The process of cutting and shaping stone at this works creates a high level of airborne dust. The idea to counter this was based upon a wet suppression system found in asphalt plants.
A powerful fan is located in a building where it is linked back to the masons’ workstation. The fan sucks the dust through the ducting link where it passes through a series of water bars which send out a fine spray, turning the dust into slurry. This slurry then falls to the bottom of the tank where it is mixed with a flocculent and turned into a semi-solid, ready for disposal. This process therefore removes the dust and releases clean air into the atmosphere. As a consequence, the dust levels have been cut by 50 per cent.
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