“Dust is not only a health risk for mine workers, but its suppression is a continuous and costly activity for mine owners,” Quaker officials said.

To combat that, the Pennsylvania company designed a dust suppression product line that could take on the issue effectively by managing a mine’s water resources while lessening miners’ health risks and environmental concerns surrounding dust.

The result was Dustgrip Turbo, a blend of wetting agents that accelerate water penetration where dust is a hazard, including longwall mining areas, stockpiles and haul roads.

The product, which mixes with water, can be used with an operation’s current equipment and no rinsing of equipment is necessary after an application is complete.

Use of Dustgrip Turbo, Quaker says, reduces the water volume an operation needs to consume for dust suppression. Also, repeated applications have a cumulative effect, maintaining subsoil moisture content for long periods in certain conditions.

"Miners are exposed to respirable dust on a daily basis, and Dustgrip Turbo helps to lessen the health impact on workers," Quaker mining technical director Harry Fortner said.

"Dust is not only bad for workers in the mines, but it can also be a source of fuel should there be a fire or explosion in the mine. The reduction of dust is of significant value to customers."

The company will highlight the product with guests next week at the Longwall USA 2011 event