Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Archive for the ‘dust control’ Category

Agriculture producers seeking to reduce PM10 (dust) and volatile organic compounds can apply for assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

NRCS has $1.8 million in Arizona along with technical expertise available to farmers and ranchers to improve air quality.

Applications are taken on a continuous basis. Feb. 26 is the deadline to apply for the current funding.

Approved applicants will receive up to 75 percent of the project paid; up to 90 percent if the applicant is from a historically underserved group.

Seven counties are eligible in Arizona, areas identified as non-attainment areas by the Environmental Protection Agency. Farmers and ranchers in Cochise, Gila, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yuma counties are eligible.

Conservation practices included in the program include: anaerobic digesters; feedlot and dairy dust control; tillage and harvest dust control; dirt road dust control; gravel pad track out systems; and grizzly track-out device systems.

CW Machine WORX, the manufacturing division of Company Wrench, has introduced a new dust suppression system in the shape of the Dust Destroyer. Built around a 60 kW (80 hp) diesel engine, the Dust Destroyer provides a coverage area of 2,500 m2 (27,000 ft2) to a maximum height of 23 m (75 ft) with 60 degree oscillation. Optional features include a booster pump and chemical odour control.

The recent Desert Sun editorial addressing problems of the Salton Sea was very important. We must be informed because it could affect us all.

Remember, if no plan gets approved, the biggest problem is doing nothing. Although the sea lies 10 to 20 miles away from our cities, it is ultra serious. It could affect our health, our livability and our tourist industry, which has economic disaster proportions.

Much of the support to date has been on environmental grounds as an important bird wetlands. Absolutely true. But overlooked is the potential multifaceted damage in the cities of the Coachella Valley, almost a half-million residents.

When I produced “Community Dialogue” on local television, I did research for eight Salton Sea programs and a glaring point was the devastation if we let it dry up.

I interviewed three executive directors of the Salton Sea Authority plus the late Roy Wilson, then Riverside County supervisor, and Andy Horne, Imperial County supervisor. Tom Kirk, executive director of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, and Rick Daniels, city manager of Desert Hot Springs, had good ideas when each of them was directing the Salton Sea Authority.
State takes over, drops the ball

Then the state came in and took it out of local hands and did nothing. Now it’s now playing second fiddle to the Sacramento Delta, nearer and dearer to Northern California voters.

We all need a heads-up on this because eventually some entities may have to pay far more than they can handle out of emergency necessity.

Look at this: According to Ted Schade, air pollution control officer at Owens Valley, the Salton Sea problem resembles Owens Valley when its water supply was diverted by the Los Angeles water system. It became a dust bowl with the dangerous particle, PM10, reaching many miles. The Coachella Valley already has a PM10 problem that affects asthmatics. With our swirling winds, the Salton Sea potentially has a larger area of exposure than Owens Valley.

Los Angeles Water & Power spent $400 million constructing dust-control measures at Owens Lake. It costs $40 million per year to sustain it. That’s heavy.

Odor could chase away tourists

There’s more! Drying up could take years but look what can happen in the process. The terrible odor we get occasionally in summer could become much more frequent as more fish keep dying with less water to sustain them. That’s unthinkable. Not only would it make our lives horrendous but we could say farewell to tourists and hello to red ink, especially Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Palm Springs, where the tourist occupancy tax and sales tax revenue are major income sources.

Drying up is not as rapid as it could be due to agricultural runoff. But, San Diego is trying to cure its water problems by buying water rights of large growers in the Imperial Valley. Danger. Less agriculture lowers the runoff substantially and speeds up the dust bowl process.

The water districts and the supervisors have been fighting the fight. They should enlist the cities to join in because only intense pressure on the Legislature can make things happen. Our legislators need all the help they can get. The more voices the better.

The counties and the cities would certainly not be able to pay the bill if this calamity occurs. It’s time to get involved.

In order to limit exposure to silica and prevent silicosis, a circular issued by the labour department has asked industries, factories, project developers and contractors employing workers as stone crushers, stone quarry, construction work, glass manufacturing, quartz crushing, stone mines and other silicon dust producing works, to ensure the control of dust at work site.

They must also eliminate the use of abrasive blasting materials that contain more than one per cent crystalline silica and use dust control methods such as blast cabinets and wet drilling or sawing, it said, adding that the employers must also maintain dust control systems.

The workers must wear disposable or washable protective clothing, take shower and change clothes before leaving the worksite if possible, the circular said, adding there must be a regular monitoring of air to ensure that control systems are working.

