Earthbind®100 is a quality and environmentally-friendly biopolymer modified asphalt emulsion that is specifically engineered to be a highly-effective dust control product. Earthbind®100 is shipped in a liquid concentrated form and is diluted with water for application. For dust control, the Earthbind solution is then applied to the unpaved surface and allowed to soak in. Once the water in the Earthbind® solution evaporates the product, it is considered cured.

Earthbind®100 can be applied using different methods. For dust control, the “Dust Control Management Method” and the “Topical Stabilization Method” are most often used. The following is a brief overview of both methods:

Dust Control Management Method

The objective of the Dust Control Management Method is about managing dust to acceptable levels. It does not necessarily eliminate dust altogether. The surface aggregates that are exposed to traffic do not necessarily contribute to fugitive dust. The source of dust is the silty-fine particles surrounding the road aggregates.

This method is not about giving the road surface a temporary paved look or turning it dark, but rather providing an adequate amount of product to successfully bind the silty-fine particles to control the fugitive dust at a reasonable price.

The Dust Control Management Method is for unpaved roads that typically have low traffic counts but also can also be used on roads with greater traffic counts, but more than one application may be required during the dusty season. In fact, additional well-timed applications of an Earthbind® solution will control dust to acceptable levels on an on-going basis on most unpaved roads regardless of traffic.

The Dust Control Management Method works best on roads that are smooth and well-maintained. Characteristics of a good road include well-graded, compacted and free of potholes, no corrugation, no loose stones, and no powdery material on the surface. This method can also work on roads that are less than ideal. Even though the surface will not be stabilized the applied product can infiltrate and bind the soil/aggregate matrix controlling fugitive dust. In addition, this method can also be very effective for unpaved parking and industrial lots where sharp turning or heavy equipment tear into the surface and break down the aggregates.

For the Dust Control Management Method, Earthbind® concentrate is applied at relatively low dosages. For example, the typical amount of Earthbind® concentrate applied in the Dust Control Management Method is 0.05 to 0.1 gallons per square yard. Dilution for application is commonly 5:1 or 6:1 (Water: Earthbind®100 concentrate).

The Dust Control Management Method is cost-effective and can be attractive to those who plan to perform their own dust control.

Topical Stabilization Method

The “Topical Stabilization Method” is an alternative method for those who want more of a stabilized (hard) surface. This method works well on smooth, “well-maintained” roads with no potholes, corrugations or loose materials that have average daily traffic counts less than what is justified for paving.

The Topical Stabilization Method, in some cases, will give the unpaved surface a temporary “paved” look that can often last the dusty season. This look will eventually disappear under the abrasion of traffic, but adequate levels of dust control are often still maintained.

Normally, for the Topical Stabilization Method, the Earthbind® concentrate is applied at or close to the maximum amount of concentrate in a solution that the unpaved road can absorb at a given time. The typical amount of Earthbind®100 concentrate used for the Topical Stabilization Method is 0.10 to 0.15-gallons of concentrate per square yard. Dilution for application is commonly 5:1 or 6:1 (Water: Earthbind®100 concentrates). Most often, we recommend an Earthbind®100 concentration of 0.12-gallons per square yard, applied using a 5:1 solution.

Typically, the initial concentration of the Topical Stabilization Method can control dust from 6-months to a year or more (depending upon variables such as traffic, material type, etc.). Once established, the duration of dust control can be maintained with periodic maintenance applications (e.g., every 6-months). In fact, if the residual Earthbind is not graded or snowplowed off, there will be remaining product residual that will add to subsequent maintenance applications; therefore, building up inventory, resulting in an accumulative effect. Over time, less and less Earthbind will be required to maintain fines in the road keeping and them from becoming fugitive dust. In fact, Earthbind® can control dust endlessly on a treated unpaved road with proactive maintenance applications.

Please contact EnviRoad for more information regarding dust control on your unpaved road. We will be able to customize an application method to meet your dust management goals.