Effects of molasses, polyacrylamide and bentonite on dust control in forest roads

Abstract

In this study, some environmentally friendly anti-dust agents including sugar cane molasses, polyacrylamide and bentonite were used to control dust emission from the forest road surface within the 3, 9, 27 and 81-day timeframe. A rear-mounted spray system and dust collector devices were used for implementation of treatments and dust emission recording, respectively. The results showed that emitted dust tended to decrease with the increase of anti-dust agent concentrations. Moreover, the emitted dust started to decrease with time, with minimum reduction efficiency at the end of the 81st day. More than half of road surface aggregates had the size smaller than 10 µm that were aggregated by the application of molasses and polyacrylamide. The size of 70% of the road surface fines increased to more than 50 µm. Bentonite affected negatively road surface materials and caused fine aggregates to increase. It is concluded that the amount of fine aggregates in surfacing materials, rainfall occurrence, and type and dosage of anti-dust agents play an important role in the effectiveness and longevity of treatment.