Dust suppression specialists Global Road Technology (GRT), are unveiling the latest weapon in their arsenal as they seek to increase protection for mining workers across Australia.
Called GRT 12X, the product is a concentrated additive that has been independently verified by one of Australia’s leading universities to be 12 times more effective than water alone in suppressing coal dust and other fine dust. The result of six-years of research and development, this Australian made product changes the surface tension and charge of the water, so that it attracts and captures dust particles, which the simply drop to the ground.
For GRT General Manager Daniel Grundy, the GRT 12X technology, is a game-changer for the industry as it provides the right solution for a key problem facing the mining sector in terms of its current practices to suppress dynamic dust – water does not work when it comes to dust suppression.
“For a variety of reasons water actually doesn’t work when it comes to mitigating dust pollution and we have been successful in resolving this issue by developing a sustainable safe, non-toxic, biodegradable alternative product with a low-carbon footprint with proven efficacy” said Mr Grundy.
“We subjected 12X to rigorous independent testing from one of Australia’s top universities and from this research we are able to show a clear linkage between the usage of it (12X) and reductions in respirable dust levels, visible dust and water wastage at mining sites. The product is our solution to a major issue facing the industry which is the fact that traditional methods of dust suppression using solely water to capture particulates is quite ineffective due to the respective properties of the two particles – resulting in them repelling each other like two positive ends of a magnet.”
Along with 12 X Dust Suppression for drilling, its other recent product breakthrough is the GRT: DC Binder solution designed to prevent the generation of dust by locking up (binding) the surface of fine drill cutting piles – preventing these mounds of super fine dust from becoming airborne when disturbed by the wind, vehicles, or members of the crew as they work in the drill pattern area.
These products find their place within GRT’s leading range of innovative chemical products – GRT: Haul-Loc for haul road dust suppression, GRT: Activate UG for dust suppression in underground mining, GRT: Ore-Loc for stockpile dust control, and GRT: Wet-Loc for dust control in heavy machinery yards. GRT’s products are designed specifically to manage and contain dust for the purpose of protecting workers on mining sites and nearby residents and landholders from the disease that respirable dust can cause.
These products represent a significant investment in time and resources, but for Daniel Grundy they are the ultimate showcase of the firms innovative and world-leading approach to reducing air pollution and protecting the lives of mineworkers and the health of the nearby communities that service the mines.
“GRT is a world-leader in the development of infrastructure and process solutions for the mining, civil and agricultural sectors for a reason – the fact that we place innovation and the safety of workers at the forefront of everything we do via implementing engineered dust management solutions,” Mr Grundy said.
“Dynamic dust management involves far more than just the application of our products; it is our bedrock philosophy as an organisation because it underlines our commitment to producing whole of mine site solutions that consider workflow and environmental factors as we seek to reduce air polluting caused by mining activity. This approach combined with our commitment to safety and excellence is why our products and services meet the stringent government safety and environmental requirements across Australia and is why we are fast becoming recognised as the industry leader in this space.”
Source: Australasian Mine Safety Journal
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