There are many negative consequences from dust production, such as environmental concerns, vehicle damage, and health and safety hazards. Products such as Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride help to simplify dust control effectively. These chlorides work to maintain and stabilize unpaved roadways and large dust-producing areas.
While Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride are similar products, their chemical makeup causes these dust suppressants to vary slightly in their effectiveness depending on application location and concentration. Read more to find out which dust control product is best for your needs.
Calcium Chloride as a Dust Suppressant
Calcium Chloride is a hygroscopic salt that is available in both liquid and flake form. It takes the moisture from the air and dampens the road surface to reduce dust production. The average commercial concentration of this dust suppressant ranges from 35-38%.
Typically, calcium chloride dust control products have a higher concentration compared to magnesium chloride products. This means that application requires less product to achieve the same effect as magnesium chloride. Calcium chloride products can be slightly more expensive than magnesium chloride products in some cases. However, the less product required ends up making the total cost roughly the same.
If you are working in a hot and dry environment, you may want to consider choosing a calcium chloride dust control solution. Calcium chloride remains in liquid form even in dry, high heat, while magnesium chloride turns solid under these conditions, thus providing different benefits. This slight difference can play an important factor in deciding what product is right for your dust control job.
See Calcium Chloride Dust Control ProductMagnesium Chloride as a Dust Control Solution
Magnesium Chloride is another hygroscopic salt that absorbs moisture from the air and keeps roadways damp upon application. This process effectively minimizes dust particles from escaping. Magnesium Chloride dust control is also available in liquid and flake form.
Magnesium chloride contains smaller molecules compared to calcium chloride. The dust control ability of both chlorides comes from their chemical makeup and the ability of water ions to bond to the metal ions of calcium and magnesium. Since the magnesium chloride molecules are smaller, the charge between these bonds of water and metal ions are distributed across a smaller surface area, resulting in a stronger electrical field. This means that the water ions will not be able to evaporate and will instead remain in liquid state, keeping the road moist and the dust particles secured on the surface. This makes magnesium chloride a slightly stronger road stabilizer. Despite this distinct difference in chemical makeup, magnesium chloride cannot be considered significantly more effective at stabilizing roads than calcium chloride, and both dust suppressants prove to be powerful solutions.
Both calcium and magnesium chloride have the potential to have corrosive effects on applied surfaces, with magnesium chloride containing a slightly higher risk. With this being said, the corrosive effects of both dust control solutions are minimal.
See Magnesium Chloride Dust Control ProductBenefits of Both Magnesium Chloride and Calcium Chloride
Both hygroscopic salts are effective dust control solutions. Utilizing one or both of these products leads to stronger road surface stability due to moisture absorbing properties and the strong bond created between the road particles. In addition, minimizing dust production from unpaved roadways results in better air quality. Driver’s travel is safer with greater road visibility, as there are less dust particles floating around. Treating roadways with magnesium or calcium chloride products allows them to require less maintenance and endure less damage.
No matter what chloride product you choose for your dust control solution, making sure to find the right company to apply your chemical is essential for maximum benefits. Rasevic Company offers premium dust control services.