Dust Control Eco-Platform
A substrate based on bio-mimicry technology made of a unique mixture of nanomaterials and eco-friendly elements, state of the art green solution and 100% biodegradable, non-flammable materials.
Project introduction
The issue of dust carried on unpaved haul roads and emission of dust particles under PM-10 received significant consideration in recent years due to its huge effect on global air quality.
This is especially true in areas considered major dust emitters, such as quarries, mines, dirt roads, construction sites, landfills, and waste processing sites. Vehicle traffic causes dramatic changes in ground stability, resulting in Aeolian (wind-borne) drifting and emissions of huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere.
Awareness of the direct and indirect damages of dust emissions to global ecosystems and humans is increasing. Current global estimates of soil erosion and the natural lifting of dust into the atmosphere are still very rough yet range from 500 to 3000 million tons annually. Human activity exacerbates air pollution by 20% to 50% and exceeds the threshold approved by environmental law enforcement authorities in numerous places in Israel and worldwide.
Especially in populated areas located near mines and quarries
PM-10 airborne dust problem
Unpaved haul roads used by heavy vehicles are a significant source of smaller than PM-10 airborne dust particles. These vehicles erode and crush the topsoil, destroy the substrate, and thus encourage the emission of wind-born particles carried to great distances. Historically, different materials have been used to suppress this dust. Unfortunately, most of them damage the environment or use expensive and valuable potable water to avoid and control it, but global standards have changed recently.
In the vicinity of population, agriculture, water sources, and even the mines themselves, prohibitions and restrictions apply to the use of many dust substances, significantly impacting the health of residents and users of the unpaved roads. The high number of respiratory diseases, the increase in the country’s public medical expenses, the loss of working days from dust diseases as well as accidents, and a decrease in the general safety of the road caused by poor visibility caused by heavy air pollution have led to a dramatic change in the immediate need to address the dust problem.
Moreover, the dust control problem and environmental damage resulted in low ESG results for those companies that prioritize sustainability and the safety of their employees. This ultimately financially harmed the company’s goals in this vital matter and affected its values in the worldwide stock markets as well
The Problem
Over the past few years, many dust suppression methods have been researched to curb emissions and dispersion of dust particles, such as resins, petroleum, synthetic polymers, and various combinations of magnesium chloride, salt water, expensive drinking water, and more.
However, these methods provide limited suppressive capabilities and are even more dangerous. The ground crushing caused by vehicle traffic on which polluting substances have been applied creates a destructive new combination and much more hazardous dust, which is now combined with the dangerous and polluting substances scattered on it.
It has been proven that some are not effective or partially effective, and all are particularly polluting. Therefore, they are minimally used in different parts of the world or have been banned from use. So, the only result that remains due to the new bans is using water as the preferred dust suppression method.
Water is a limited and valuable natural resource, especially during global warming, which is dwindling, and its lack is felt in many parts of the world.
Thus, suppression efficiency decreased while water consumption increased significantly. At the same time, water is adequate for a very short time while requiring a constant ground application to prevent a significant decrease in suppression efficiency, especially in dry areas, absorbent soil, and relatively high wind speeds.
Reality shows that using this means requires enormous amounts of water, with a practical volume of 2.5 liters/m2 every 2-3 hours (at an ambient temperature of 30-33 degrees Celsius), while potable water sources are diminishing worldwide. (In recent years, limited use has also been made of treated wastewater)
Unpaved haul roads used by heavy vehicles are a significant source of airborne dust particles smaller than PM-10. These vehicles erode and crush the topsoil, destroy the substrate, and thus encourage the emission of particles the wind carries over great distances. Historically, various materials have been used to suppress this dust. Unfortunately, most of them harm the environment or use precious and expensive drinking water to avoid and control them, but recently, global standards have changed.
Many dust control substances are prohibited or restricted in the vicinity of population centers, agriculture, water sources, and even mines themselves, which significantly affects the health of residents and users of unpaved roads.
Air pollution has consequences, including respiratory diseases, increased public medical expenses, lost working days from dust diseases and accidents, and decreased general safety on access roads and mining operations due to poor visibility.
