Dust-A-Side contrasts haul road treatments with molasses as rains approach

Dust-A-Side says molasses can be a low-cost dust palliative during dry months, but rainfall can wash it away and force reapplication. The company is pitching its own haul road treatments as a longer-term option for mine and quarry operators entering the summer rainy season.

Why it matters: - Mine and quarry operators are entering the part of the year when dust control methods are tested most sharply: the dry season is ending and summer rainfall is starting. - Dust control affects road condition, water use, equipment wear, haulage efficiency and airborne dust exposure. - Dust-A-Side is positioning its treatments as a way to lower total road-maintenance costs over a full year, not just the upfront purchase price.

What happened: - Dust-A-Side released a comparison of its haul road treatments against molasses, a sugar-industry by-product used as a dust palliative on mine and quarry roads. - The company timed the comparison for the seasonal shift from dry winter conditions to summer rainfall. - Dust-A-Side is urging site operators to review how their current palliative performed through winter and what it is likely to do under sustained rain. - More information is available on the company website: More information.

The details: - Molasses is cheaper to buy in many parts of South Africa, especially near sugar-producing areas. - Molasses binds fines, improves cohesion in road materials and reduces watering frequency during dry conditions. - Heavy rainfall dissolves molasses and washes it off, which can force reapplication. - Dust-A-Side says its road treatment programs are built around bitumen emulsion, with lignosulphonate, polymer and surfactant-based products matched to specific surfaces. - Once applied and cured, bitumen emulsion leaves a thin layer that binds road particles into a semi-permanent seal. - Dust-A-Side says that seal resists wash-off rather than dissolving with rain. - On heavily trafficked haul roads, the treatment is intended to reduce ravelling, corrugations and potholes. - The company says the treatment helps preserve bearing capacity in wet periods and reduces PM10 and total suspended dust in dry periods. - Operators typically see fewer grader hours, less water cart use and longer intervals between applications, according to Dust-A-Side. - Dust-A-Side says its road treatment methods can cut water use by up to 90% versus conventional watering. - The company says its products cost more upfront than molasses. - Application rates must be matched to the road to avoid slipperiness during curing or in high braking zones. - As petroleum-based products, the treatments require controls to prevent hydrocarbon contamination and manage runoff.

Between the lines: - Dust-A-Side is drawing a distinction between low purchase price and low lifetime cost. - The company’s argument is that molasses can work as a seasonal fix, but rainfall makes wash-off predictable. - Dust-A-Side is also selling a broader system, not just a product, by pairing treatment selection with application method, monitoring and equipment such as fog cannons for busy work zones. - The company says its DASMetrics road performance evaluation service measures road-network condition and its dust monitoring services track airborne particle levels over time.

What's next: - Dust-A-Side expects operators to compare their current dust palliative against the coming rainy season before first storms force a decision. - The company will continue offering site-specific assessments of roads, surfaces and dust challenges. - Operators will likely weigh whether the lower upfront cost of molasses offsets the extra maintenance, reapplication and water use that can follow heavy rain.

The bottom line: - Dust-A-Side is betting that mine operators will pay more upfront for treatments that stay put when the weather turns.