Foam dust suppression helps resolve dust issues at Bardon Hill
Controlling dust emissions in quarries is of paramount importance for operators. Aggregate Industries, for example, are acutely aware of their responsibilities not only to provide a safe working environment for their employees, but also to reduce the environmental impact on local communities.
At the company’s flagship Bardon Hill Quarry, in Coalville, Leicestershire – which produces over 3 million tonnes of aggregates a year – the site, in common with most quarries, experiences airborne dust emissions at various stages of the operation, from transfer points and intermediary screening to final screening and vehicle load-out points.
Over the years a number of mitigation measures have been introduced but these have had varying degrees of effectiveness at certain points of application. For example, there is a limit on how much moisture can be added to spray systems, as excess moisture content can cause screening problems.
The management team at Bardon Hill, therefore, decided to explore other methods of dust control and approached Best-Chem to carry out a site survey to determine whether their foam dust-suppression system could resolve the ongoing dust issues at the quarry.
Given the complexity of the processing plant at Bardon Hill, a demonstration was set up whereby two quaternary crushers were treated with Best-Chem’s foam system, to give Aggregate Industries a realistic appraisal of what can be achieved.
This was followed by a full-scale trial at the quarry using the dust-suppression unit under normal operating conditions. Within half-an-hour of testing Best Chem’s dust-control system, there was a negligible amount of airborne dust being generated.
The trial proved a success and Best-Chem were commissioned to design, build and install a number of the foam dust-suppression systems across the quarry’s processing plant.
Each unit is housed in a fully fitted container and comprises:
The unit is fully automated and its individual nozzles can be turned on/off by signals from associated equipment; this ensures foam is only applied when necessary, thereby minimizing wastage.
Best-Chem Ltd, Barracks Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport-On-Severn, Worcs DY13 9QB, tel: (01299) 827232; fax: (01299) 827608.
At the company’s flagship Bardon Hill Quarry, in Coalville, Leicestershire – which produces over 3 million tonnes of aggregates a year – the site, in common with most quarries, experiences airborne dust emissions at various stages of the operation, from transfer points and intermediary screening to final screening and vehicle load-out points.
Over the years a number of mitigation measures have been introduced but these have had varying degrees of effectiveness at certain points of application. For example, there is a limit on how much moisture can be added to spray systems, as excess moisture content can cause screening problems.
The management team at Bardon Hill, therefore, decided to explore other methods of dust control and approached Best-Chem to carry out a site survey to determine whether their foam dust-suppression system could resolve the ongoing dust issues at the quarry.
Given the complexity of the processing plant at Bardon Hill, a demonstration was set up whereby two quaternary crushers were treated with Best-Chem’s foam system, to give Aggregate Industries a realistic appraisal of what can be achieved.
This was followed by a full-scale trial at the quarry using the dust-suppression unit under normal operating conditions. Within half-an-hour of testing Best Chem’s dust-control system, there was a negligible amount of airborne dust being generated.
The trial proved a success and Best-Chem were commissioned to design, build and install a number of the foam dust-suppression systems across the quarry’s processing plant.
Each unit is housed in a fully fitted container and comprises:
- a Best-Chem foam-generating unit that can be applied to remote locations up to 150m away
- air-operated chemical transfer pumps
- lights
- a heater
- a bunded chemical storage tank for Dustol 70 – Best-Chem’s proprietary foaming and binding agent.
The unit is fully automated and its individual nozzles can be turned on/off by signals from associated equipment; this ensures foam is only applied when necessary, thereby minimizing wastage.
Best-Chem Ltd, Barracks Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport-On-Severn, Worcs DY13 9QB, tel: (01299) 827232; fax: (01299) 827608.
