Modification of ANFO detonation parameters by biowaste addition

Abstract

The present study relates to modification of ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixture. For many years, ammonium nitrate fuel oil has been one of the most popular explosives for use in mining operations. Therefore, it is manufactured and used widely in large volume. Although ammonium nitrate is a relatively strong oxidation agent, it is insufficient to detonate by itself. Therefore, it is generally admixed with liquid fuel such as diesel and various modifiers. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and metal aluminium are typically used as additive. This paper studies ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) composition modified by biowaste dung as additive to generate efficient explosion and to result low cost blasting. The experiment results of modified ANFO with biowaste dung as additive illustrate that physical stability and absorption increased by 5% percent compared to regular ANFO. Also was revealed that average detonation brisance increased from 20.5 to 27.5 mm and detonation speed increased from 2300 to 3800 m/s compared to regular ANFO. This modified ANFO is lowered blasting cost from 50 to 150 tugriks per 1kg ANFO compared to aluminium and TNT additives.