Good day!
I need expert opnion on water sprinkling to supress the dust in coastal area(in coal/fertiliser yards, roads etc.). Is sea water can be used for purpose?, if no, then what can be the likely problems?so, what is prefferably, sea water or fresh water?to supress the dust , that may be raised due to handling of bulk materials in mass, in areas of roads, yards, approaches etc. Technical justification is required in line with prevelant Env.laws/Rules.
thanks in advance..
Replies
I agree with sonal and others that the Sea water imprignation should be avoided and the dust collection and control right at the point of generation, that is, coal handling, should be attempted.
The costs may be higher but you shall be able to avoide the environmental issues very aptly quoted by Alice Lakra
Using sea water and fresh water as well for dust suppression is not a viable option owing to the present status of water crisis. On the contrary controlling the dust and suppressing at the point sources is a wise decision and at situations may not be practically feasible. An innovative approach is to check out using treated industrial or sewage water from STP or WWTP from the vicinity would try to reduce pressure on water requirements. Ofcourse there are legal aspects to be complied before utilizing such treated waste water perhaps an approval from the local PCB may be required.
As far as coal is concernd it can not be used as the sea water contaains high amount of chloride which is determental to boiler and fuel firing equipment
vijay kumar
AVP
DTPS
Hello,
Am facing the same problems, how is ambient air quality in your port?would like to know more about chemical supression, that you are talikng about for coal yard?is it effective?i think that fugitive dust control is more diffuclt to manage than point source emission? Rgds..
Amlan Dutta said:
It is really an innovative idea , should think about the cost economics part . There is already practice of adding hygroscopic salts to water sprinkling facilities such as tanker sprinklers for binding dusts for long time in the dust ladden "murroom" haulroads in mining areas . As water sprinkling is done to control fugitive dust on such haulage roads only , so in that portion of haulage road, I think, fertility wont be much affected. This can be solved by erecting small bunds along sides of road to arrest flow from road and dredging of the upper layer of road after testing the chloride content .
Sonal Gadhave said:
In absence of fresh Water OR otherwise ,It is a best option Only problem would be Drainage generated during rains from this area would be contains high concentration of chloride etc which need to be handled carefully.Otherwise result to increase in TDS IN ground Water.Likely increase in humidity is also other issue
As far as yard is concerned, heavy salinity can change the chemical characteristics of coal/lignite and apart from that due to increase in moisture content, operational problem will also arise.
I would be highly delighted to share your work experience at site.
Seema
You can use sea water for sprinkling on roads but the major problem which comes is of corrosion of the vehicle which is used as sprinkler. apart from that due to high salinity it can change the soil quality but i think this is not a problem in your situation because you are not going to use that area for furthur plantation or agricultural purpose. Even pollution control board people recommends that. you will have to work on your requirement and then comes the applicability of CRZ and water cess as you are exploiting the natural resource.
Mr. Dutta, it looks that you are in Bhubaneswar. Please let me know about which port you are talking - Paradeep or Dhamra.
As you have mentioned fire in Coal stack is a problem and we are into monitoring those through thermal imaging and physical inspection to reduce chances of fire and damage of goods.
You can contact me on 7504229608 as presently I am also stationed at Bhubaneswar.
Warm regards
Sudipto Ghosh
Amlan Dutta said:
Not an expert opinion... as a lay(wo)man I guess, unless you are able to think of using some low cost technique for treating sea water at-source before spraying, following dangers might crop up:-
1. Deposition of salt layer/ film on structures (e.g. tar roads might get covered by sediments/layer(s) of salt depositions if continued over long period. Might look like snow! Could be tried if planning to harvest salt. Dust may be replaced by salt, so when the coastal winds blow, instead of dust, we'd have salt.
2. Soil salination - over time, this spraying might alter the salt salinity, hence the pH. This might drastically change the ground water quality, soil fertility and so on and could enhance soil erosion in the long run.
3. Corrosion - Salt is hygroscopic in nature and it attracts the water. Water is required for corrosion and salt speeds up the process. Metals get rusted more quickly near the beaches or salty places hence an additional supply might only contribute further, unless we plan to make building pickles.
4. Although moderate salt in fertilizers is beneficial, a higher concentration might change the very character of fertilizers. If fertilizers with higher salt content is used on plants/ seedlings, it may cause salt injury to the plants/seedlings. Hence, not safe. Strictly a no-no if the fertilizer yards are manufacturing organic fertilizers / vermicomposts etc.
5. We all know salt water is a good conductor of electricity. So, in case of lightening in these areas, presence of salt and water (from spray or rain) may be a hazard especially for people who might be walking barefeet. Although it might depend on a lot of other variables too.
In all, I reckon using sea water would be highly economic for the firm but this is exactly what has led us into various environmental problems. If choosing between sea water or fresh water, I understand that fresh water would be a eco-friendly choice. Using fresh water may look tempting and cheap if the resources (rivers/ canals) are closeby. But if you have to harvest the ground water, be careful. And then, best would be if you are able to treat used water and then sprinkle treated water. If I were you, I'd look at my options at treating sea-water at source or treating used water and then go about it. Am sure you can look out for water treatment companies in india who can best fit your requirements and budget.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next