Concrete batching plant environmental impacts have a profound impact on urban and rural development, residents, and even global environmental quality. The environmental problems generated during the operation of mixing plants are becoming increasingly prominent with the increasing demand for concrete.The issues have caused widespread concern. How to solve the environmental problems of concrete mixing plants?
Low Noise & Less Consumption
Less Emission & Efficient Sealing
Complete Sewage Treatment
Reasonable Waste Disposal Layout
The Main Concrete Batching Plant Environmental Impacts
To solve these problems, the first step is to clarify what are the main environmental impacts of the concrete batching plant.
Noise Pollution
The equipment in the concrete batching plant, like the mixing equipment, conveying equipment, and so on, will produce significant noise during operation, causing interference to the lives and work of surrounding residents.
Dust Pollution
During mixing, transportation and storage, concrete materials are prone to generate dust. These not only affects air quality but also poses a threat to the health of employees.
Wastewater Pollution
During the production process, concrete mixing plant will produce wastewater containing various chemical substances. If discharged untreated, it will cause pollution to the soil and water sources.
Solid Waste
The solid waste generated by the mixing plant includes discharged concrete, packaging bags, aggregates, etc. If not handled properly, it will occupy land resources and cause environmental pollution.
Strategies For Concrete Batching Plant Environmental Impacts
Noise Pollution Treatment In Concrete Batching Plants
Reducing concrete batching plant noise pollution can be addressed from the following aspects.
- Device Updates
Adopting new low-noise equipment. These new equipment with advanced low-noise technology can reduce noise levels significantly.
For example, the new HZS180 concrete mixing plant from LUTON GROUP has adopts a new type of mixer, which has the characteristics of low noise, energy conservation and environmental protection.
In addition, in the pneumatic system of the concrete batching plant, noise reducing system are also used. And designs such as gas-liquid connection buffer cylinders are used to reduce the impact and noise of the cylinders at the end of the stroke.
- Installing Shock Absorbers
Installing shock-absorbing devices for concrete mixing equipment can reduce vibration conduction and effectively reduce noise generation, such as shock pads, shock absorbers and so on.
- Closed Design
Install windproof walls and sound barriers to limit the spread of noise. For example, foam sandwich boards with good sound insulation effect for the whole mixing plant, sound insulation board for the host, and the insulation hollow bricks for the closed batching yard, etc.
Dust Prevention And Control In Concrete Batching Plants
By various methods the dust pollution problem in concrete batching plants can be comprehensively and efficiently addressed. These methods include enclosed design, dust removal equipment configuration, wet treatment, covering materials, mechanical dust removal, regular cleaning, reasonable layout as well as strengthened management and monitoring, etc.
- Closed Design
Design a closed system for the concrete batching plant, aggregate batching yard, and aggregate conveyor belt. Use well sealed baffles and covers to prevent dust from leaking into the air.
It should be ensured that all connections are sealed and firmly secured to prevent dust from overflowing from the interface.
- Configure Dust Removal Equipment
In the material weighing and mixing process of the batching plant, a negative pressure pulse bag filter is installed to effectively capture and adsorb dust in the air, reducing dust emissions. When the dust collector is in effective working condition, the average concentration limit of dust generated by the weighing system and mixing system can be less than 1000ng/m3, which meets industry standards.
Install intelligent sprinkle device at the top of the aggregate feeding and loading process, as well as at the hopper of the aggregate loading and unloading point. When the dust concentration sensor detects that the dust concentration reaches a certain limit, the control system automatically opens the solenoid valve, booster pump, etc. At the same time, the high-pressure nozzle sprays high-pressure mist like water vapor, to accelerate the settling of dust and suppressing its diffusion.
What’s more, during the powder storage process, ensure that the connection of the conveying pipeline is sealed and firmly reliable to prevent dust from overflowing from the interface.
- Wet Treatment
Install sprinkler devices around the concrete batching plant to spray water mist, effectively reducing the diffusion of dust.
Install a water spray device at the discharge port of the mixing plant to spray water mist onto the concrete and reduce the generation of dust.
- Covering Material
Cover the mixing plant with dust nets or set up temporary fences to effectively block the spread of dust.