All those mentioned above have considerable financial implications in terms of public health, food, water, dust suppressants, fuel, manpower, accelerated equipment, and facilities wear and expenses that grow over time even after the mine is closed
Eco platform solution
The devastating results to the environment and significant economic damages to the mine owners as a result of heavy fines lawsuits And, in their wake, the heavy regulation that required increasing investments together with the damage to the company publication image as well as their efforts to improve their ESG, flood up the demands to find new and practical solutions that will suppress dust as much as possible while protecting the environment and our health, preferably as ecological as possible.
Eco Platform is like that – a 100% ecological substrate, biodegradable and non-flammable.
MAIN FACTORS
Eco Platform - Technology is a breakthrough in thinking about how to achieve this goal.The product was designed as an eco-friendly, non-flammable, anti-corrosive product featuring 100% degradable natural materials.
Eco Platform - Feel harmonized with nature without fear of soil contamination, prevents pollution of groundwater, rivers, streams, or crops and mainly focuses on a drastic reduction of potable water uses in order to prevent dust lifting, in addition to reducing respiratory illnesses problems caused by floating dust with or without magnesium chlorid
Eco Platform - Is an original development of a unique mixture incorporating nanotechnology designed for dust suppression.
Eco Platform - Is a patented and registered trademark product consisting of precise wood chips, treated with selected composite materials spread as a ground bedding at a measured thickness.
NANO Z – Dust Control Eco-Platform eliminates the need to use any other coating or dust suppressant and prevents soil, groundwater, rivers, streams, agricultural areas, and corrosion pollution. In particular, the system increases site safety, reduces accidents and workflow delays, and eliminates human respiratory system damages caused by using traditional materials or because of overloaded dust particles in the air.
All the aforementioned have a tremendous impact on the monetary profits of site owners and offer them great savings and more income, as well as to the State on handling and dealing with immediate and long-run damages to public health, water, air, and food.
How dose it works?
NANO Z—Dust Control Eco-Platform is a registered patent. It is a 100% environmentally friendly substrate system spread on the ground that combines natural fibers and fluids based on nanotechnology engineering. The result is that using small amounts of water in 3-4 day cycles will restore and maintain long-term dust suppression capabilities with excellent efficiency.
Eco-Platform is supplied in rolls to be laid out like a carpet and tied together in designated places. Depending on the size of the surface, the layout is done manually using a team of 2-4 people or a rolling machine.
ECO-PLATFORM can be reused by cleaning and packing the rolls until their subsequent use or leaving them on the ground until they decompose.
This saves a lot of money compared to some traditional suppression materials, which require cleaning, purification, and removal of contaminated soil to designated hazardous materials landfill sites at the end of the life route, works that involve very high expenses.
The technological action: Eco-Platform creates a clever water trap for water splashed on the substrate. It “keeps and traps” the water inside the fiber mixture soaked in nanometric green liquid (A NANO—Z IP) while causing the ground surface to be wet for much longer.
As a result, the “water trap” maintains high humidity and a high relative weight of the upper soil surface for extended periods and prevents dust from rising into the air.
Eco-Platform drastically reduces the rate of water evaporation caused by environmental conditions using water as an efficient and economical barrier.
Eco-Platform prevents/reduces soil erosion, which causes soil grinding and destruction that produces a lot of dust. Thus, it presents significantly lower dust pollution values, much below the recognized international air quality standard of WHO (See attached tests).
Drastic water savings – the water trap created by Eco-Platform dramatically reduces the irrigation cycle frequency required for dust suppression compared to any other existing means. A single application of water to the substrate at an acceptable flow rate of 4 liters/m2, at an ambient temperature of 30-33 degrees Celsius (86-92F), an average wind speed of 18-25 km/h (11-15 mph) and humidity Environmental of 50-60% is enough to suppress the dust for 3 days or more.
Eco Platform presents incredible and proven data (see scientific reports and test cases) showing about 75% dust suppression and 85% saving precious drinking water. In addition, considerable labor costs are saved, productivity is increased, safety is improved, fines are reduced, and ESG is increased for the company’s owner’s benefit.
