Kumtor Operating Company Starts to Employ Modern Dust Control Agent, Earthbind™ 100

published: 18 September 2011

Kumtor Operating Company is testing a new biopolymer agent for dust suppression purposes on the approach road to the Kumtor mine.

As part of the program ensuring compliance with strict health, safety and environmental standards, Kumtor Operating Company has started testing Earthbind™, a modern dust control product in an approach road connecting the mine and Bishkek-Karakol motor road.

The Earthbind 100 soil stabilizer is an environmentally-friendly and long-lasting biopolymer agent applied to successfully combat fugitive dust and stabilize the road surface. Also, it is applicable for parking-lots, throughout mining areas and other sectors where dust suppression is required.

Earthbind 100 is formulated with environmentally-friendly resins, biopolymers, and surfactants. The polymer works by binding loose soil together, thus strengthening the soil/aggregate matrix and preventing even the smallest particles from becoming airborne as fugitive dust. In addition, Earthbind™ 100 will add water resistance to the treated soil particles and will not re-solubilize in rainwater and wash off the road after curing. The individual products that are used to create Earthbind™ 100 are all classified as non-carcinogenic, nonflammable, posing no threat to water flora, fauna or mammals, non-corrosive to metal and have been tested in the United States to be safe for humans and the environment.

After a series of tests, KOC will start applying Earthbind™ 100 to unpaved roads on a massive scale, thus reducing dust levels both on the road to and at the mine site. It is diluted in water prior to application and applies quickly without road closures using a water truck or pressurized distributor truck. It should be noted that previously KOC used ordinary water for dust control purposes.

“The dust control concern being familiar to all miners, we give it special attention. Earthbind 100 is a unique modern biopolymer that helps combat dust on motor roads of all types. Significantly, application of a new dust control agent is part of a comprehensive program ensuring improvement of the environmental situation at the mine site and the region at large,” commented Robert Wunder, President of Kumtor Operating Company.