Use covering materials to cover the concrete stacking area and reduce the flying of dust.
- Mechanical Dust Removal
Install dust removal equipment, such as dust collectors and dust removal fans, to directly suck the dust into the equipment for filtration and treatment, reducing dust emissions.
- Regular Cleaning
Regularly clean the mixing plant, especially for equipment and sites that are prone to generating dust, regular cleaning and maintenance should be carried out to avoid accumulation and dust.
- Reasonable Layout
When designing and arranging the batching plant, the equipment position and ventilation system should be reasonably set to avoid dust diffusion.
- Strengthen Management And Monitoring
Establish a scientific and reasonable monitoring system, regularly test and record dust emission data for effective management and control.
Wastewater Pollution Solution In Concrete Batching Plant
As to the issue of water pollution in concrete batching plants, it is necessary to establish a wastewater treatment system to precipitate, filter and purify the wastewater. It ensures the wastewater of the mixing plant meets the discharge standards or is recycled.
- Physical Method
The physical method mainly separates solid substances, suspended substances, and organic matter from wastewater through filtration, sedimentation, adsorption, and other methods, achieving the goal of purifying wastewater.
- Chemical Method
The chemical method involves the addition of chemical agents for oxidation-reduction reactions, which decompose pollutants into relatively simple substances for easy separation and treatment.
Chemical methods have significant effects in treating organic compounds, heavy metals, and other pollutants in wastewater.
- Biological Method
The biological method utilizes microbial communities to decompose organic compounds in wastewater, converting them into inorganic substances and water, to purify the wastewater.
Biological methods include biofilter and activated sludge processes.
- Comprehensive Method
Integrated method is the comprehensive application of various treatment methods such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc. In practical operation, multiple treatment methods can be combined based on the water quality, quantity, and treatment requirements of wastewater to achieve better treatment results.
Solid Waste Treatment In Concrete Batching Plant
The concrete batching plant generates a large amount of solid waste during the production process, such as discarded concrete, aggregate residue, packaging bags, etc. If these waste are not handled properly, they will cause not only resource waste, but also pollution to the environment. Therefore, developing a scientific and reasonable solid waste treatment plan is crucial for the green production of concrete batching plants.
- Classification Collection And Storage
Classify and collect solid waste, such as discarded concrete, aggregate residue, packaging bags, etc. Set up a dedicate waste storage area inside the mixing plant. The storage area should be far away from the production and office areas to avoid affecting normal production activities.
Clear signs and warning signs should be set up in the storage area to remind employees to pay attention to safety.
- Disposal Of Waste Concrete
For high-performance waste concrete, it can be downgraded and used for the production of low-grade concrete.
For waste concrete with poor performance, a sand and gravel separator can be used to separate the aggregates and mortar. The aggregates can be used for further production, while the mortar can be used for production water or other purposes.
For unusable waste concrete, backfilling treatment or sending it to a designated garbage disposal site can be considered.
- Treatment Of Aggregate Residue
Aggregate residue mainly refers to stones and sand generated during the production process, which can be reused through screening, cleaning, and other methods.
The screened aggregate residue can be classified and stored according to different specifications for the production of concrete with different requirements.
The cleaned aggregate residue can be used for producing plain concrete or as roadbed material.
- Packaging Bag Processing
Packaging bags are mainly packaging bags for raw materials such as cement and admixtures, which should be classified, stored, and recycled. For intact packaging bags, they can be reused after cleaning and disinfection, reducing production costs.
For damaged and unusable packaging bags, they can be sent to the designated recycling station for recycling.
- Recycling Technology
Introducing recycled aggregate recycling technology, the discarded concrete blocks are crushed, screened, and cleaned before being reused as aggregates in concrete formulation, achieving the goal of reduction and resource recycling.
Encourage the research and application of new technologies and equipment to improve the recycling and treatment efficiency of solid waste.
Conclusion And Outlook
The environmental impacts of concrete mixing plants cannot be ignored, and practical and effective measures need to be taken to solve them. Through efforts in noise control, dust prevention, wastewater treatment, and solid waste management, the negative impact of batching plants on the environmental protection technology and the continuous improvement of environmental awareness, concrete batching plants are expected to achieve green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable development.
