Dust Control Measures

When it comes to construction dust control products the most popular one is
water due to low unit price. Given the frequently needed applications, watering
disturbs other construction activities and is highly energy, vehicle and labour
demanding.

High concentrations of construction dust originate from unpaved running surfaces and uncovered
stockpiles of loose construction materials. What lifts these fine particles from the ground are
wind and vehicle movements. Although the most spotted effect is nuisance, there is a number of
sincere effects of construction dust:

 health problems
 environmental degradation, including air, soil and water pollution
 decreased visibility
 damage or dirty property and belongings
 unsafe working conditions
 increased costs associated with the loss of materials and additional work involved

The rate of construction in residential areas is around 40% of all construction works. Therefore,
not only construction workers, but also nearby residents are threatened by construction dust.
Construction dust harmfulness is recognized in many countries and consequently legal acts have
been adopted to prevent its negative effects. Obligated legal entities are companies and property
owners which are legally bound to control dust emissions from construction sites.
Usually used construction dust control measures are:

 Physical barriers
 Site traffic control
 Watering sprays
 Soil compaction
 Construction dust control products

Physical barriers act by physically separating dust source and its surroundings. Dust barriers can
be effective for small dust sources, such as working machines, but not for large scale sources
such as unpaved surfaces which are more common for construction sites.
Site traffic control is performed through organizing less frequent and slower traffic on unpaved
surfaces. However, this measure also makes construction works last longer and thus cost more
and disrupt everyday activities longer.
When it comes to construction dust control products the most popular one is water due to low
unit price. Given the frequently needed applications, watering disturbs other construction
activities and is highly energy, vehicle and labour demanding. It also negatively affects driving
surface quality.
Through applying soil compaction fine particles are partially glued together and thus chance to
be airborne is decreased. Nevertheless, dust is generated over time due to vehicle movements and
wind.
Chemical stabilization is use of various construction dust control products which act by
moisturizing or binding fines. Moisturizers are hygroscopic salts, usually in form of magnesium
chloride or calcium chloride. The condition for their successful application is certain air
humidity. Binders act through joining soil particles into one matrix. This kind of approach has
positive effect on driving surface quality due to contribution to its stability.
Global Road Technology developed construction dust control products with binding properties
whose application results in non-slippery, waterproof and flat surface which is not susceptible to
corrugation and potholing. GRT products can be applied to all types of soils and various piled
construction materials without changing their properties.
From the perspective of contractors the main constraints for applying dust control measures are:

 Weather conditions
 Cost
 Limited knowledge
 Time

When it comes to weather conditions GRT construction dust control products are applicable
under all kinds of extreme weather conditions. Constraints associated with cost, limited
knowledge and time are overcome through simplified and non-demanding application procedure
and long-term effect of treatment. Application is performed by simple spraying of the product
dilution on the targeted surface from a water truck.

Due to removal of daily watering and grading, less wear and tear on vehicles, improved haul
times in case of haul roads, elimination of downtime during and after wet weather, costs savings
of 30-40% are achieved through use of GRT construction dust control products. These savings
are independently verified by Deloitte.

For more information regarding Global Road Technology or construction dust control products
please contact: https://globalroadtechnology.com/contact-us/

The first association related to dust is usually dirtiness. However, there are numerous and much
more harmful effects of dust. These effects can be divided into influence on health, safety at
work and in traffic, environment and economy. No matter of dust source and type, they are all
having sincere negative effects on human health if present in high concentrations or for longer
periods. Due to lower visibility, safety at work and in traffic is compromised. When it comes to
environment, dust can contaminate water bodies and soils, and thus negatively affect fauna, too.
With regard to economy, there is a loss of road or other material, slower driving and working,
and higher maintenance costs of vehicles due to clogging their parts. Dust control measures are
mostly needed on construction sites, unpaved roads, unpaved parking lots and in general on
terrains which are not paved, but are exposed to vehicle movement.
The oldest and still most popular dust suppressant is water despite all its drawbacks. This method
might have justified implementation in a case of very short-lasting need for dust control
measures due to lower initial costs. However, these kinds of applications are very rare. When
considered situations in which longer lasting dust control measures are required, besides large
need for water, machinery and labour, water application has negative impact on terrain
consistency.

For increased water retention period, use of hygroscopic substances is introduced. These are
usually sea water or manufactured magnesium chloride and calcium chloride. These dust control
measures requires certain air humidity in order to be effective. Hygroscopic substances are
vehicle and machinery unfriendly due to corrosiveness.

Placement of gravel layer decreases dust generation to some extent. At first it seems like not so
huge investment as the installation is quite simple, but gravel is usually not readily available so
huge amount of ex situ material have to be bring in and placed. This leads to high consumption
of fuel and high emissions of greenhouse gases. Loose gravel layer is easily movable and thus
there is need for periodical renewal due to material loss. Due to surface roughness, there is need
for slower moving, and vehicle wear is more pronounced.

GRT7000 is a dust palliative and soil stabilizer created by Global Road Technology. It is
formulated with environmentally-friendly and non-corrosive biopolymers and surfactants. The
product works by binding soil or aggregate particles together, strengthening the soil/aggregate
matrix and thus providing dust control. In addition, GRT7000 adds water resistance to the treated
soil and doesn’t re-solubilise in rainwater and wash off road after curing. It is suitable for all soil
types no matter of chemical content or particle sizes. Application is quick without road closures.
GRT7000 concentrate is diluted with water when loaded into a water tank, and then applied to a
dusty unsealed road using standard spray equipment.

The comparison performed on regularly used unpaved road showed that the initial costs of GRT
dust control measures are 55.6% higher than for the most popular dust control method, watering.
However, the ongoing annual costs of dust suppression maintenance utilising the GRT7000 are
lower than for the conventional method. Results of analysis showed overall savings of 29.8%
over two years, 36.1% over three years and 45.5% over ten years for this case if GRT dust
control measures applied. This is independently verified by company Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Limited. Here are not included savings due to higher quality of road and thus less wear of
vehicles, as well as more efficient and safer traffic flows and working activities in e.g.
construction site. When comparing water application, which requires daily treatments, and
application of GRT7000, which in this case requires application every 3 months, we can also
conclude that disturbing of everyday activities are drastically decreased through use of GRT dust
control measures.