Dust control is a sensitive issue for public and commercial projects. Whether the concerns are related to health problems or to safety and quality of life, companies that create dust or cause soil erosion are held responsible—and liable—for activities that violate government regulations. However, there are many effective products and services available to keep your projects safe and legal. This article takes a look at some of them and how they work.

There are options for dust control and road stabilization to fit most budgets, says Jerry Konst of EnviroTech Services Inc. in Greeley, CO. “The most popular products we sell are RoadSaver and RoadSaver-C,” Konst notes. “These are magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, and they offer a combination of good performance in a variety of soils. They are readily accessible and economically priced. Typically for roads, they’re applied with water, which helps to penetrate the soil. For preparation, the roads should have a nice slope and surface so that you can get the application spread and follow it with compaction.”

Envirotech’s durablend contains lower levels of ­magnesium or calcium chloride. It’s been used in forest reserves and other areas.

If the environment is sensitive to ­chloride, Konst recommends EnviroTech’s X-Hesion Pro.

“It’s a combination of proprietary polymers, and it provides the benefits of reduced water needed to maintain the surface and the polymer that adds binding and overall coverage to build a hard surface. We’ve had roads that have thousands of cars a day on them and success in eight- to ten-week time frames.

“We also use it in mining applications where they are trying to stabilize stockpiles or other material and it’s sort of dust and erosion control at that point. You try to keep the dust from the coal stockpile from going up in the air to keep the environmental agreement in compliance.”

X-Hesion Pro is the basis of EnviroTech’s water conservation maintenance program, because it actually becomes part of the road base, as well as an added element of the water being applied. So water usage is reduced by furthering the effectiveness of water each subsequent time it is applied.

Safe usage relating to water and air quality are key benefits of PennzSuppress D, manufactured by PennzSuppress of Lago Vista, TX. For environmentally sensitive projects, PennzSuppress is compliant with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Air Act, and was certified by California EPA as the first dust suppressant for various characteristics relating to its water-quality and air-quality benefits.

“It’s resin- and petroleum-based, but non-asphaltic, and that’s the key,” says Chuck Johnson, president of PennzSuppress. “Most petroleum-based products have asphaltenes in them. They are effective at binding and creating a nice road, but of course they’re toxic and carcinogenic. But PennzSuppress is a pure paraffin resin, so it’s very versatile and allows us to be more than just a dust suppressant. It works with seeds and can be applied close to plants. We’ve sprayed on roads between grape vineyards, and those plants are very expensive and vulnerable. But this doesn’t have an adverse impact on the plants, and it reduces the dust and also restricts and reduces dust mites on plants. So treating the road property increases the crop yield.”

Results of field testing of PennzSuppress D in mines, quarries, and public roads indicates it is effective (up to 98%) in reducing dust that the EPA classifies as PM10 (particulate material of 10 microns or less).

The fact that PennzSuppress is compatible with plants makes it an effective tool for erosion control, according to Bruce Coulthard, president of PZS Stabilization LLC in Saint Helena, CA. “For erosion control you need the roots of grasses and native plant species,” says Coulthard. “Our method is to seed with our PZS/Bio-Gen and then apply PennzSuppress on top to protect the soil for the first week or two, in case of heavy rain and wind. PennzSuppress acts as a suppressant until the root systems have a chance to get started and become the dominant force in erosion control by holding the soil in place.”

In situations where mine tailing remediation and erosion control are required, PennzSuppress D is combined with mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria and grass seed in a liquid combination that replaces traditional hydroseeding applications. Mycoremediation and phytoremediation incorporate beneficial natural organisms into a medium for aggressive growth of the site-specific grasses.

“Ninety percent of what we do is for heavy industrial construction, railroads, mining, and county roads made of gravel,” Coulthard explains, “and we do a lot of work for the timber industry. They have challenging slopes that need to be stabilized after fires and logging and other activities. In Bio-Gen, we have folic acids and food groups in the liquid to sustain the growth of the beneficial organisms during germination, and with the PennzSuppress we’re accentuating the growth and the potential for success.”

Thanks to the boom in fracking, oil and gas companies are using dust control products for long, unpaved roads travelled by heavy equipment vehicles. Jason R. Ramsey sees a lot of these roads in his role as vice president of business development for RAMCO Environmental LLC in Little Rock, AK. “PennzSuppress is very versatile and doesn’t migrate during a rain event,” says Ramsey. “It repels water so the rain will shear off to the sides into the ditch line. It doesn’t wash away, so there’s no risk of it getting into the water table or streams and rivers.”

Credit: RAMCO ENVIRONMENTAL

There’s something of an art to managing a heavily used mining or oil drilling access road, according to Andy Stevens, vice president with Enviroseal Corp. in Port St. Lucie, FL. “A lot of times we put gravel on the surface of the soil to keep the polymers from prematurely breaking down,” Stevens says. “Each job has different mechanics, such as soil and weather. A mining haul road is one of the toughest challenges. It has to do with the soil, because rocks and aggregates and soil break down and dislodge under heavy forces such as hundred-ton trucks running every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day.”

