Dust suppressants for saving money and lives
Published by John Williams,
Editorial Assistant
World Coal,
Using specialist dust suppressants in quarrying and construction can produce financial savings, as well as improve the health of site workers.
The three products in Fuchs Lubricants’ range which can help with this, are Renoclean Air Spray-down, Renoclean Air Hold-down and Renoclean Air Lock-down.
Paul Littley, Executive Manager Global Research & Development at Fuchs Lubricants, said: “Dust is a major problem in quarrying and construction and needs to be carefully managed, both to protect the workforce and to comply with the law.
“Our Renoclean Air Hold-down product binds the particles, helps retain moisture and dramatically reduces the amount of dust emitted.
“In addition to reducing dust levels the number of applications of water needed to control dust is greatly reduced, saving fuel burnt for the bowser truck, driver time and reducing valuable water use.
“Our calculations show that in some cases water consumption can be reduced by a factor of 2.5 and up to 61% savings achieved in the cost of fuel for the bowser truck.
“In certain countries water is a very scarce commodity and by using Renoclean Air products, the customer can conserve this valuable resource for other uses and transfer manpower to other tasks leading to considerable safety improvements and financial savings.”
Dust and particulate matter can settle in the nasal cavities, bronchi or lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Among other effects, they have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system and can cause lung cancer.
Dust can damage the environment, by acidifying lakes and streams, damaging sensitive forests or threatening the diversity of ecosystems.
The EU Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC lays down limit values for particulate matter. The annual average threshold for “coarse” particulate matter is 40 mg/m3. The daily limit of 50 mg/m3 is not allowed to be exceeded more than 35 times per calendar year. The annual average limit for ‘fine’ particulate matter is 25 g/m3. These values have been mandatory since 2015.
The company’s Global Mining R&D team, headquartered at the company’s UK base in Stoke-on-Trent, has researched and developed the range of dust suppression products based on sound chemistry to fulfil three applications in the industrial sector:
- Renoclean Air Spray-down: suitable for surface and underground applications such as longwall production, crushers and belt transfer points.
- Renoclean Air Hold-down: for general purpose use for above and below ground mining activities, applying to stockpiles and haulage roads.
- Renoclean Air Lock-down: for application as a railcar topper as it is able to withstand vibration, movement and airflow during long haul transportation. It’s also suitable for making semi-permanent road surfaces, applied as a superior functioning binder.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/product-news/11122019/dust-suppressants-fore-saving-money-and-lives/
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