Fugitive dust emissions from mining areas

Mining operations are one of the most predominant sources of atmospheric fugitive dust, released to the air with a size smaller than 100 microns. Field studies were carried out on an unpaved road stretch of 1 km length at a mine site by installing dust samplers in upwind and downwind directions. The total weight of the 6- to 12-wheeled vehicles traveling with mine materials is in the range of 6-15 tons. The loaded vehicle speeds run from 15 to 25 kmph with an ambient wind speed of 0.5 to 8.5 kmph. The silt content of road surface ranges from 7% to 9.4%; moisture content varies between 2.5% and 7.4%. The test runs were carried out five times daily for 30 minutes. Fugitive dust concentrations observed at three downwind directions were between 5132 mu g/m(3) and 17282 mu g/m(3). The emission factors estimated varied between 0.22 to 0.74 g/vkt with a predicted dust particulate matter varying from 4888 mu g/m(3) to 16444 mu g/m(3).