Press Release: June 1, 2021
Mining and its environmental impact are continuing to be a topic of national discussion within Australia as the issues of air quality, climate change and erosion draw significant media attention.
Over the past 18 months alone, an Australia-wide tightening of air quality laws relating to particulate pollution, a decision by the Australian government to reduce emissions by 2030, and concerns around waterway pollution caused by mining run-off have all been in the news.
It is in this operating context that dust suppression and erosion control specialists Global Road Technology (GRT), are seeking to showcase to the Australian public that through the use of the rights systems, innovation and site controls a choice between the economy and the environment doesn’t have to be a zero-sum decision.
According to GRT General Manager, Daniel Grundy, over the next half-decade, it is going to be critical for the mining industry to showcase transparently how changes in its operations are reducing the impact of its activities – to ensure economic continuity and the protection of the country’s natural heritage can go hand-in-hand.
“Erosion, emissions, and dust control are three of the major issues facing the mining sector in 2021 and the industry must work as a collective to address these problems,” said Mr Grundy.
“For GRT, although the issues around emissions are outside of our direct remit (although by cutting down water cart usage does help), what we as a business can focus on is reducing the impact of erosion on land and waterways, while protecting people from dust particulate pollution caused by mining activity. Our focus on technology, systems, stabilisation, control, and monitoring of onsite soil and material allows us to control the spread of dirt or dust from the site to prevent its spread via air or water – protecting both people and our natural habitat, showcasing that the industry can operate in a less harmful environmental manner.”
GRT is a recognised global leader in the development of infrastructure and process solutions for the mining, civil and agricultural sectors, with core competence in developing and implementing whole of site dust mitigation programs. They achieve this by using highly advanced, biodegradable, and non-toxic chemical applications alongside advanced engineering techniques to stop the spread of dust.
This focus on stopping the spread of dust at the source sees the company assist miners in stopping the spread of dust from the air or from erosion caused by works and site slippage via technological and engineering applications that bind materials at their point of origin – meaning that it won’t spread from its original point of dislodgement.
After over a decade of operation the business has built a reputation as an innovative leader in this space with a suite of Australian developed chemical additives – GRT: Haul-Loc, GRT: Activate UG, GRT: Ore-Loc, GRT7000, GRT: Enviro-Binder, and GRT: Wet-Loc designed specifically for managing and containing dust generated by mining activity.
All of this is designed to provide the mining industry the tools it needs to minimise its environmental impact while protecting the workers, communities, and the wider Australian economy that relies on its economic contribution.
For Daniel Grundy, the social licence afforded to the mining industry is critical and with the right investment, he believes the sector can continue to garner public support.
“Mining is the largest sector in the Australian economy and will continue to be so for many years to come,” Mr Grundy said.
“Our goal is to support it with our in minimising its impact on the environment through the utilisation of our technology and products to ensure that there remain no questions around its social licence – or it can at least answer those questions! This can be achieved by showcasing that through the right processes we can minimise the detrimental impacts of mining to such a level that there remains a high level of public support.”
Source: Australasian Mine Safety Journal
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