Mining Dust Suppression Chemicals: Which Chemicals Should Your Business Invest in?

Highlights:   

• Need for dust suppression in the mining sector
• Chlorides and synthetic polymers as mining dust suppression chemicals
• Reasons behind the rising popularity of clay additives as dust control agents

Why is dust suppression necessary for a productive mining sector?

Mining is, without any doubt, one of the most environmentally polluting sectors in the world. Mining activities release harmful gases into the air causing massive increase in toxicity levels in the atmosphere. Along with these harmful chemicals, dust is one major pollutant which amplifies the problems related to air pollution. These chemicals and dust, apart from posing environmental dangers, expose the workers to severe health hazards including respiratory diseases such as pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular ailments.

The negative impact of dust on mining equipment and infrastructure is also huge. Dust has a detrimental effect on lubrication and results in abrasion and corrosion of critical components of the equipment such as gears, seals, and bearings. It may also result in electrical failure and distortions in calibrations. In the long run, this may result in premature mining equipment breakdown. Dust, thus, poses a major threat to the health of the miners, efficiency of the mining equipment, and the environment in general. Dust suppression, hence, becomes essential for productive mining activities.

How chlorides and synthetic polymers fare as mining dust suppression chemicals?

Traditionally, water has been the primary material used for dust suppression. However, the problem with water being used as a dust control agent is that its repeated application is needed due to evaporation. This issue becomes even more grave when the mine is in an arid and dry region. In these cases, salts such as sodium, magnesium, or calcium chloride are used to absorb moisture from the surrounding air to bind the dust particles together. As a result of this widespread use of chloride salts, the chlorides segment is expected to rise at a CAGR of 32.5% during the 2023-2032 period.

Along with chloride salts, synthetic polymer chemicals have also become quite popular among mining companies. One of the biggest advantages of these chemicals is that they raise the tensile strength and binding ability of dust particles exponentially. As a result, once applied, the effect of these chemicals stays for a long time. Naturally, the cost of mining and quarrying goes down, which helps in magnifying the profits accrued by the mining company. The rising popularity of these chemical dust suppressants is anticipated to help the synthetic polymer segment to amass an absolute revenue of $807.0 million by 2032.

Why have clay additives and natural mining dust suppression chemicals become popular in recent times?

In the past few years, a major shift that has been witnessed is the increasing demand for natural additives over synthetic mining dust suppression chemicals. Since synthetic chemical dust suppressants are insoluble, they either leach in the soil thus polluting ground water or pollute rivers and lakes through surface runoffs. Hence, clay additives which contain natural dust suppressants such as montmorillonite and bentonite are increasingly being used to make mining activities more environmentally sustainable. However, these clay additives are not that effective in wet conditions and hence are rarely used in mines located in humid climatic conditions.

To sum it up, dust suppression, over the years, has become an indispensable component of the global mining industry. Since water has been unable to help in dust suppression in large mines, different mining dust suppression solutions and chemicals are now used for increasing productivity in mining activities. The increasing expanse of the mining industry is surely expected to widen the scope of the global mining dust suppression chemicals industry in the coming period.

For expert advice on how to smartly invest in the mining dust suppression chemicals industry, feel free to contact us.

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