Pneumatic solutions pro- vider Pneumax reports that it is well-positioned to meet pending legislative changes in the National Environ- mental Management Act related to dust control regulations for mining operations.

Decision-makers in the mining industry are starting to become increasingly aware of changes in legislation and increased environ- mental pressure around the control of air pollution – which essentially takes the form of dangerous gases and dust.

Although it is accepted in industry that regulations take a long time to implement and, therefore, to influence business operations, it is important to consider that the legislative process has started and that strategic planning around the control of dust on mines needs to start taking place.

In the past, because of the lack of regulation, controlling dust around mines has been an optional choice that many mining operations have avoided because it was viewed as an unnecessary expense. However, this approach is short-sighted and mining houses will have no option but to become better informed about new environmental requirements and get up-to-speed on how to best manage dust emissions.

Pneumax technical manager Heathcliff Barnard highlights that the problem of controlling dust during mining operations is increasingly coming under the spotlight as regulations in this regard are being fine-tuned by two government departments, the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Mineral Resources.

“Often attention is focused on the environmental impacts of acid mine drainage or the lack of rehabilitation of mines because the impact of these types of problems are immediately visible. However, what often gets overlooked is the control of air quality around mines – simply because we can’t see a problem until there is an extreme impact on people in close proximity to a mine.

Because the control of dust is not regulated in mining, mining operators often take short cuts regarding this type of pollution to keep operational costs down. However, there is no doubt that this will change in the near future,” he says.

Raising Awareness Among Future Engineers

Knowing that legislation often takes years to be finalised and be applied in industry, it is important to start informing and educating young engineers making their way into the economy about how the control of dust can contribute to greener mining – a subject that is becoming increasingly important worldwide.

An initiative that Pneumax has recently become involved in is the PneuDrive Challenge, an ongoing student mechatronic innovation competition which the company cosponsors with drive engineering company SEW Eurodrive. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Greener Mining’ – which is suitable for highlighting engineering processes and solutions for engineering students not yet familiar with mining.

How Bag Houses Control Dust Emissions

The control of dust emissions is one of the mining challenges put forward and students participating in the competition are invited to design an appli- cation that can successfully address it. The strategic idea is to start raising awareness among South Africa’s future engineers of the need to start designing solutions for this particular challenge related to mines.

Bag houses are essentially large filtration boxes and, although, uncomplicated on an engineering level, it is the use of the correct components and the engineering processes related to bag houses that are critical for the successful control of airborne particles. This is a business and engineering element of mining that students are not exposed to at university.

It is only by being involved with the problem at site level that students will start to gain understanding of the various components that make up an effective engineering solution for controlling dust emissions. For example, bag houses can be made up of many filtration units that could cover large areas on a mine.

However, it is the components that make up the filtration units of bag houses that are essential for the effective filtering of dust particles. Two components from Pneumax that are critical to the effectiveness of bag houses – the Turbo Pulse Valve and the Optyma Terminal Valve – are not noticeable from ground level, so it is easy for the untrained eye to underestimate how relatively small components could mean the difference between meeting regulations or not.

Barnard believes that the PneuDrive Challenge offers an important opportunity for students to learn about a relatively uncomplicated solution for controlling dust emissions around the milling or refining of ore – that is, the use of bag houses.

“Hopefully, by engaging young minds around the design and operation of bag houses, we can encourage students to come up with a revolutionary way of tackling this basic mining problem,” he says.