Haul Road Dust Control: Fugitive Dust Characteristics from Surface Mine Haul Roads and Methods of Control

摘要

Surface mining operations use large off-road haul trucks extensively to move material at mining properties. Past research, using the United States Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) emissions factors for unpaved haul roads, has shown that haul trucks generate the majority of dust emissions from surface mining sites, accounting for approximately 78%-97% of total dust emissions. Observations of dust emissions from haul trucks show that if the dust emissions are uncontrolled, they can be a safety hazard by impairing the operators visibility. This increases the probability for haul truck accidents. However, the greatest long-term health hazard of dust generated from hauling operations is due to inhalation of the respirable dust (median diameter