AIRsteril Goes Underground to Save Lives
The underground mining industry faces severe and ongoing air quality challenges that significantly threaten workers' health and safety. Mining activities such as drilling, blasting, and material handling generate large quantities of dust, harmful gases, and particulate matter. In underground settings, the confined environment exacerbates the problem, allowing these contaminants to accumulate in hazardous concentrations. Among the most dangerous contaminants are fine and ultra-fine particles such as coal dust and silica, which are easily respirable and can penetrate deep into the lungs, leading to chronic, irreversible diseases like coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis.
The air quality risks in mining are not limited to dust alone; harmful gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, and diesel emissions from mining equipment also pose constant threats. Methane, in particular, presents an explosion hazard, while carbon monoxide – a colourless, odourless gas – can cause poisoning when ventilation systems fail to properly disperse it. Despite the use of traditional ventilation systems and dust suppression methods, these approaches often struggle to manage the most dangerous pollutants, especially the fine particulate matter and gases that are harder to capture or filter out.
Addressing these severe air quality risks requires a more advanced and efficient solution, and this is where AirSteril technology shines. Developed by the UK-based company AirSteril Ltd., the AirSteril system was launched in 2009 to improve air and surface purification across various industries. Originally designed for healthcare, food processing plants, public spaces, and industrial environments, AirSteril's technology is now working to address the specific air quality and airborne particulate matter issues facing the mining industry. Since 2017, AirSteril has been available in Australia, offering its air purification capabilities to high-risk environments like underground mining.
AirSteril operates by leveraging two key technologies: hydroxyl radicals and negative ion generation. This combination provides a dual-action approach to managing air contaminants. Hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive molecules that neutralise harmful gases, including methane and carbon monoxide, by converting them into harmless substances like water and carbon dioxide. Simultaneously, AirSteril’s negative ion technology binds to airborne dust particles, causing them to clump together and fall out of the air, significantly reducing the concentration of respirable dust. This dual-action system effectively addresses both the dust and gas hazards prevalent in mining operations.
The success of AirSteril technology in healthcare environments underscores its potential application in underground mining, where similar challenges of air quality management exist. In hospitals, where pathogen control is critical, AirSteril’s technology has demonstrated its ability to reduce airborne bacteria, viruses, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thereby creating safer environments for patients and healthcare workers. The same technology can be applied to underground mines to neutralise dust and gas hazards, providing continuous air purification and addressing the limitations of traditional ventilation systems.
In mining environments, AirSteril technology offers significant benefits for managing dangerous gases. Methane and carbon monoxide, which are persistent threats in mines, can be continuously neutralised by hydroxyl radicals, converting them into non-toxic by-products. The negative ion technology targets the fine and ultra-fine particulate matter that traditional systems struggle to manage. These ions bind to the particles, making them heavier and causing them to fall out of the air, reducing the risk of respiratory diseases for miners.
Several research studies conducted between 2020 and 2024 have explored the potential of air purification technologies in industrial settings, including underground mining. These studies highlighted the challenges faced by the mining industry and reviewed the potential for hydroxyl radicals and negative ions to mitigate air quality risks. Research has demonstrated that negative ion generators can reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by up to 50% in enclosed environments, such as offices and industrial clean rooms. Similarly, hydroxyl radical generators have shown the ability to reduce harmful gases by up to 80% in controlled environments, breaking them down into harmless components.
One study conducted by South Korea’s Institute for Occupational Health Research found that in manufacturing facilities with high levels of airborne dust, negative ions reduced concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 by 45%. This study emphasised that effective ionisation required strategic deployment to optimise airflow and maximise particle aggregation.
Another key study from China University of Mining and Technology in 2024 demonstrated that electrostatic dust collectors, which operate similarly to negative ion generators, removed 80% to 95% of dust particles, especially in the fine and ultra-fine ranges. This study, focusing on coal mines, reinforced the potential for AirSteril’s ionisation technologies in the mining industry.
While the direct application of hydroxyl and negative ion technologies in active mining environments is still an emerging field, the studies conducted in related industrial environments provide compelling evidence of their effectiveness. By introducing negative ions and hydroxyl radicals into underground mines, companies can significantly reduce the presence of harmful contaminants in the air, improving both the health and safety of their workers.
The adaptability of AirSteril’s technology is a critical factor in its potential for the mining industry. Designed to complement, rather than replace, traditional ventilation and dust suppression systems, AirSteril reduces the overall load of airborne contaminants, enhancing the effectiveness of these systems and reducing the frequency of maintenance required for dust collectors. The continuous generation of hydroxyl radicals and negative ions ensures that air quality is managed in real-time, reducing both dust and gas concentrations across the entire underground operation.
The legal and financial implications of poor air quality in mining operations are significant. Mining companies are increasingly held accountable for the health and safety of their workers, and failure to address air quality risks can lead to costly legal challenges, damage to reputation, and stricter regulatory scrutiny. By proactively investing in air purification technologies like AirSteril, mining companies can not only protect their workforce but also reduce their exposure to legal risks and demonstrate their commitment to worker safety.
The combination of hydroxyl radicals and negative ions, as used in AirSteril’s technology, presents a powerful solution to the persistent air quality challenges faced by the mining industry. The studies and research conducted in recent years clearly demonstrate the potential of this technology to significantly reduce the presence of fine dust and harmful gases in underground mining environments. By investing in advanced air purification systems like AirSteril, mining companies can enhance worker health, improve operational efficiency, and position themselves as leaders in occupational safety.
For further information, please contact Stephanie Moore at 0436 607 488 or visit https://amtg.com.au.