An Economical and Sustainable Dust Suppressant for Gravel Roads

Details

• Alternative Title:
  TR-813 an Economical and Sustainable Dust Suppressant for Gravel Roads [Project title from cover]
• Creators:
  Yellavajjala, Ravi Kiran ; Hesami, Maedeh
• Corporate Creators:
  Arizona State University. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
• Corporate Contributors:
  Iowa Highway Research Board ; Iowa. Department of Transportation
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Air Pollution Calcium Chloride Dust Control Field Studies Gels Organic Polymers Sodium Chloride Soil Types Unpaved Roads
• Publication/ Report Number:
  IHRB Project TR-813
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: 6/1/2023-08/21/2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Iowa Highway Research Board ; Iowa Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Air pollution from fugitive dust poses a significant health risk to the population in rural and arid regions. Conventional chloride-based suppressants offer temporary dust control, leading to soil contamination and infrastructure corrosion. This study proposes the synthesis of a starch-based powder that regenerates into a hydrogel for dust mitigation, owing to its agglomeration and crust-forming abilities. The hydrogel was synthesized by thermally degrading amylopectin-rich starch, undergoing a freeze-thaw cycle, and pulverizing it into powder. The powder was then added to hot water (>65°C) at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3% by weight of solution to form regenerated amylopectin starch hydrogel (RASH). Dust suppression performance was evaluated using PISWERL (Portable in-situ Wind Erosion Lab) to assess wind erosion rates, and penetration tests to measure crust strength. Results demonstrated that 1%wt. RASH achieved a 100% reduction in wind erosion rates, even at a speed of 90 km/h. This is attributed to the agglomeration of soil grains and the formation of a thick crust. Field tests over 20 days confirmed sustained PM10 suppression in extreme arid conditions (39°C) across various soil types. As a result, a novel, energy-efficient starch-based dust suppressant is proposed, offering a low-cost and scalable solution for long-term dust control in arid climates.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d0914588ff1fd4b4cdd89aac6debf209b51290cd84dc2e23e43c7608e881bf1512ef06badbc5b09e89f366567261568eb17ffa704a1a0ac30885024944d7b121
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/87606/dot_87606_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 12.47 MB ]