Dust Suppressant Chemicals
Wet Earth can provide the complete dust suppression solution including chemicals and delivery systems.
Dust Suppressant Chemicals can be used for a large number of dust control applications including:
- Haul Road Dust Suppression
- High Traffic Area Dust Suppression
- Stockpile Dust Suppression
- Open Non-Traffic Area Dust Suppression (9-18 months)
- Airborne Dust Suppression
- Conveyor System Dust Suppression
- Truck / Rail Dust Suppression
We have a range of existing dust suppressant chemicals listed at the bottom of this page, but if one of the below products does not suit your application there will likely be another product in our range we can offer you.
Many of our dust control chemicals are based on new concentrated environmentally friendly polymers making them both cost effective and safe.
All products come in 25L containers and 1000L IBCs. The price per litre does vary with the container size.
Our dust suppressant chemicals can be applied using common watering equipment and spray systems. All chemicals we offer are considered safe for users and the environment. Safety Data sheets can be supplied on request. Our chemicals are also not corrosive on machinery and will not damage gaskets or pumps.
Why Dust Suppression
Dust suppression is essential for maintaining air quality and protecting both the environment and human health in industries such as mining, construction, and demolition. The release of dust particles into the air can lead to significant dust emissions, which not only reduce visibility but also pose serious health risks by contributing to hazardous air pollutants. To address these challenges, dust suppressant chemicals are widely used as an effective dust control solution. These chemicals help minimize the spread of airborne dust, ensuring safer working conditions and compliance with environmental regulations. By implementing proper dust control measures, industries can significantly reduce dust emissions, improve air quality, and protect workers and nearby communities from the adverse effects of dust exposure.
Types of Dust Suppressant Chemicals
A variety of dust suppressant chemicals are available to tackle dust control challenges in different environments. The following is a brief summary.
Magnesium chloride and calcium chloride salts
Chloride salts such as magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are historically common choices for road dust control. A single application can give long term dust control due to the salts ability to absorb moisture from the air, which helps keep dust particles bound to the ground. The chloride salts are generally only suitable in areas with minimal rainfall, as the salts are washed out of the surface with heavy rain. They can also be corrosive on vehicles and equipment.
Lignin sulphonate
Lignin sulfonate is an effective and sustainable dust control solution for roads. It works by binding dust particles together, creating a denser, firmer surface that reduces airborne dust. It's a naturally derived polymer (a byproduct of the paper pulping process) and as a result is considered environmentally friendly. It is water soluble and as a result can leach of of the road surface with heavy rain.
Polymer dust control chemicals
There is an almost unlimited range of different polymers that are used for dust control. Due to their binding and crust forming behaviour they are commonly used as crusting agent and soil binders. Some polymers have characteristics that make them suitable for use on roads to bind the surface particles to help control dust. Due to traffic breaking the polymer bonds they are not as long lasting as the chloride salts or lignin and require reapplication for longer term performance. They can provide great assistance as part of an ongoing road watering program to reduce watering frequency and reduce dust. Due to their binding behaviour they provide an additional benefit of binding the road surface together improving its structure and wet weather performance. Generally the bonds they create are water proof so are not negatively impacted by rainfall, although some polymers will reactivate when wet and rebind which gives them a self-healing characteristics.
The selection of the right dust suppressant depends on factors such as the type of surface, local weather and traffic conditions, and the desired duration of dust control. To assist with this we would encourage you to contact us.
Application Methods
Generally most dust control chemicals are supplied in liquid form although some chloride salts and polymers are supplied in flake or powder form which need to be diluted into liquid form.
Any equipment that is capable of spraying water on the ground (eg water truck, sprinkler system, aerial spraying) can usually be used to apply the dust control chemicals. It is important to follow the suppliers recommendations on dilution rates, application rates and application frequency to achieve the best dust suppression performance. The application rate (amount of mixture of water and dust suppressant chemical) that is applied per square meter is critical to achieve good dust suppression performance. For example for crusting the application rate needs to be enough to create a thick enough crust. For road dust control the application rate needs to be enough to get penetration into the surface without over watering and making the surface soft and easily damaged with traffic.
Applications for Dust Suppressant Chemicals
Dust suppressant chemicals play a vital role across a wide range of industries, including mining, construction, demolition, and road maintenance. In mining operations, these chemicals are used to control dust emissions from haul roads, reducing the risk of the dust reducing visibility and slowing vehicles (reducing productivity) and improving air quality for workers and nearby communities. Construction sites benefit from dust suppressants by minimizing airborne particles and preventing dust from affecting surrounding areas. During demolition activities, dust control products help contain hazardous dust, ensuring compliance with occupational safety and environmental protection authority standards.
In all the of applications dust suppressant chemicals typically have two distinct uses:
Traffic Areas
Traffic areas are roads and areas where vehicles and equipment travel over the surface. These areas are typically treated with dust control chemicals using water trucks. Most of the dust suppression chemicals listed above are used to suppress dust on traffic areas.
Non Traffic Areas
This is for areas that have no vehicle, equipment, human or animal traffic. The important thing is that once a crust is applied to this surface there is nothing traversing it that will damage the crust. This includes areas like dry tailings dams, stockpiles, rehabilitation area, construction / development sites (during long non work periods). These areas are almost always treated with dust suppression polymers because the lack of traffic means the polymer bonds do not get broken. Polymers can be long long lasting (up to 18 months) when there is no traffic to break the polymer and some have the ability to self-repair. The application method for this much more varied and can be from water trucks, sprinkler systems, hand held hoses and aerial spraying (planes, helicopters and drones).