GRT Dust Control to Play a Key Role in India

Dust control is a very important link in meeting safety, health and environmental requirements. Dust control systems act to prevent dust generation or to collect dust when generated.

“GRT is an international company that provides revolutionary solutions to create better and safer roads for people, industries and communities,” says Ben WH James, Founder & CEO, GRT in an interview with Pramod Shinde.

He revealed GRT’s plan for India which he values as a potential market. Here are a few excerpts:

What are the types of Dust Control Systems offered by GRT?

The two types of dust control systems are:

• Dry Collection
• Wet Suppression

Dry Collection:

Each dust collector system consists of a dust filter, a blower, a filter cleaning system, and a dust removal system. Dust is vacuumed from the source to a hopper for proper disposal. Dust collectors are used in various industries and settings: silos, mines, quarries, building industries, foundries, grinding mills, glass plants, wood processing, coal handling industries, etc.

Dust disturbs everyday life and work by reducing visibility, by depositing on various surfaces and by irritating nose throat and skin. Moreover, the dust has a sincere influence on health through direct contact or through dispersion in air, soil and water bodies. Sources of dust are mining and construction processes, driving and operating on unpaved roads etc.

Therefore, there are different types of dust depending on the source. For example, coal dust is quite hazardous because it is a leading cause of black lung disease among miners. On the other side, dust produced from sand, gravel and stone processing causes silicosis.

Wet Suppression:

Wet dust suppression uses water sprays, water guns and moist to control dust on pile roads, and processing operations, It can be applied in any environment that has dust. The most common is water spray system.

Water is the most common dust suppressant while salts, asphalt emulsions, or mulches are also in use. Suppressant selection is based on the type of material to be treated, location, how dust is being generated, the impact of suppressant on the environment, climate conditions and local regulations. Another factor is the cost of dust control systems, which include the cost of suppressant and associated cost of labour and equipment.

What is GRT’s Dust Control Plan for India?

GRT is an international company that provides revolutionary solutions to create better and safer roads for people, industries and communities.

The company has been working in communities across the world to deliver its innovative technology including undertaking a number of projects in Asia and The Middle East.

GRT INDIA Technology encompasses:

• New Generation Road Construction: Rigid & Flexible pavements
• Advanced Road Recycling: CIPR, HIPR, Foamed Bitumen, polymer emulsions.
• Specialised stabilization: CTB and other materials: Lime, Polymer, fly ash, slag and other.
• Polymer reinforcement for mine haulage roads
• Wholesale products B2C for dust control and erosion prevention

To solve road-stabilisation and dust control problems for all types of roads from major highways and freeways to haulage, industrial and rural roads, tarmacs, hardstands areas and water repellent pavements. GRT’s technology can be applied into clay, silt, sand and gravel materials to create instant and safer and sustainable infrastructure.

How do you analyse India’s market for dust control Technological equipment?

As with many markets in the Indian economy, dust control products and equipment are at the beginning of what will be a steep growth curve and analytics and statistics will follow. Currently, we use available market research but we have had to rely on the ground experience and that’s what set us apart- we have been on the ground in India collection data for the past 4 years.

Dust control is intrinsically linked to road construction and industry and there are certain key markets that we use to assess markets. However, as dust control technologies and equipment are in nascent stages in the Indian market – as India is trying to be in a league of developed nations. The dust control technologies and equipment will touch almost every path leading to progress i.e. infrastructure development/mining/construction in urban, rural and populated areas, so we collect data across the board.

Dust control in big conglomeration like Kumbh Mela and other mass gatherings remains a serious social and environmental issue.

Also, India being a large coal mining country and coal is being transported in open railway wagons from mining areas to consumption areas is leading to loss of material and heavy dust generation from its journey from pit to furnace. Dust control regime can control the coal losses and dust generation during the transport of coal and other ores. Dust control technologies can provide substantial relief in smog conditions being generated in megacities i.e. Delhi, leading to a reduction in airborne infections and lung-related disease. Statistics on the are well documented. The growth curve for dust control products and equipment will be exponential in the next 10 years. GRT will be the industry captain on these products and other similar.