For such severe circumstances, Enviroseal offers M10+50, an all-acrylic, redispersible liquid soil stabilizer, designed to improve the performance of soils. Benefits associated with acrylics include improvements in adhesion, abrasion resistance, flexural strength, and exterior durability. It can blend directly with aggregate, soil, and other formulation aids to form a “one-pack” system, to reduce environmental waste (used containers) and lower shipping and packaging costs. Enviroseal makes four grades of polymers for soil stabilization, erosion, and dust control. But how do you know which grade is right for your situation?

In general, a soil analysis can help. Stevens notes that a sandy soil will use product differently than a silky soil, and clay will also have a different reaction. Moreover, it can depend on the type of clay, because there are 40–60 different varieties of clay-bearing soils and clays, and they all react differently. Silt and soil have an advantage in that they can absorb the polymer chains in the particles like a sponge and attach much better.

For maximum water resistance, Enviroseal’s mainstay is pure acrylic. “It’s known for being excellent at making the soil waterproof,” says Stevens. “It’s also UV-resistant, so the sun’s rays pass through the acrylic without degradation. Then we have styrene acrylics, and they’re very good at waterproofing, but not as good at UV protection. However, they are available in higher concentrations, so you get a more concentrated product. We also have vinyl acrylic-based product. Vinyls typically degrade underwater or UV exposure, but they’re more of an inexpensive temporary solution. It depends on the customers’ needs—a tailings pile of a mine in Chile might use a vinyl product and you get good coverage that lasts three to six months, whereas an airport gets one application using the high-quality product that lasts four to five years.”

All Enviroseal polymers can be pigmented to increase serviceable lifespan and provide aesthetic appeal. Typical pigmentation colors are green and black, but other colors are available. We mentioned earlier that there’s an art to managing a stabilization project, but with pigmentation colors, a project can also be artistic. For example, M10+50 was applied to a section of Costa Verde, a hillside in Lima, Peru, to prevent the dislodging of material from rain and seismic activities. “We applied green because it was called Costa Verde, which means green coast,” Stevens recalls, “and the city was very happy with it.”

The effects of erosion from rain have inspired a number of “natural” solutions that have materials to control soil runoff. For example, Terra Novo Inc. in Bakersfield, CA offers EarthGuard Fiber Matrix, a technology that combines EarthGuard and fiber to form a matrix that provides extended erosion control protection in severe situations. EarthGuard utilizes an extremely high molecular weight blend of chemistry to provide superior charge density and soil stabilizing ability. It works with soil to maintain stability by preserving existing soil structure and flocculating fine sediment dislodged by stormwater or wind.

“The fiber matrix method started as blankets installed manually, and then progressed to a bonded fiber matrix system,” says Tyler Palmer of Terra Novo. “We take it one step further with a product that has a matrix of mulch and EarthGuard all together. So we actually control the soil rather than covering it with a blanket. These ­products don’t need a totally smooth surface. They fill in crevices and wrap around rocks, trees, and the soil. The mulch absorbs water as soon as rain hits, so it’s activated immediately. EarthGuard comes in two forms: the original liquid emulsion that accommodates the addition of regional mulch such as paper or wood, and also a prepackaged product with 100% wood fiber.”

Credit: ISTOCK/ YAFA80

For dust control, Terra Novo makes DustControl DG, an acrylic polymer emulsion. “It really binds everything together,” Palmer explains. “It’s not an erosion control product because it actually glues everything together. It can be used at very low rates for capping areas for dust control without traffic, but heavier applications can be used for roads and parking lots.

EPA is concerned about dust control for roads, parking lots, and industrial sites in general. If the agency finds violations, the penalties can be expensive. For example, in late 2013, the US Department of Justice and EPA issued a $150,000 civil penalty against Fisher Sand and Gravel for failing to comply with dust mitigation regulations at three of its Arizona facilities. The department conducted inspections in 2010 at the three facilities and identified 17 violations for failing to perform various measures required to reduce particulate matter emissions. Problems included failure to spray water during earthmoving operations, failure to remove particulate matter from vehicles leaving the site, and failure to submit and comply with dust control plans.

One important step that ­companies can take to avoid penalties is to monitor their dust levels, according to Scott Norman, a product specialist for the health and safety product line of measurement instruments at TSI Inc. in Shoreview, MN. “Our DustTrak instruments measure dust and aerosols from roads, gravel pits, or construction sites,” says Norman. “These are things that could be leaving the site, and companies use the instruments to police themselves. They can set their limits and alarms and get notifications if they’re sending a dust into sensitive locations.”

Dust monitoring is also an effective method for maximizing the efficiency of dust control efforts and products. For example, TSI has a customer in the mining industry that uses DustTrak to help manage its dust control program, and the data are analyzed to study different types of suppression compounds. “They measured how long the compounds would be effective, and the amounts they needed to use,” Norman explains. “So there’s a big cost savings because they are not putting down too much suppression and spending extra time and materials and manpower. The DustTraks have alarms, so a customer can locate multiple units around a facility and know when it’s time to apply suppression again. They can also use these to create data logs to record trends and know when volumes are going up or down.”

