How to ensure your dust suppression program works as effectively as possible

Specially formulated dust control products, such as polymer binders or lignosulphonates, are widely recognised to be highly effective at suppressing dust on mine haul roads.

For mines who are considering a smarter approach to dust control beyond simply spraying only water on roads and want to adopt dust suppression products, there can be initial hesitation in relation to cost and guaranteed effectiveness. 

Getting the most out of any dust suppression product requires support and guidance over the application and ongoing management of the road assets once the appropriate product technology has been confirmed.

In this blog post, we explore common reasons why dust suppression products don’t work effectively and how a managed service program prevents this from occurring. 

Common ways dust suppression products are used incorrectly 

Without guidance and expert support, many mines fall into the trap of using dust suppression products incorrectly, leading to poor results, cost increases and perceived ineffectiveness.

Common mistakes made by mines administering dust control products include:

• The mine uses the incorrect dosage of the product (too much or too little).

• The mine doesn’t adjust or reduce its water cart spraying schedule upon switching to treated water with dust suppression products and inevitably fails to realise any water saving benefits.

• The mine lacks the dedicated resources to focus on managing a dust suppression program

• The mine focuses exclusively on the cost to add a dust control product on site without considering resulting operations savings or assumes there is no cost to the water being used on the roads.

• The mine is using the wrong type of product for the type of road they are targeting (e.g. using surfactants or water extenders on road surfaces instead of dust binders, polymers or emulsions). 

Rather than grappling with a dust suppression program in-house, mines can avoid these mistakes and begin to reap the value of total cost reductions and efficiency benefits by engaging with an expert service provider. 

How a managed service will guarantee the effectiveness of dust suppression products on haul roads

Rather than leaving dust suppression to guess work and running the risk of wasting valuable products or using them incorrectly, mine operators can be confident that their dust suppression program is being handled professionally, within budget and to a high standard with an on-site managed service.

A managed service will mitigate the most common reasons dust suppression products fail to work on haul roads and help ensure a mine gets the most effective results possible. 

Dust-A-Side Australia’s managed service offering includes on-site dust control supervisors who are responsible for: 

• Implementing change management to prevent overdosing/underdosing and deliver optimal product use for the budget. This includes comprehensive training and supervision of water cart operators and the setup of product storage and delivery infrastructure (tanks, metered pumps, fill points and product monitoring technology).
  
  
• Regular (often daily) direct monitoring and assessment of the road network for dust control and providing guidance/reinforcement to water cart operators on when and where to reapply dust control sprays.  Monitoring and reassessment of the spraying schedules are required on a frequent basis as mining operations, road use and weather conditions change. This is particularly useful for mines with larger water cart fleets or high-rotation operator schedules.
  
  
• Identifying sections of a haul road network which can be improved upon through general road surface maintenance work (grading, reshaping and drainage improvements) on a day-to-day basis. 
  
  
• Utilising telemetry based product monitoring systems, real time reports are provided to site on how much product is being used against the project management plan. These reports highlight compliance with the program and also provide the mine with early warning alerts of any errors.

The impact of investing in a managed service such as the one offered by Dust-A-Side Australia is often significant and can return millions of dollars in cost savings for the mine through the reduction in water usage, less road repair downtime and the off-hiring of water carts. 

See our Case Study to learn how our fully managed haul road service delivered an annual value creation of over $9 million plus over $6 million in water cart savings for a mining client by clicking the link below. 

Want to learn more about getting the most effective results from your dust suppression program? 

Dust-A-Side Australia’s services range from technical support, independently accredited dust control programs to being a turn-key road management contractor.  

Our services are focused on delivering the value often claimed by others but never realised, by working through a change management approach to maintaining the assets and driving unwavering focus on the application and reapplication schedules.

Dust-A-Side Australia is the only supplier in the market to offer independently accredited dust control haul road management services with it’s proven product technologies.

To request a no obligation technical consultation and dust report, simply click here.