Down Under's Dust Buster
African debut for down under dust buster An Australian fine particle engineering company has launched its dust suppressant in Africa, specifically designed for quarries, writes Munesu Shoko.
88Chemco has launched its Hydrogel technology, a dust suppressant specially designed for quarry haul roads.
The company launched its South African operations in July 2014. “Most of the year was about setting up administration and logistics to ensure we can better service our clients,” says Sebastian Karsas, founder and CEO of 88Chemco.
He says the company has already made significant inroads into the South African and other southern African markets. “We are making significant inroads into Zambia, Namibia and Botswana, where we have assigned agents and opened companies,” says Karsas, adding that the company is discussing with a local partner to further its distribution footprint.
In South Africa, Karsas says 88Chemco has already sold its technology to several quarries and mines, but he is reluctant to divulge the names of the recipients yet. 88Chemco has a strong and positive outlook for the African market.
“We see the rest of Africa as an excellent market to provide our services. Water and cost of operations are often more expensive elsewhere than at South African operations due to proximity to major facilitation points, which is always a logistical challenge,” says Karsas.
Hydrogel
Hydrogel is a series of polymers and surfactants specifically formulated for quarries.
It’s designed for easy application, and is diluted in water carts and sprayed directly onto haul road surfaces.
The product enhances water’s ability to wet and bind fine particles by up to eight times more than plain water. “Our best result was a client south of Johannesburg who reported that watering was reduced to once every 17 hours from the normal two to three-hour intervals,” says Karsas.
By adding Hydrogel to the water cart, water’s dust suppression characteristics are significantly enhanced. Savings in water cart usage can be up to 50%, while water usage can be reduced by as much as 60%.
Hydrogel is dosed ad-hoc or within a schedule of 0,06 litres per square metre per month. However, Karsas says every site can use the product as deemed fit and to a level that suits its own budget.
Meanwhile, better road surfaces further impact on tyre life, wear and tear, as well as production rates, which can all be quantified for each quarry. “We always recommend each site does a three-month trial period to perform a detailed study to indicate how much savings have been realised after our systems have been implemented. We aim for, at minimum, a cost neutral situation (product cost is offset by savings achieved) with dust suppression as the bonus,” says Karsas.
“We have a strong and positive outlook for the African market. We believe that cost savings, such as reduced fuel consumption, while offering environmental benefits, for example, reduced dust and operational maintenance, are top priorities for every quarry. It’s a two in one offering, resulting in operational cost savings and environmental benefits,” says Karsas.
Hydrogel is relatively 88Chemco’s latest development, and the company says it has conducted trials of the technology with “great results”. Karsas says the technology is appealing as it is a low-cost dust suppressant that fits into the quarry systems and processes without intrusive effects or requiring change of management programmes.
Benefits of Hydrogel
- Up to 50% improvement in water cart utilisation
- Significant reduction in dust levels
- Significant savings in water usage (about 60%)
- Optimum road maintenance and grader scheduling
Road Condition Monitor
The Road Condition Monitor is a hand-held, non-intrusive device that can be fitted in the cabin of any vehicle such as a dump truck, water cart or a small pick-up truck.
The Pit and Road Condition Monitor is the ultimate secondary machinery management tool for optimum grader scheduling and road performance auditing.
More solutions
Meanwhile, 88Chemco has developed its DustBinder technology, more suited to mining applications. It also uses polymer and surfactant technology, but is more suitable to roads where truck weights are significantly higher and more abrasive to the road surface.
Partnering with Delta-V Experts, a forensic engineering and safety solutions consulting group, also based in Melbourne, Australia, and with a presence in Durban, South Africa, 88Chemco has also launched the Pit and Road Condition Monitor, a new monitoring hardware offering remote access monitoring, analysis and control capabilities.
The Road Condition Monitor is a hand-held, non-intrusive device that can be fitted in the cabin of any vehicle such as a dump truck, water cart or a small pick-up truck. Powered by the vehicle’s 12V power source, it uses 3G connectivity for all data transmissions to any PC.
The data is then used for performance benchmarking, as well as allocation of graders for optimal secondary machinery management.
“This device is the ultimate secondary machinery management tool for optimum grader scheduling and road performance auditing,” says Karsas.
For further benefits, the results can be used in pre-shift meetings to create a pit plan for the next shift or better road maintenance planning for the following week, month or year. The device was developed in Australia and has been launched in all markets.
“With both 88Chemco and Delta-V Experts established and present in Australia and South Africa, we saw it fit to co-jointly offer the Road Condition Monitor in South Africa and surrounding countries,” adds Karsas.
In South Africa, 88Chemco is partnering BASF Construction Chemicals South Africa to service the sub-Saharan Africa market. “Through this partnership, we source chemical input from local markets, resulting in better pricing of our products,” says Karsas.
88Chemco is the exclusive fine particle engineering partner for BASF in dust suppression, road stabilisation and other fine particle engineering challenges. It also uses BASF’s ingredients in its formulations and manufacturing facilities ‘to provide as close to project as possible product dispatch”. This significantly reduces freight charges and turnaround times. “This partnership is mutually beneficial as we provide BASF with expert application and technical advice to further increase their dominant reach into mining and civil industries,” says Karsas.
Meanwhile, 88Chemco showcased these solutions at Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, last month.
Opinion
Hydrogel’s savings in water cart usage can be as much as 50%, while water usage can be reduced by up to 60%. This also results in better road surfaces, offering increased tyre life, better wear and tear, as well as increased production rates. This translates into significant cost savings, especially reduced fuel consumption, while offering environmental benefits such as reduced dust and reduced operational maintenance. This technology is a two in one offering, resulting in both operational cost savings and environmental benefits.