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University of Wyoming

UW Technologies Available for Licensing

Technology Disclosure: 00-002 Dust Suppression System

Background

Reasons for Dust Suppression
Coal dust is a generally unwanted but inevitable fact of life in most phases of coal utilization. Coal dust is produced in great quantities during mining of coal, during its handling for example in conveyer belts, and during shipment and storage. The resulting formation of coal dust leads to several significant problems. Coal dust can lead to environmental disturbances, including both threats to health and vegetation and aesthetic damage. It can permeate the air of mining sites or other work sites. Further, fugitive dust emissions are regulated to limit the amount of particulate matter in the ambient air. From the safety standpoint, coal dust is highly flammable and explosive. An additional problem is that when powdered coal cannot be used, its economic value and energy value is lost. For these and other reasons, systems for collecting and reducing the dispersal of coal dust must be used.

Dust Control by Agglomeration
Researchers in the University of Wyoming’s Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering are developing a method that can remove coal, coke, and more general carbonaceous fines in a much more effective manner. The principal means relied on for abatement of coal dust from manufacturing facilities are cyclones, electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, and scrubbers. The disposal of dust collected in this fashion is difficult, cumbersome and wasteful. In addition, fugitive coal dust is generated during mining, conveying, transportation and storage. The proposed dust suppression system is applicable to both these situations. The agglomerative dust suppression system works by neutralizing repulsive electrostatic forces between particles hence encouraging the particles to “come together” and form agglomerates, which have a natural tendency to settle.


Advantages of the New Dust Suppression System

  • Can be used to process dust from conventional dust collection devices such as baghouses or electrostatic precipitators
  • Can be used as a spray to capture fugitive dust at the location where it is generated
  • Does not require a surfactant to work
  • In applications involving dust from dust collecting devises, the liquid can be recovered and reused
  • The active solution used utilizes inexpensive ingredients
  • Dust agglomerates formed are more stable and hence last longer than those formed by water based sprays

Summary

The dust suppression system may be used to compile and remove any type of carbonaceous fines. For example, they may be anthracite, bituminous coal, coke, calcined coke, or carbon black. Further, the process has potential applications to mining and mineral processing operations.

This technology is covered by patent number US 6,451,092, “System and Process for Agglomeration and Processing of Carbonaceous Fines and Dust".

If you would like to learn more about this new method for dust supplementation and how your company can apply it in commercial situations, please contact the director of the Wyoming Research Products Center, Davona Douglass.