Workers must be provided with respirators approved for protection to be used against crystalline silica containing dust when levels can not be kept below the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), it said adding the employers must provide medical check-ups to workers exposed to crystalline silica.

Workers must be provided with protective equipment and training materials on the health effects of silica exposure, it added.

Neighbors of the tailing piles at Asarco’s Mission Mine are complaining that the wind-blown dust is hurting their health by aggravating asthma and other respiratory problems leading to coughing, clogged sinuses and wheezing.

Some want federal and state regulators to shut down the mine, at least until it’s clear that the problem of blowing tailings dust is fixed for good.

At a public meeting in Sahuarita Friday, an Asarco official apologized for the two incidents last November and December in which tailings blew into the neighboring Rancho Resort and led Pima County officials to slap the company with violation notices. But Asarco’s Tom Aldrich said company efforts to fix the problem already are working, since tailings didn’t blow off the site during 50 mile per hour winds as recently as Jan. 21.

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Floor Sweepers and Floor Scrubbers from Tennant Features Tennant sweepers provide excellent debris pick up and dust control. They deliver superior, long lasting results even in the harshest environments with continuous up time and powerful sweeping performance.

Tennant sweepers control dust particles down to 3 microns. Tennant’s latest innovation, SweepSmart™, filters dust particles down to 0.5 microns.

1. Side brush sweeps debris into the path of the main broom
2. Skirt system creates a seal to maximise dust collection
3. Main broom contacts floor surface and flicks dust and debris into the hopper
4. Perma-Filter™ shifts airflow and forces the majority of dust, debris and moisture into hopper
5. Cyclonic filter system channels airflow to further remove dust and moisture from the air, redirecting it into the hopper
6. Nanofibre canister filter traps sub-micron dust particles resulting in clean air exhaust
7. The ErgoSpace™ operator compartment increases operator comfort, visibility and safety

Applications for Tennant Sweepers.

The Tennant SweepSmart™ system, available on the new S30 ride-on sweeper, uses a 3-stage dust control system for unrivalled performance.

* The first stage Perma-Filter™ keeps large bulky debris in the hopper
* The second stage cyclonic filter redirects fine dust and moisture back into the hopper
* The third stage flame-retardant nanofibre canister filter, filters sub-micron dust particles down to 0.5 microns

Benefits of the Sweepers

* Easy to use and it is built to last
* Extremely flexible, designed to clean a variety of surfaces indoors and out, without compromising performance
* Offers unparalleled safety with reduced noise levels, better sightlines and easy operation as well as significantly improved air quality

Tennant Industrial Sweepers include:

* 110 Walk-Behind Sweepers
* S8 Walk-Behind Sweepers
* S10 Walk-Behind Sweepers
* 3640 Walk-Behind Sweepers
* S12 Small Ride On Sweepers
* 6100 Small Ride On Sweepers
* 6200 Small Ride On Sweepers

With the assistance of its attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Chicago, Martin Engineering has again prevailed in a suit for patent infringement initially filed against it by Air Control Science Inc.

Air Control Science Inc., Boulder, CO, was owned by John Fischer, a former Martin Engineering distributor, and is now part of CCC Group, of San Antonio. In the original action, Air Control Science sued Martin Engineering for patent infringement. Martin Engineering countersued, and following trial in March 2008, was awarded costs as the prevailing party.

In a follow-up ruling issued January 19, 2010, U.S. senior district court Judge Richard P. Matsch ruled all three patents asserted were unenforceable for inequitable conduct, found the case “exceptional”, and awarded Martin its attorney fees. Prior to the March 2008 trial, the court had reserved for later determination Martin Engineering’s defense and counterclaim of unenforceability of the patents due to inequitable conduct. Trial to the court of the inequitable conduct counterclaim commenced September 1, 2009 and concluded September 8, 2009.

In January 2005, Air Control Science Inc. sued Martin Engineering in Denver, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,000,533, 6,176,368 and 6,135,171, all relating to dust control systems used in the transfer of bulk material. Martin Engineering denied infringement and asserted defenses of invalidity and unenforceability due to inequitable conduct in procuring and enforcing the patents. In February 2007, Air Control Science, along with the patents in suit was acquired by CCC Group Inc., a San Antonio corporation, which was then substituted as Plaintiff. A three-week trial was conducted in U.S. District Court in Denver in March 2008. On September 17, 2008, Senior Judge Matsch ruled that the ‘533 and ‘368 patents were invalid and that Martin did not infringe the ‘171 patent. Costs were awarded to Martin Engineering as the prevailing party.

