Comparison of chemical suppressants under different atmospheric temperatures for the control of fugitive dust emission on mine hauls roads

The objective of this study is to investigate the role of different atmospheric temperature on the effectiveness of chemical suppressants to control mine haul road dust. In this study, water and selected chemical surfactants-salt, chloride free agents, polymers, and molasses-were tested experimentally for their dust retention efficiency under three different atmospheric temperatures (i.e., 35 °C, 15 °C, and −19 °C) within a time frame of 72 h. From the results, it is found that these chemical surfactants performed differently under the influence of atmospheric temperatures. Also, salt solution, chloride free solution, polymer solution, and molasses solution achieved higher efficiencies than those of water. It is concluded that atmospheric temperatures play an important role in the effectiveness of chemical suppressants.