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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Dust control for haul roads. Open file report, September 1978-February 1981

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5411929

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the various techniques for mine roadway dust control. The evaluation included (1) the types of dust suppressants available, (2) the interaction of the dust suppressants with the properties of the roadway surface, and (3) the costs and performance measures of the predominantly used dust suppressants. Over 30 products were identified with a wide range of effectiveness depending largely on the properties of the road base, subsurface, and wearing surface. The effectiveness of a dust suppressant was also found to depend on the application and maintenance procedures employed. As a result of this investigation, five dust suppressants were identified as being predominant in the surface mining industry: petroleum resins wetting agents, lignin sulfonate, water, and calcium chloride. An approximate cost-effective analysis, limited by lack of quantitative field performance data, showed that the five suppressants ranked in the order given, with water being one of the least cost effective. This report also presents an analysis of applicable Federal and State regulations.

Research Organization:
Midwest Research Inst., Kansas City, MO (USA); Bureau of Mines, Washington, DC (USA)
OSTI ID:
5411929
Report Number(s):
PB-82-116666
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English