This decision, which can be reviewed at www.martin-eng.com/news, is another significant victory for Martin Engineering and its counsel, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, who were adamant in defense of this litigation.

Ed Peterson, chairman of Martin Engineering, expects the company to be awarded in excess of $4 million in litigation fees and expenses as a result of Judge Matsch’s finding of the case as “exceptional” and his strongly worded opinion of inequitable conduct.

Pressurised Water Fogging Nozzle

Processing of bulk solids inevitably leads to generation of fugitive dust on many sites. Often, it is not possible to contain dust at all stages of the process and dust emissions become inevitable. The Environment Agency is becoming increasingly strict on dust nuisance and will serve closure notices or award punitive damages to offenders.

Using The Renby Fogging System to suppress dust can avoid this. The systems can be fitted locally to the dust source, for instance, a transfer chute or as a general system to suppress dust in a warehouse for example. Specially designed nozzles produce atomised water to droplet sizes of a few microns. Dust adheres to these droplets and falls out of the air. The system is very economical to purchase and operate.

With low power consumption, fog is an essential and cost effective tool in the battle against dust pollution. Doing nothing is not an option and can lead to company closure.

Contact Renby now to find out more about fog and other dust control measures.

A Fletcher Building business will next week open a huge new cement bulk storage and distribution centre.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks is due to open Golden Bay Cement’s $45 million Auckland plant at Eastport on Wednesday.

The centre is on the corner of Tooley St and Plumer St on the waterfront and includes a 2700sq m cement silo.

An 816sq m service centre for loading and dispatching trucks has also been developed, enabling cement to be distributed directly to the region and where it will arrive either by barge or boat from Golden Bay’s plant at Whangarei.

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During summer, having an air conditioner outdoor may be relaxing for family members. In Middle of Summer, many people don’t like to stay outdoors as sweat keeps rolling down their face and skin. Misting systems can improve your outdoor and lifestyle! Do you want to spend more time out by the pool? Your patio or outdoor space can be cooled quickly by as much as 35 degrees due to misting systems. Buying a misting system can be very effective for people as they can sit in their backyard for long hours and have fun. Misting system are big, industrial-looking fans that spray a misty stream of water on your body.

Misting systems can be effective for other purposes like frost protection, air filtration, dust abatement, odor removal, fire and smoke control and more. Certain industries like restaurants, poultry and dairy farms, zoos and amusement parks, golf courses, tennis courts, metal forging etc it use it.

Different types of misting systems:

High Pressure misting systems:

High pressure systems are chosen for applications where maximum cooling is needed. These applications would include residential areas, restaurants, amusement parks, sports stadium, hotels and resorts. Other benefits include they can control odors and dust and used to add humidity to a green house or other environments. High pressure systems are also used for fire and smoke control, frost protection and visual effects in a pool, garden or other areas.

Patio water misters:

Patio misting systems are effective in dry and desert climates which add therapeutic moisture to the air. Benefits of this misting system are they can cool the environment and reduce dust, pollen and other airborne pollutants. In addition, it can reduce the temperature in a given area by up to 30 degrees. To achieve maximum cooling result, it is advisable that customers install their patio misting systems at least 10 feet off the ground. Depending on the usage, it is important that you remove the nozzles to clean them. In most cases, this should be done every few months.

Fog Misting Systems:

Before purchasing a fog misting system, carefully evaluate the product. Look for a UL Listing and a CE certification. Ask for quite operation, low maintenance and long life. Make sure that the product you purchase is manufactured from a reputable company which has at least 10 years of experience in the industry and always ask for product warranty. This product is used in backyard patios as well as large commercial venues such as restaurants, hotels, resorts or amusement parks.

Benefits:

1. One biggest advantage is that air temperature can drop drastically by up to 35 degrees F.

2. Second advantage is that mist keeps flying insects like mosquitoes, flies, wasps, hornets and spiders away from the area. Mist can also clean the surrounding area away from dust, smoke, pollution and other common pollutants.

3. Third benefit is pets can spend time with you in the mist area as they also get hot.

John peter is an expert SEO copywriter for http://www.cool-off.com/. He has written many articles like misting systems, sun shades, shade sails, patio misting systems, wall mount umbrellas, pool cabana, shade structures, fogging systems, wooden market umbrella and more. For more information visit our site http://www.cool-off.com/. Contact me at cooloffarticle@gmail.com