Driving Sustainable Growth in the Mining Industry: The Power of Road Improvement Technology

In the world of mining, sustainability is not just a buzzword; it is the key to long-term success and responsible resource extraction. As mining professionals with decades of experience in the industry, we understand the importance of balancing operational efficiency with environmental stewardship. In this article, we will explore how road improvement technology, offered by Eco Road Hero, can propel mining operators towards compliance with national sustainability targets, while also delivering cost savings and operational enhancements.

Embracing Sustainability with Road Improvement Technology

Mining operators face the dual challenge of meeting demanding production targets while reducing their environmental impact. Traditional approaches, such as switching to biofuels, may seem attractive, but they often come with significant costs and logistical challenges. Enter road improvement technology—an innovative solution that tackles the problem at its source.

The Australian Safeguarding Mechanisms

To emphasise the context and significance of market conditions, it is important to note that the Australian government has implemented safeguarding mechanisms requiring the top 200 emitters to reduce their carbon intensity by 43% by 2030. This regulatory requirement sets the stage for mining operators to prioritise sustainable practices and explore effective solutions such as road improvement technology.

Reducing GHG Emissions and Rolling Resistance

By partnering with Eco Road Hero, mining operators can achieve remarkable reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through targeted road enhancements. The goal is to realise a reduction in rolling resistance by a quarter, which is achievable in sites running at 3% or higher. The lower rolling resistance leads to substantial fuel savings and smaller carbon footprint. The results observed in a 20 million tonne per year case study demonstrate the tangible impact of this technology, where they achieved 17% reduction on fuel costs, providing evidence that it can be replicated within your own operations.

Cost-Effectiveness: A Competitive Advantage

While biofuels have long been touted as a sustainable alternative, they often come with higher costs and operational complexities. Herein lies the advantage of road improvement technology: it not only reduces GHG emissions but also delivers cost savings. By optimising energy consumption and minimising wear and tear on mining equipment, small and large operators can streamline their operations and enhance their bottom line.

Overcoming Challenges with Expert Support

Eco Road Hero understands that implementing road improvement technology may come with its fair share of challenges. That’s why they adopt a consultancy approach, helping mining companies overcome road infrastructure challenges and achieve their sustainability goals. With their expertise and customised solutions, mining operators can navigate potential obstacles and ensure a smooth transition towards sustainable road improvements.

Seizing the Opportunity for Sustainable Growth

Together, we can drive sustainable growth and set new standards for responsible resource extraction. By embracing road improvement technology offered by Eco Road Hero, mining operators can not only meet sustainability targets but also unlock cost savings, reduce carbon emissions, and optimise their operations. Let’s pave the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future in mining.

Eliminating Both Dust Complaints and Water Consumption Woes

One of our customers, Canberra Racing Club, was operating during one of the worst droughts in living memory. Their business needed to provide best in class dust control to meet their customer’s needs. Their storm water harvesting system had not received any run off for over 12 months and they were purchasing water from the local water supply authority. The situation was so bad that the water supply authority had imposed water rationing through mandated restrictions. The customer was conflicted by the need to reduce water usage as well as maintain very high standards of dust control.

Canberra Racing Club asked us for a proposal to help them solve the dilemma of maintaining dust control consistent with their customer’s expectations and also reduce water usage at their site. The target surface was an 800 metre long exercise track that had a 100 mm bed of golf bunker sand. The track is typically used by over 150 horses on a daily basis. The sandy surface allows the horses to improve their fitness without causing harm to their legs and hooves.They were very excited about the environmental properties of Dust/Blokr® because it posed no risk to human or animal welfare. As this was the first time Dust/Blokr® had been used in this application we used a risk based approach to our planning. We consulted with the Cypher Environmental technical team in Winnipeg and the operations team at Canberra to develop a process to adapt Dust/Blokr® to solve this challenge.

Our customer eliminated both dust complaints and water consumption woes for dust control

An application plan was developed that used the available equipment on site to create an initial establishment dose of Dust/Blokr®. The early dust control performance was very good and no negative impacts on animal welfare were seen. Approval was provided by the customer to apply subsequent doses of Dust/Blokr® to achieve optimum dust control performance.

Dust/Blokr® was highly successful in maintaining dust control that met or exceeded stakeholder expectations. This was demonstrated by the reduction in stakeholder complaints from 2-3 times per week to ZERO after Dust/Blokr® was applied to the track. Canberra Racing Club reduced the water used for dust control to ZERO and this resulted in a water saving of 8 Megalitres per year. The irrigation sprinklers that previously provided dust control have not been used in 3 years. This water has been diverted to higher priority uses at their business than dust control. Dust/Blokr® reduced the cost of dust control in a way that the customer achieved a return on investment in under 12 months. Canberra Racing Club were very impressed with the performance of Dust/Blokr® that they then applied the technology to the other sand based tracks at their facility.

Fulfilling Urgent Orders Without Causing Dust Problems

We had a customer providing forestry logs to a mill to make very important building products. Due to high community demand for their products, they had to conduct operations simultaneously with the harvesting season of one of their long term neighbouring orchard businesses. The dust from the logging operations would have created unacceptable conditions for the orchard.

The customer had to fulfil urgent orders without causing dust problems for a neighbouring business

 

Our customer asked us for a dust control solution that would stop the dust but also be acceptable for use in an ecologically sensitive environment. We suggested the use of Dust/Blokr® technology from Canada. Dust/Blokr® is the dust control technology of choice for some of the Inuit communities in the Arctic Circle because it does not affect their sources of wild food like fish and caribou. Dust Blokr® was developed by Cypher Environmental in Winnipeg and consists of mainly sugars and starches. It is also 95% renewable.

We worked with the customer and their contracting partners to apply the Dust/Blokr® technology to the haulage road near the orchard. The Cypher Environmental technical team provided an application specification. We developed detailed procedures to suit the available equipment to ensure a hassle free and correct application of the Dust/Blokr® technology. The Dust/Blokr® was applied in a day to the target road.

The customer feedback was that there was a significant reduction in dust emissions from the Dust/Blokr® treated road. They also reported that their neighbouring business was able to harvest their fruit without any dust concerns from the logging trucks. Our customer was able to provide vital forestry products to the Australian community without having to interrupt their plans because of dust complaints from their neighbours.