The objective of the $470,000 study is to complete development of a suitable polymer to potentially replace all current uses of stone dust, and then to demonstrate its inerting abilities in large scale explosion tests.

The final polymer will have no deleterious occupational health or environmental issues.

A goal of reducing the current in place cost by 50% has been set, at the same level of explosion suppression effectiveness as conventional stone dusting.

“This product would have international potential to replace current stone dusting materials,” ACARP said in its project summary.

“Given investigations to date, the likelihood of success is high. It is estimated that potential direct cost savings to the industry would be measured in tens of millions of dollars, with possibly even greater savings by reducing production stoppages for remedial stone dusting.”

Industry monitors gave approval to revise the work program.

The revised work program will investigate the coating of an inorganic hydroxide and a product known as “dry water” to life and handlability of the materials for the purposes of being a replacement for stone dust.

The first stage of work is to undertake laboratory tests of the compatibility of UV catalysed polymer to bond to the base materials and the acceptance of using a commercial bench scale coating system.

Given satisfactory outcomes, work will move to bench scale production of trial products to undertake dry and explosion inerting tests.