The future is here
TEST CASES AND RESULTS
Tests and results according to the Israeli and American standards
Eco Platform was tested in August 2023 in projects at the AMG and ANGLO AMERICAN mines in Brazil. The projects’ results and data analysis are attached in independent reports by companies certified on their behalf and experts in their field for monitoring and testing according to the relevant standards.
Excellent positive results are seen in both.
In addition, Eco-Platform has been scientifically tested by AIR-LAB Air Testing Laboratories Ltd, the leader in air quality testing laboratories in Israel, using analysis methods approved by the Israeli Ministry of the Environment, following the Israeli and American standards as detailed in clean air regulations. (Updated 2011) and under US-EPA standard 81102. All analysis instruments are calibrated before testing by the National Laboratory Accreditation Authority in Israel, which has certified AIR-LAB, according to ISO-17025, as an air quality analysis company.( ISO-17025 approved methods are marked with *—gravimetric analysis of floating dust samples performed at AIR-LAB Air Testing Laboratory Ltd.)
These tests were conducted in August 2019 in the hot Israeli summer at a waste disposal, shredding, and construction waste processing site, an extreme site that produces exceptionally high levels of environmental dust pollution.
The average daily vehicle capacity that passed on the Eco-Platform was 85 per day, and during the test (3 days), over 250 weighing 60-80 tons a truck and a total weight of 15,000-20,000 tons tested according to the American and Israeli standards. The analysis results of these tests are also detailed and attached herewith and show exceptional dust suppression values. 3-4 times better than required!!!
Environmental Air Testing Results >>
Results Summery- Environmental Air Quality PM- 10 >>
ECO- PLATFORM TEST REPORT ANGLO AMERICAN 2023 >>
ECO-PLATFORM AMG TEST REPORT >>
Comparative table
15 Reasons Why ECO-PLATFORM?
| Test categories | Existing technologies | ECO PLATFORM |
| Eco-degradable patent | NO | YES |
| Polluting substances | Most of them pollute the soil, groundwater & air | 100% natural materials, stabilizes the soil, and is unaffected by winds |
| Dust reduction efficiency | 35-55% | UP TO 75% |
| Maintenance | Expensive and requires a variety of heavy equipment for constant maintenance + water spreading truck | Economical, it requires human supervision, immediate repair, and replacement in the field without extended site downtime + water spreading truck |
| Saving cost renewing | Expensive – The dust protection renewal cost requires new soil investments such as alignment, leveling, and compaction | Economical and simple. The old substrate does not need to be removed. Just place a new roll on top of the existing one. |
| Water consumption | Vast water amounts are required on average 2.5-4 liters/m2 every 2-4 hours. | Saves up to 85% water using only 4 liters/m2 every 3-4 days |
| Public and workers health | Some of them are dangerous to workers & public health, causing severe respiratory and eye diseases | Eco-friendly, 100% harmless ecological material. |
| Environment poisoning | Chemical substances that break down stick to dust carried by the wind for long distances | An organic substrate spreads on the ground and keeps the moist, preventing airborne dust |
| Soil restoration, cleaning & purification | In some cases, at the end of the road use, polluted soil cleaning is necessary at a high cost | 100% biodegradable. When finished, leave it in place. It will merge and decompose in the soil, and beautiful vegetation will grow |
| Reuse option | NO Not transferable to a new location | YES Can be transferable to a new location |
| Corrosive | In some cases, they harm tools, metal structures, and facilities affected by accelerated corrosion, decreasing productivity and causing rapid wear. | NOT CORROSIVE |
| Damage to agriculture | Effects over vast distances and extensive areas, to the point of unfitness for use | Does not cause any damage. Fixed in place, it does not drift in the wind. |
| Inflammable materials | Some are flammable. Combined with fuel or lubricant leaks from vehicles, they can cause fires. | Non-flammable and inhibits fire spread. |
| Ground preparing cost | Requires expensive means and personnel for soil leveling, such as a bulldozer, soil compactor, ground leveler, etc | Basic leveling .Inexpensive, fast, and easy application with a layout machine or a team of 2-4 workers |
| Track/site downtime | Weeks/ Months | Days |