Pneumatic solutions provider Pneumax says it is well positioned to meet impending legislative changes pertaining to dust control regulations for mining operations, owing to its environment-friendly valve systems.

“The challenge of controlling dust during mining operations is increasingly coming under the spotlight, as regulations in this regard are currently being fine-tuned by the departments of Environmental Affairs, Minerals and Energy,” says Pneumax technical manager Heathcliff Barnard.

In May, Mining Weekly spoke to sustainability law firm Warburton Gunn Attorneys partner Adam Gunn concerning the draft National Dust Control Regulations (NDCR), under Section 32 of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act of 2004.

He explained that the draft NDCR proposes dust restrictions of less than 600 mg/m2 a day for a 30-day period in residential areas and between 600 mg/m2 and 1 200 mg/m2 a day for the same period in nonresidential areas.

Barnard says decision-makers in the mining industry are becoming increasingly aware of changes in legal and environmental processes involving the control of air pollution, which essentially manifests in dangerous gases and dust.

He adds that, although it is accepted in the mining industry that regulations take a long time to implement, which, therefore, influences business operations, it is important to be aware that the legislative process has started and that strategic planning on dust control at mines needs to start taking place.

Barnard says that, in the past, dust control at mines was optional, owing to the lack of regulation. Many mining operations avoided this choice, as it was regarded as an unnecessary expense.

However, he believes that this approach is short-sighted and mining houses will have no option but to become better informed about new environmental requirements and how to best manage dust emissions.

“Often, attention is focused on the environmental impacts of acid mine drainage or the lack of rehabilitation of mines, as the impact of these types of problems are immediately visible”, he points out.

However, Barnard says the control of air quality at mines is often overlooked, simply because it is not regarded as a problem until there has been a significant impact on people in close proximity to a mine.

“A proposed solution to the challenge of controlling mine dust is the implementation of baghouses, which are large filtration boxes and, although uncomplicated on an engineering level, are critically important to assisting in the reduction of dust emissions,” says Barnard.

He explains that baghouses can comprise many filtration units, which could poten- tially cover large areas at a mine site.

Pneumax product manager Mark Paul tells Mining Weekly that, in 2010, the company introduced the Turbo Pulse and Optyma Terminal valves, which are critical to the effectiveness of baghouses and not noticeable at ground level. It is, therefore, easy for the untrained eye to underestimate how relatively small components could mean the difference between meeting the proposed regulations or not.

He explains that the Turbo Pulse valve effectively blows dust particles, which collect on either the baghouse’s cloth filter bag or its filter cartridge, while the Optyma Terminal valve can be used to control the dampers actuator during offline cleaning.

“Offline cleaning can be described as isolating a compartment to alleviate any opposing pressure within the baghouse for cleaning purposes,” Paul concludes.