Suppression of Soil Dust Emissions from Large-Scale Construction Sites Using Starch and Polyvinyl Alcohol

Jong-Soo Choi, Dong-Su Kim, Yu-Lim Choi, Lakshmi Lingamdinne, Janardhan Koduru, Jae-Kyu Yang, Yoon-Young Chang

OAI: oai:igi-global.com:250220 • DOI: 10.4018/IJCCE.2019070104

Soil dust emitted from large-scale construction sites in urban areas impacts air quality and creates a severe health threat to residents. Water spraying is commonly practiced to lower dust emission in construction sites, but its long-term effectiveness is questionable. In this study the utility of starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and a blend of starch and PVA in various proportions was investigated for the suppression of soil dust emissions at construction sites in Seoul. The efficiency of each dust suppressant was tested with test soil samples in a laboratory-scale wind tunnel box under different concentrations of suppressants and soil textures. Starch and PVA showed superior ability to suppress soil dust emissions compared to moistening bare soil, resulting in PM10 lower than the daily limit values of 30 μg/m3. PVA showed higher soil dust suppression capability for all conditions over starch. Test soils sprayed with dust suppressants significantly improved aggregate stability compared to untreated soils.

Chemical Engineering Science and Engineering Chemical Engineering