Could you please elaborate upon your strategy to stand out among market peers?

In all 2 of our current verticals we are the first movers:

• In Cold-in-Place-Recycling, first:
• We are the first moves in polymer reinforcement for haulage roads in the mining sector and in our product offerings for dust control.
• We plan to be the first movers in Hot-In-Place-Recycling: Launching shortly

Our point of difference will always be technology driven, through a solid base of proven technology and R&D, producing the highest quality results in the field. This starts with our people and then extends to the equipment we both use ourselves as well as promote, and our range of cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies. We pride ourselves on delivering world leading technologies: and only partner with like-minded companies, for example, our strategic relationship with Wirtgen India.

Couple with this is our focus on improving safety for communities through CSR platforms such as our charity – the “GRT Road Safety Initiative”

How do you see India’s ambitious infrastructural projects and mining activities would help GRT to fulfil its objective?

India is a country on the move! We see that our innovative infrastructure development technologies are essential to deliver the economic growth that quality transport infrastructure can deliver, for, in-situ stabilisation, dust and erosion control and mine management technologies, GRT has products, processes and plant to help deliver results. Of course, the ambitious targets in both sectors will drive the growth in GRT India – however, there needs to be faster take up and approval of proven technologies – otherwise the targets set seem to be challenging.

For instance, GRT can rehabilitate failed pavements at a speed of up to 1km per day using CIPR technology – we currently have only 3 sets of specialized road trains in India – we should have 100 working flat out be now, though we need for speed and quality for their Toll Roads and BOT projects. However, we have seen the opposite in the Government sector with a refusal to take up the technologies or allow new companies into this space.

In the mining sector, the coal & steel committee has only just taken the decision to look into dust mitigation seriously and they have approved the trial of dust suppression technologies. This is a step in the right direction and will be key in increasing productivity, improving road safety and in addressing environmental issues such as air pollution and water wastage

Tell us more about GRT’s cost-effective, energy efficient and environmentally compliant technologies?

GRT has at its core, industry-leading specialist who drive its R&D, product development, manufacturing and project delivery. We have specialists from a diverse range of fields – we have industrial chemists, civil and geotechnical engineers, scientists and construction project managers. Our products, as well as the plant and equipment used, are the best technical and cost-effective options available worldwide. This is what sets us apart. This produces results in key areas such as:

• Increased personal safety in the workplace
• Increased vehicle maneuverability in all weather conditions.
• Significant cost saving road maintenance
• Decreased water usage by up to 95%
• Significantly reduce environmental impact
• Increased overall production and revenue to companies and governments
• Reduced construction timelines and added versatility and greatly reduce landowner complaints
• Reduced need for imported gravel and borrow pits through the use of treating in-situ material
• Reduced health issues related to airborne dust disease in the communities

What are the key demand drivers for GRT equipment in India and the global market?

The clear overall driver is the need to unshackle the economy by providing high quality, cost-effective infrastructure to allow India to move its people, resources and commodities efficiently. The top 3 key demand drivers with references to technology, to support this process:

• Speed (of construction),
• No borrowed material required (from quarries etc.)
• Savings – significant cost savings.

Could you please explain what role your products will play in the Indian market?

India is a big country with huge infrastructure challenges due to population and the extremes of the monsoon cycle. Our construction techniques such as in-situ stabilisation of existing roads, our sealing, dust suppression and erosion control products are all designed to maximize output whilst minimizing inputs such as fuel, natural resources, time, and labour. This will lead to a safer, and more durable infrastructure network, lining better-managed mines, farms and industrial hubs. This theory can, of course, be applied to most markets, but it’s more poignant in India, given its population size, its ambitious and other related factors

What would be your projected demand for technological equipment in the next three years in India and abroad?

Global Road Technology is not only present in India but is a company with a global presence. Or projections are solid growth for the next 18 months, and from that established base, we are forecasting a continual growth trajectory as both government and companies look for ways to grow, whilst improving efficiencies, and still meeting social and environmental targets. We forecast revenues of circa 1500CR in India over the next 3 years.

To read this interview with Mr Ben James, please click here