To simplify the remote monitoring process, TSI and Netronix Inc. of Philadelphia, PA, announced a comprehensive turnkey Cloud-based remote dust monitoring solution. It combines the DustTrak Aerosol Monitor Desktop Models II/DRX with the Netronix Thiamis GSM/GPS Communication Modem. The system can stream and collect data remotely from the field and host it in the Netronix Cloud, for access on demand, through Netronix Environet. “With this Cloud-based system you can have real-time monitoring from the field,” says Norman. “The DustTrak can run on solar power or batteries, and from remote locations such as a large open pit mine, you can perform perimeter monitoring without having to send a person to the site.”

Looking beyond the mining industry, Norman notes that public’s concerns about the health risks of dust are growing. “The New York area and other high-population areas have construction projects such as bridges, stripping paint, and construction and demolition,” he notes. “Local authorities are using our instruments to measure the emissions leaving the site. There are also special interest groups keeping tabs on these activities as well, so in heavily urbanized areas, companies have to be very careful.”

Ultimately, whether it’s dust control or soil stabilization, being careful is good advice. To avoid air, soil, or water pollution, and costly penalties, talk to suppliers about the materials used in their products, and look at their application methods. As we’ve seen, having a soil analysis is an advantage. But what about weather conditions and usage? Is it a road that supports heavy traffic? Is it a wet or dry environment? Is seeding appropriate? By determining these factors, the manufacturers we’ve interviewed can help you get the job done.

Other Dust Control Sources

Compass Minerals
Overland Park, KS

www.dustgard.com
DustGard is a magnesium chloride-based liquid product for dust control, soil stabilization, and wind
erosion problems. For application, make sure that ruts, washboards, potholes, drainage problems, gravel segregation, and hard, impervious areas have been rectified; blading can take care of most of these problems. The road should be watered, ideally to a depth of 3–4 inches, to break the surface tension and allow maximum penetration. Follow application with
compaction.

Midwest Industrial Supply
Canton, OH

www.midwestind.com
Dust control products include Dust-Buster System for Material Handling, Dust-Buster Foam Agents, Dustract Wet Suppression System, and E-Sprayer Systems. Soil stabilization products include Road-Bldr Natural Paving, SF2 Stabilization, Soil-Sement Engineered Formula.

JRM Chemical
Cleveland, OH

www.soilmoist.com
The company provides products for landscaping. Soil Moist polymers reduce plant waterings by 50%, reduce
transplant shock and soil compaction, and can be effective in the soil for three to five years.

Organic Earth Industries Inc.
Fort Collins, CO

www.organicearthindustries.com
The company brings soil science and agronomic methods to erosion control products. Earth Essence Beta is a hydraulic growth medium and mulch composed of a proprietary blend of organic renewable agricultural fibers, other natural fibers, growth mediums, soil stabilizers, tackifi ers, and natural plant and microbial growth stimulators.

Soil Stabilization Products Co. Inc.
Merced, CA

www.sspco.com
EMC Squared Stabilizer is an additive for aggregate and soil materials to improve stability, control dust, and reduce fugitive dust emission. It reduces dusting and wind-generated erosion of fine-particle soil materials.

Environmental Products and Applications
La Quinta, CA

www.envirotac.com
Envirotac II is a water-soluble, vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymer for soil stabilization and dust abatement. When it dries, it forms a waterproof, UV-resistant bond that binds the soil particles. It allows existing soils and sands that would normally have no load-bearing capabilities to be used for roads, parking lots, trails, and other heavy traffic areas.

EnviRoad
Portland, OR

www.enviroad.com
Earthbind 100 is a versatile, eff ective, and environmentally friendly modified biopolymer dust control agent. Earthbind Hydrotac is an environmentally-safe modified biopolymer emulsion for reducing soil erosion and aiding vegetation establishment on a variety of soil types.

Technical Absorbents Ltd.
Grimsby, North Lincolnshire, UK

www.techabsorbents.com
Permeatec is an acrylate-based polymer system for controlling dust and stabilizing loose granular materials. It is applied as an aqueous surface spray to control dust and sand and provide a hard, durable surface. In addition, it can be mixed directly with loose granular material to provide a solid block of material.

Soilworks LLC
Chandler, AZ

www.soilworks.com
Products include Durasoil, a synthetic dust suppression fluid; Soiltac, which provides dust suppression and erosion control by creating a three dimensional cap or surface crust; Gorilla-Snot, a biodegradable copolymerbased dispersion that forms strong bonds between particulates, soils, and aggregates; and Powdered Soiltac, which acts as a dust control agent, creating a dust-free surface crust when applied to the surface, and can be mixed into the soil to solidify and stabilize the ground.

Dust & Odor Control Technology
Bend, OR

www.dustboss.com
DustBoss units use atomized mist technology to reduce airborne dust particles, ideal for open-area dust control.

Preferred Sands
Radnor, PA

www.preferredsands.com
DustPRO is a silica dust control solution designed to reduce airborne silica dust particles.

About the Author

Ed Ritchie

Ed Ritchie specializes in energy, transportation, and communication technologies.