Building an Effective Dust Suppression Solution

Dust control is tough to get right and far from a one-size-fits-all game.

Crafting an effective dust suppression solution can often contain multiple elements while raising many things to consider. In a mining context, each stage of the process can require its own unique methods. This leads to a combination of site-specific tactics that bring a complete dust suppression solution together.

Areas that need dust suppression coverage include:

• Resource exploration
• Drilling and blasting
• Excavation and earthworks
• Product haulage
• Minerals processing
• And offsite transport to the port and beyond.

A pit-to-port strategy that includes the above elements can ensure that mining activity doesn’t impact workers, communities, nearby farmers, and the environment. Dust is also hard on machinery, leading to shorter maintenance cycles and increased downtime.

Something that miners are keen to minimise.

And, with dust regulations tightening in Australia and worldwide and water becoming a more precious resource than ever, miners must build an effective dust suppression solution tailored to each operational step. Let’s now take a deep dive into the different areas in mining where dust suppression techniques are needed.

Facing the Dust Challenge in Mining Applications

Drilling and Blasting

Drilling generates ultra-fine hazardous dust, and it’s a big challenge to suppress because it’s dynamic.

With a high surface tension and surface charge, water simply can’t work fast enough to capture dynamic dust.

Waste piles or ‘drill cuttings’ also contain a lot of very fine, hazardous dust. 

The GRT Solution:

• GRT:12X super-activates drill-tank water to capture fine hazardous dust.
• GRT: DC Binder is a cost-effective, broad-effect dust and erosion control product, locking down drill cuttings and the blast area.

Mining Haul Roads

The dust that’s driven up from unsealed haul roads impacts the visibility, communication and respiratory health of mine workers and the broader community. 

Unfortunately, continual watering only leads to road degradation, increases slipping potential and more dust.

The GRT Solution:

• GRT: Haul Loc is another cost-effective dust suppression solution that expands the dust-suppressing effects 4x to 5x times longer than water alone. Haul Loc significantly reduces water consumption through regular dust suppression techniques, saving fuel, hours and resources.

Underground Processing and Product Transfer

Underground mining produces coal and silica dust that is, by nature, water-repellant. Despite adding more volume, the finest and most dangerous particles simply bounce off sprayed water. 

Crushing, processing and transferring ore can generate large amounts of airborne dust around the ROM, Crushers, OHP, Transfer Points and product stockpiles.

The GRT Solutions:

• GRT: Activate UG is designed to super-activate the water used to control dust at the longwall, continuous mining, and in hard rock operations.  This causes the water to efficiently capture airborne dust particles, dropping them out of suspension and to the ground.
• GRT: Activate is best used in material crushing, transfer and handling situations, optimising the ore and water conditions for effective dust control – tailored to your needs.

GRT’s range of products is Australian, designed and tested to work in the most rugged environments, and offers a turn-key solution to your dust suppression requirements.

Dust and Erosion Control:

In open mining sites, where wind and water cause erosion, dust is often produced, affecting earthworks, stockpiles, tailings and other land users. 

The GRT Solution:

• GRT Soil-Loc is a cost-effective dust suppression solution for large-scale sites. Featuring wind erosion technology – and designed to protect exposed surfaces – Soil-Loc can solve wind and rain erosion problems and keep your material in place.
• GRT: Enviro Binder is a robust erosion solution for wind and water that also waterproofs the treated surfaces.

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Summary

Bringing together a comprehensive and effective dust suppression solution can be complex.

But by identifying your problem areas and approaching the unique challenges of each one,

It’s possible to build a tailored mix of dust control measures. 

If dust control is an issue for your exploration or resource business, check out GRT’s tailored solutions, including our industry-leading SMART Dosing Units!