Dusty Dust Suppressant: Seven-Week Heavy-Traffic Field Trial
How Surekleen Dusty maintained visible surface binding for seven weeks without reapplication under approximately 17,150 vehicle movements.
A Tier 1 mining and oil and gas operator conducted a controlled operational trial of Surekleen Dusty on a heavily trafficked causeway. Dusty was tested alongside the operator’s incumbent dust-suppression treatment under comparable application and operating conditions.
The objective was to determine whether Dusty could provide sustained dust control and surface-fines binding while reducing water use, water-cart activity, grading requirements and associated diesel consumption.
Trial at a Glance
- Seven weeks without reapplication
- Approximately 350 vehicle movements per day
- Approximately 17,150 movements across the observation period
- Approximately 4,900 semi-trailer movements
- Approximately 2,450 medium-vehicle movements
- Approximately 9,800 light-vehicle movements
- 5,688 m² treated with Dusty
- 2,000 litres of Dusty concentrate applied
- No rainfall recorded during the trial
- No Dusty reapplication during the seven-week period
The Operational Challenge
Unsealed roads in high-traffic industrial environments can require frequent watering and grading to manage airborne dust, loose surface fines and progressive road deterioration.
These activities consume significant quantities of water and diesel while tying up water carts, graders, operators and maintenance resources. Performance must also be maintained under sustained movements from semi-trailers, medium vehicles and light vehicles—not simply demonstrated on a low-traffic test area.
The operator was therefore seeking a longer-lasting dust-suppression treatment capable of supporting day-to-day operations with fewer maintenance interventions.
How the Field Trial Was Conducted
Dusty and the incumbent treatment were applied to separately identified sections of the same operational causeway. This provided a direct field comparison while allowing normal site traffic to continue throughout the observation period.
- Separate Dusty and incumbent treatment zones were established.
- Application boundaries were clearly identified for site personnel and road users.
- Applications were completed in favourable conditions with minimal wind.
- Traffic was redirected from each freshly treated area for approximately 24 hours.
- A site-wide notification was issued before application.
- The treated sections remained under normal operational traffic during monitoring.
Dusty Application Record
Dusty was applied over two sections of the causeway using the operator’s established treatment approach.
Total Dusty application: 2,000 litres of Dusty concentrate mixed with 8,000 litres of water across 5,688 m².
Performance Under Sustained Heavy Traffic
The causeway remained under near-continuous operational traffic throughout the seven-week observation period.
The recorded daily traffic profile was approximately:
- 100 semi-trailers
- 50 medium vehicles
- 200 light vehicles
This equated to approximately 350 vehicle movements per day and an estimated 17,150 movements across seven weeks.
At the seven-week inspection, visible soil and surface-fines binding remained evident within the Dusty-treated area. No reapplication had been completed during the observation period.
The original treatment expectation was approximately six weeks. Dusty remained visibly effective beyond that expectation despite sustained heavy-vehicle exposure.
Live Week-Seven Inspection
During the week-seven inspection, a semi-trailer travelled across the Dusty-treated road at approximately 60 km/h.
Field footage showed minimal to no visible dust agitation as the vehicle passed. Close-up inspection also showed fines retained around the aggregate, providing visual evidence that surface binding remained present after seven weeks of operational traffic.
Trial Outcome
The seven-week trial exceeded the original approximately six-week treatment expectation.
- No reapplication was required during the seven-week observation period.
- Visible soil and fines binding remained evident at week seven.
- Performance was maintained under approximately 350 vehicle movements per day.
- Minimal to no visible dust agitation was observed during the recorded week-seven heavy-vehicle pass.
- The treated area remained effective throughout zero-rainfall conditions.
- The Tier 1 operator elected to transition from the incumbent product to Dusty following the successful trial.
What the Trial Demonstrated
Under the conditions of this field trial, Surekleen Dusty provided sustained dust suppression and visible surface-fines binding across seven weeks of heavy operational traffic without reapplication.
The result indicates that Dusty can help suitable mining and industrial operations reduce their dependence on repeated water-cart applications and grading while lowering water consumption, equipment hours, diesel use and associated emissions.
Performance will always depend on site-specific conditions. A controlled site assessment and application plan are recommended before establishing expected treatment life or operational savings.
About Surekleen Dusty
Surekleen Dusty is a bio-derived dust suppressant and soil stabiliser designed for unsealed roads, causeways, hardstands and other dust-prone operational surfaces.
Manufactured in Western Australia by Surekleen—Australia’s Indigenous-owned cleaning chemical manufacturer—Dusty supports organisations seeking practical dust-control performance alongside measurable water, fuel and maintenance efficiencies.
Discuss a Dusty Site Trial
Every road network, soil profile and operating environment is different. Woollahra Group can help assess your application, establish an appropriate treatment plan and define the operational measures required to evaluate performance.
Contact Woollahra Group to discuss a Dusty trial for your site.
