dust which can be penetrated beyond the pharynx is known as thoracic dust and has diameters which is much smaller than 25 microns and bigger than 10 microns. Breathable dust is the one that has a diameter that is much lesser than 10 microns and due to its size, it can affect bronchioles and the exchange of gases from the lungs. With smaller dust particles, the damage done to the body increases.

Conventional Dust Control Practice –

Water is often used in mining companies as a way of combating and preventing dust from being suspended in the air and huge amounts of this resource are consumed. But sadly, watering the roads actually hastens their degradation which results in the generation of more fine particles pumped to the surface because of hydraulic action which becomes airborne dust. In some cases, mining does not have enough water trucks for effective dust suppression, so water is wasted and dust remains to be a health hazard.

Our offered Dust Control Solutions for Mining –

Dutco Tennant LLC offers the most advanced dust suppression products from Global Road Technology which saves water and resources due to the life cycle of the applications, as each product is destined for a specific situation for ensuring operational safety and performance. It is a very common fact among the people that water is an excellent method of dust control as it is reasonably inexpensive, available widely, and is believed to have high dust particle holding capacity. But there are several factors that are not discussed and often misunderstood. Water has never been and chemically never will be an effective suppressor of dust. Extensive research has been conducted and it has been determined that technologies that are available with us are created chemically and can efficiently suppress dust and also sustain their suppression for an extended time period, which makes dust a hazard of the past.

GRT Wet-Loc

  • Type of material – Long Lasting, Non-drying, Synthetic fluid, totally waterless and non-setting
  • Mechanics - adsorbs into soil particles preventing them from becoming airborne
  • Effect time period - Up to 12 months
  • Application - Areas of heavy damaging traffic such as tracked machinery routes, underground mining roads, and race tracks.
  • Features - Water/storm resistant, UV Ray resistance, biodegradable, non-hazardous, robust, and self-healing.

GRT: Haul-Loc

  • Type of material – Liquid polymer mixed with water.
  • Mechanics – Creates and binds a stable layer which is resistant to wind erosion, heavy traffic wear, and rainfall impact.
  • Effect time period - 4x-5x longer than with normal water methods
  • Application – Cleared sites, haul roads, environmental management.
  • Features - Specialized for robust properties, long term projects, biodegradable, non-toxic, and dries completely odorless.

GRT: Activate

  • Type of material – Super activated synthetic fluid that is mixed with water.
  • Effect time period – 12 months
  • Application – Quarrying crushers, hydrophobic fine dust sources, road construction, and conveyors.
  • Features – This amazing dust control technology makes water work harder, better, and more efficiently. This technology can alone suppress fine and large particles.

Our dust & water management products also offer the toughness and flexibility to be applied across a diverse spectrum of industries, improving safety and eliminating dust complaints from staff and surrounding landholders. Apart from the longer-term maintenance efficiencies, savings can also be achieved from the significant reduction of wind-borne material losses.