System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust

System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust

Subject :Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: In order to minimize and control the fugitive dust in mining areas, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) has invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust”

Concept:

• Fugitive dust is a form of particulate matter that contributes to air pollution that is generated from various sources which are exposed to air and not discharged into the atmosphere through a confined flow stream.
• Fugitive dust is defined as dust that is not emitted from definable point sources, such as industrial smokestacks. Sources include open fields, roadways and storage piles
• The dust-generation process is caused by 2 basic physical phenomena: 1. Pulverization and abrasion of surface materials by application of mechanical force through implements (wheels, blades, etc.). 2. Entrainment of dust particles by the action of turbulent air currents, such as wind erosion of an exposed surface by wind speeds over 19 kilometers per hour (km/hr) (12 miles per hour [mph])
• Control techniques for fugitive dust sources generally involve watering, chemical stabilization, or reduction of surface wind speed with windbreaks or source enclosures. Watering, the most common and, generally, least expensive method, provides only temporary dust control.
• Fugitive dust is PM suspended in the air primarily from soil that has been disturbed by wind or other activities. When PM is inhaled, it can travel easily into the lungs and cause respiratory illness, lung damage, and even premature death to sensitive individuals.

System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust

• The invention relates to the synchronized application of windbreak (WB) and vertical greenery system (VGS) for reducing generation and dispersion of fugitive dust.
• The WB and VGS are erected in the upwind and downwind direction with respect to the fugitive dust source(s) respectively.
• The WB reduces the speed of the wind approaching towards the source and hence, it reduces the intensity of the ambient air to pick up dust while blowing over the source.
• The VGS acts as a filter and reduces the quantity of the residual dust moving along with the wind towards the receptors in the down-wind direction.
• Therefore, there is a significant reduction in the concentration of the dust in the ambient air at various receptors located in the down-wind direction.