One of the standout benefits of Cypher Environmental’s dust controller product, DUST/BLOKR® is its performance across various climates and terrains. DUST/BLOKR is not impacted by rain events or wet conditions – this fact remains true today as it did 5 years ago. Recent field tests reiterate what we know – that roads treated with DUST/BLOKR are significantly more robust and resistant to breakdown compared to roads treated with traditional road salts or hydrocarbon-based products (oil). Yet, despite the advantages offered by environmental ‘newcomers’ such as ours, oils and road salts still dominate the worldwide market.
Table of Contents
- Challenges with Oil or Hydrocarbon-Based Dust Controllers
- Challenges with Road Salts or Chloride-Based Dust Suppressants
- More about DUST/BLOKR®
- DUST/BLOKR® Applications
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The Challenges with Traditional Dust Control Methods: Road Salts and Oils
While dust control is crucial for safety, the use of hydrocarbon-based products and road salts present significant drawbacks, both in terms of safety and performance. (You may also be interested in: our article Long Term Dust Control Solutions where we conduct a thorough comparation between conventional dust control methods against what we have to offer with DUST/BLOKR).
Hydrocarbon-Based Dust Controllers
A major issue with using hydrocarbon-based products for dust control is that they are essentially oil-based – and we all know that oil and water just don’t mix. While the oil may provide sufficient dust control during dry conditions, in the rain or in wet conditions, the oil on the road surface may become slippery, creating hazardous driving conditions. After the rain events, the dried oil may then harden, leading to a loss of traction when the road is rehydrated. Hydrocarbon-based products also create a huge mess on-site and are harmful to the environment. Aside from that, oil must be reapplied at full strength after rain or road maintenance and is therefore expensive to maintain the initial results.
Safety should always be the priority when selecting a dust control product, but traditional methods such as oils can often create more problems than they solve.
Chloride-Based Dust Suppressants
Common road salts like magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture from the air to keep roads damp. However, during and after rain events, too much moisture can be retained, making the road surfaces slippery. In road tests using the British Pendulum Tester, roads treated with DUST/BLOKR remained stable and saw no adverse effect while roads treated with chlorides saw breakdown and surface material loss.
Further more, chloride-based products are highly corrosive and can cause long-term damage to the environment and the life forms that live in that ecosystem. Chlorides can contaminate bodies of water through run-off. Eventually, the runoff can produce saltwater conditions where freshwater fish and animals can no longer survive. The road salts can also be absorbed into the soil or ingested by wildlife.
Cypher Environmental’s Commitment to Sustainability and Environmental Protection
At Cypher Environmental, environmental sustainability is at the heart of our mission and guiding principles. We prioritize creating products that are not only effective but also environmentally friendly. We are steadfast in this commitment and we ensure that up and down our supply chain, we are working with companies with similar values, inputs that are clean and eco conscious, as well as taking into account packaging and shipping practices.
We understand that your bottom line is a big factor in selecting a dust control method. DUST/BLOKR® is a cost-competitive, non-corrosive and environmentally friendly alternative to road salts and hydrocarbon-based products.
Cypher Environmental’s DUST/BLOKR® Dust Controller
- Environmentally friendly, non corrosive and non toxic
- Organic and biodegradable – leaves zero environmental impact behind
- Applied using conventional road building techniques and equipment
- 90%+ reduction in airborne dust
- Increases water resistance for higher performing roads
- Penetrates the road base so it does not runoff or need to be reapplied after road repairs
- Formulation of sugars, starches, and minerals bind the surface materials together – but the road surface is still made up of aggregate and sand
- Passes skid testing
- NOT hygroscopic so it remains effective during long periods of dry weather, without any side effects during and after rain
- US EPA Safer Choice Certified
Why DUST/BLOKR Works
Unlike the previously mentioned dust suppression products which we covered above, DUST/BLOKR is weather-proof; this means that the product can maintain optimal performance even through rainfall and dry spells.
So how does it work? DUST/BLOKR is a unique blend of components that utilizes the functional properties of sugars and starches to bind, harden and encapsulate loose particulates. When you receive DUST/BLOKR, it is in a highly concentrated form. When you are ready for application, water is mixed into the highly concentrated product which allows for suspension of the active components. When the water evaporates, the molecules bind together to form a cohesive matrix that attracts and binds loose particulates together.
Because of the critical role water plays in the binding process, DUST/BLOKR is highly water resistant. Roads treated with DUST/BLOKR not only do not get slippery in rain events or wet conditions, the effect of the products is actually rejuvenated with moisture.
DUST/BLOKR® Applications & Uses
DUST/BLOKR® can deliver dramatically better dust abatement results for:
- Mine Haul Roads
- Access & Secondary Roads
- Underground Mine Roads
- Tailing Piles
- Municipal Roads
- Parking Lots
- Tarmacs, Runways & Helipads
- Erosion Control
Download the DUST/BLOKR® product brochure [FREE]
Contact Us
If you have questions about how DUST/BLOKR® can benefit your operations, we’re here to help! Reach out to us at info@cypherenvironmental.com.
Published: October 6, 2019
Updated: October 31, 2024