Effectiveness of applying dust suppression palliatives on haul roads

Abstract

Dust emissions from mining activities and their impact on the surrounding environment have been and remain one of the major environmental impacts associated with surface mining. Dust emissions caused by the transportation of mined material on surface mines are the most significant contributor. In previous studies, as much as 93% of total dust emissions were found to be associated with this activity. Dust emissions not only have a negative environmental impact, but also impact on vehicle maintenance and operating costs, and can affect the health of the surrounding communities. Acontrolled study was conducted on haulage roads to assess the efficacy of using a lignosulphonate-based dust palliative, compared with a water-only strategy to suppress dust. Asection of road that is representative of a typical mine haulage road was chosen for the study. The road was divided into two sections: one section was treated with water only and the other section was treated with a lignosulphonatebased dust palliative. The water-only method was used as the baseline for the study. Operational parameters influencing haulage road dust emissions were monitored and data concerning vehicle frequency, water usage, product application frequency and dust fallout were recorded. Dust fallout on the individual test sections was measured over the study period using non-directional dust buckets, and real-time dust concentrations were measured using a personal Data Ram (pDR).