The issue of dust at mining sites – be it open cut or underground – is as ancient as the industry itself. What changed, however, is our understanding of the health risks associated with the exposure to dust from mining and quarrying operations. Not only for the workers, but also the neighbouring communities.

In recent years, there has been a rapid adoption of proactive environmental management at mines and related industries. A customisable mechanical foaming dispensing system has been designed by particle specialists, Reynolds Soil Technologies (RST Solutions), for the application of their Hi-Foam technology product which controls dust with minimal moisture in bulk handling processes.

When the Hi-Foam solution is applied through the new system, it creates a robust foam that captures and engulfs fine particles in a ‘total dust blanket’effect that prevents dust from becoming airborne.

Three decades of industry experience exposed RST Solutions engineers to a broad range of site issues. RST Solutions operations and technical director David Handel said RST Solutions technicians worked closely with clients to design and install the mechanical foaming systems on a case by case basis, assessing the site’s individual needs for maximum results from each foaming system.

Each site installation of our foaming system is unique – we work with the site to understand their dust suppressant needs and design the application equipment for our product accordingly,” he said. “Our Hi-Foam foaming system is popular with conveying and crushing operations where moisture limitations on materials is critical, as the system effectively produces a dust supressing foam that treats large areas with minimal water and dosage requirements,” he said.

“When applied, the foam wets dust particles to increase their weight, causing them to continue their journey through the conveying and crushing system without ever becoming airborne. The way in which a product is applied to a site can significantly impact performance, that’s why being able to design and customise both the product and the application equipment allows us to ensure our clients experience the maximum benefits from our service.”

The Hi-Foam foaming system utilises a dosing feeder that injects the additive directly into the system’s water line, allowing for the manual concentration adjustment of the solution. The air and water then mix in an expansion chamber capable of supplying a dust supressing foam to six dosing points introduced at specific stages in the crushing and conveying circuit.

RST Solutions is committed to minimising the carbon footprint of its clients by developing and implementing technology that lowers the dosage requirements across the entire range of RST Solutions’ solutions while also providing fast and effective results.