Not leaving you in the dust

The treated road surface at AECI Much Asphalt Pietermaritzburg seven days after initial application without a maintenance spray application

Trial application in progress on a mine access road in Limpopo

Mine road in use after application, showing effective dust suppression

Fine dust particles not only affect workspaces and equipment in industries like construction, mining and manufacturing, but they also threaten the health and safety of workers, drivers, pedestrians and neighbouring communities.

NOT LEAVING YOU IN

THE DUST

Dust particles 10 µm in size, known as respirable dust, are not visible to the naked eye and can cause serious harm by penetrating the lungs. Dust particles of 100 µm, which are visible and known as inhalable dust, can also lodge in the respiratory tract.

Black lung, shortness of breath and respiratory failure are some of the irreversible health effects of ongoing exposure. Driving or operating equipment in dusty environments is also dangerous due to limited visibility.

Dust suppression is achieved through the application of a liquid to prevent inhalable and respirable dust particles from becoming airborne. This generally involves a fine spray application of surface-active ingredients dissolved in water that bond to the airborne particles, weighting them to the ground.

New solution

AECI SprayPave – a leading manufacturer, supplier and applicator of bituminous binders, emulsions, primes and pre-coats to the road construction industry – has used its expertise in the bitumen field to formulate a waterproof binder known as Dustasolve-10. The product comprises a bitumen emulsion combined with nanotechnology additives.

“Dustasolve-10 is designed to target dust on gravel roads, quarries and mines without the need for complicated layerworks equipment,” says Eddie Jansen van Vuuren, director, AECI SprayPave, pointing out that simplicity of application is key to the success of this product. “Dustasolve-10 can be applied with a bitumen distributor without the need for a roller. In typical warm South African conditions with base temperatures of 25˚C and rising, a road can be opened to traffic as soon as one hour after application.”

How it works

Bitumen emulsion comprises varying volume fractions of bitumen droplets dispersed through an aqueous solution with the aid of an emulsifying surfactant. Bitumen emulsions can be easily applied at room temperature without heating equipment.

However, Jansen van Vuuren warns that there are some shortcomings to be aware of