Dust affects almost all parts of life and work as it influences human health, environment, traffic and work by reducing visibility and decreasing useful life of vehicles and machinery. Therefore, dust control is of high importance. The most affective and least expensive methods are those involving dust prevention at source. For this purpose various dust control products can be used. The type of dust suppressant to be used usually depends on numerous factors: local climate, type of ground material, road traffic volumes, load to be supported, expected duration of treatment results, etc.
Disregarding of type of dust issue and location, the most used method globally is water application. This is due to generally lowest initial costs caused by high availability of water. However, this method becomes more expensive during time compared to other methods, and this is important aspect as dust control products usually need to provide at least multiannual solution. Some of the issues associated with water application are as following:
- required large amounts of water
- increased need for labour and machinery due to frequent light applications of water
- frequent need for re-applications which lead to high disturbances of work or traffic flows
- terrain deformation if water applied to excess
- increased plasticity and adhesiveness of ground material which makes driving and work inconvenient
Second most used type of dust control products are hygroscopic substances. They are somewhat more advanced solutions than water itself. This can be application of sea water if available or other hygroscopic substances. These compounds can temporarily bind increased quantities of water and keep it in place for some time. The method also requires rather large quantities of water and it is not resistant to evaporation. Hygroscopic compounds can rely on air humidity, but the relative atmospheric humidity has to be at least 70%, so that this type of dust control products can bind enough water from the air. The other disadvantage is corrosiveness which negatively affects metal materials which are in contact with the suppressants. They are water-soluble and easily leach with precipitation water reaching soils and water bodies and thus changing quality of these mediums. Both water and hygroscopic substances applications lead to higher instability of ground.
The regions most influenced by dust generation are arid regions with high temperatures and strong winds. This is the case in which these common dust control products fail in performance. Global Road Technology created product specifically for these purposes; GRT-ENVIRO2 acts as a binder and binds both fines and sand particles, creating stable interconnected structure. It is not just dust suppressant, but also soil stabilizer, enabling efficient work and traffic on the stable treated surface.
There is no susceptibility regarding influence on environment, as no toxicity has been found in water and soil caused by GRT-ENVIRO2 application. This is also confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA. The product is manufactured according to ISO9001 standards and has been comprehensively reviewed by leading independent testing institutions and major companies worldwide. It is colourless and landscape neutral, so it does not influence visual effect.
GRT-ENVIRO2 is available for application in powder or liquid form, and concentrated as needed for certain purpose. The suppressant can be added easily, using traditional water application infrastructure. It is active shortly upon application and thus suitable for regions with frequent occurrence of sudden winds.
For more information regarding Global Road Technology or Dust Control Products please contact: https://globalroadtechnology.com/contact-grt/
