Pynsent is the man behind Cooee Products’ DustBloc, an innovative bitumen-based dust suppressant that helps cuts water use while turning haul roads into all-weather thoroughfares.
The problem he encountered is that most mines have no budget for dust suppression. Many, it seems, consider it “free” because they simply spray water onto the haul roads to stop the dust.
Therefore, they see a dust suppressant product as an additional cost.
However, Pynsent’s product can help a mine cut its water use by 80%. With DustBloc, mines usually only have to spray their roads twice a day, as opposed to 10-15 times.
This not only means less water, it also means fewer water trucks plying the haul roads. That boosts productivity because those water trucks can be replaced by haul trucks.
The product also reduces the amount of grading needed by about two thirds.
So what Pynsent learnt to do was sell the solutions rather than trying to argue that the product actually cut costs – even though he had the facts to back that up.
The product has won both the Innovation in Sustainable Technologies Award and the BHP Billiton Mining Technology Award.
He will be giving these tips and others to attendees at Reed Exhibitions’ Mining & Energy New South Wales show, to be held at Muswellbrook Showground from September 22-24.
Pynsent will be taking to the Main Stage presentation area at 12.30 on September 23.
Cooee Industry’s path to creating its DustBloc product started with an appearance on ABC TV’s New Inventors show. The product it was demonstrating was designed to help stop potholes forming on roads.
Some people from BHP Billiton saw the show and realised a variation on the product could be useful to stop dust rising on haul roads at its BHP Mitsubishi Alliance operations in Queensland.
Pynsent was given support to develop what ultimately became DustBloc.
Interestingly, New Inventors is doing a “where are they now” show featuring Cooee Products that may coincide with Pynsent’s appearance at M&E.
What he has done is found a way to get bitumen to dissolve in cold water. That water can be pretty low quality too.
This bitumen-bolstered water is then sprayed onto the haul road. The water evaporates leaving the bitumen behind. This bitumen will not mix with water again so it stays in place and helps hold the dust down.
After frequent applications the mine pretty much has a sealed road that will hold together well, even in the wet.
This can be another productivity booster because many mines have to stop hauling in the wet because the haul roads cannot handle it.
Cooee has formed a distribution alliance with Pioneer Road Services, which is half-owned by Shell.
Besides the BMA operations, Cooee’s DustBloc is being used in Chile, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
