Developed by Syntech Products Corporation of Toledo Ohio, USA, the PetroTac dust control product is now manufactured in Australia through Australian Petrotac Services (APS) based in Wollongong, NSW.

 

The improvements to roadways in both underground and in surface mining operations, have generated rapid growth in Australia in the use of PetroTac for controlling fugitive dust.

 

First introduced to the Illawarra region three years ago, PetroTac has been used at the BHP Port Kembla steel works, and at the Australian Steel Mill Services complex.

 

“These two sites are some of the toughest environments imaginable having consistently loaded vehicles weighing up to 300 tonnes travelling on PetroTac sealed 24 hours a day, seven days a week under all types of weather conditions. PetroTac has passed this test with flying colors,” said APS manager, Anthony Stewart.

 

The product was introduced underground at the Appin longwall mine during the last year and has since been introduced to other NSW mines, including Elouera, West Cliff, Ulan, Metropolitan and to North Goonyella in Queensland.

 

Tests in the US at a major steel producer, which were monitored by the Midwest Research Institute, for the US EPA, found that fugitive dust emissions from roadways where PetroTac was applied were reduced by 85%. With continued use of PetroTac, the remaining emissions were reduced by an additional 90% ensuring that the steel plant far exceeded its statutory requirements.

 

APS claims advantages for PetroTac over other alternatives: water based solutions compound the problem when the moisture dries; oil based emulsions leach through and never bind with road bed particles; most asphalt materials create a thin top layer which is picked up by equipment; and salt and other hygroscopic products can be undermined by water and contribute to machine corrosion.

 

ILN spoke to an engineer at one of the Illawarra longwall mines where 8km of roadway have been treated with PetroTac. The engineer, who preferred to be unnamed, gave the product rave reviews.

 

“Why it’s better than using salt calcium or magnesium chloride is that you don’t get the corrosive effect on roadway machinery which saves money in the long run,” he said.

 

“The second positive is for anyone with a water problem the salts from the roadway leach into the groundwater and then have to be removed when the water is pumped out of the mine.”

 

He added that because the product consolidates roadway surfaces, subsequent flooding does not affect PetroTac and turn the road to ‘mush.’

 

He also said the cost for PetroTac was almost identical to the cost of applying salt products but that the long-term benefits of the former offered major advantages.

 

PetroTac is applied with water and quickly dries and cures to a water-resistant surface.

 

The emulsion works by saturating, penetrating and bonding dust and aggregate particles together to create a flexible, durable surface. APS said the result offers excellent longevity and superior load-bearing qualities.

 

According to APS, PetroTac can be used in environmentally sensitive areas because of its non-leaching, non re-emulsifying characteristics. It does not contain PCBs or other harmful contaminants.