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Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing

Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing

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A current method of stockpile <strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> long-term storage is to build the stockpile <strong>and</strong>compact it using bulldozers (Figure 10.13). The compaction helps to prevent winderosion. Additionally, coatings or binders can be used to aid in dust control. Waxmixtures (hot-melt <strong>for</strong>mulations) <strong>and</strong> polyethylene <strong>and</strong> polypropylene latex emulsionshave been found to be useful in past applications <strong>for</strong> coal stockpiles <strong>and</strong> could be adaptedto be applied to other mineral stockpiles. The latex emulsion coatings are thinner <strong>and</strong>more water-permeable than the hot-melt <strong>for</strong>mulations. The latex emulsion coatings alsorequire a surface preparation of spreading fines over the entire stockpile prior toapplication. However, all coatings, both latex emulsion <strong>and</strong> hot-melt <strong>for</strong>mulations, aresignificantly better at dust control over stockpiles with or without compaction (with thecompacted stockpile better at dust control than stockpile without compaction).One disadvantage to latex emulsion coatings <strong>for</strong> dust control is that this type of coatingmust be applied at temperatures >50°F, whereas hot-melt <strong>for</strong>mulations can be applied inany weather condition [Kromrey et al. 1978]. Acrylic resins or polymers can also be used,but require a three-day curing period to <strong>for</strong>m a crust on the surface of the stockpile. Thesecoatings are very wind resistant to erosion, except if the stockpile surface is disturbedthrough settling or cracking, in which case wind erosion can resume as occurs with anuntreated stockpile [Smitham <strong>and</strong> Nicol 1991].Figure 10.13. Dozer being used to compact stockpile <strong>for</strong> long-term storage.Micro-foam is another method <strong>for</strong> controlling dust from fugitive dust sources, particularlyload-out stockpiles. Typical foams used in firefighting (large 5-mm bubbles) are noteffective at dust control, unlike micro-foam (small

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