Northern Alberta community recruits Rhino Snot in battle against dusty rural roads When the snow and ice have finally melted and spring arrives, rural towns and villages in Western Canada face their next climatic test: Clouds of dust, which can last from April until October. The dust is everywhere and gets onto and into everything, including roads and cars. To combat this plague, the Village of Berwyn, Alberta is running a trial road resurfacing project in June that will use a U.S.-made dust-suppressant called Rhino Snot on almost four kilometres of its gravel roads. According to Berwyn councillor John Bak, the small agricultural service centre in northwestern Alberta, population 500, had initially planned to pave three blocks of gravel roads for an estimated $520,000. But, by using Rhino Snot, Berwyn will now be able to resurface every metre of the 3.86 kilometres of gravel road in the village for only $283,000, a difference of $237,000, or almost one-half of the cost of paving the roads. “Because of the savings involved, it was a no-brainer to go with Rhino Snot,” Bak said. Known more politely as Envirotac II, Rhino Snot is a water soluble, vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymer that is used for soil stabilization and dust abatement. According to Environmental Products and Applications, Inc., its California-based manufacturer, Rhino Snot is a proprietary blend of polymers that use long-chain nanotechnology (the manipulation of matter at an atomic or molecular level) to form bonds between aggregates at a microscopic level. Rhino Snot penetrates and coats the surface of the soils, gravel and sands on which it is applied. After it has dried, it forms a water-proof, UV-resistant, solid bond which binds the material particles. Rhino Snot makes materials that normally could not support heavy loads strong enough to be used for roads, parking lots and other heavy traffic areas. The manufacturer also states that Rhino Snot is environmentally friendly. The road-resurfacing product is supposed to produce 70 per cent fewer volatile organic compounds than asphalt road, and 60 per cent fewer sulfur dioxides and nitrogen dioxides, due to reduced equipment requirements. It also claims a reduction of up to 80 percent in greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, over traditional asphalt methods. The product got its unusual moniker from U.S. troops at Camp Rhino in Afghanistan, where it is used to control dust at aircraft landing sites. The Village of Berwyn will be providing 8,200 gallons of Rhino Snot in liquid form to the project. General contractor Cal-R Contracting 2001 Ltd. of Fairview, AB will take care of equipment and labour. Owner-operator Randy Rapson said the project will require a grader, packer, water truck (which will apply the Rhino Snot) and back-hoe. “I had never heard of Rhino Snot before this trial project came up,” he said. “I haven’t done anything like this before and it will be a whole new test for us.” Rapson said the project will require some experimentation. “We’re going to peel off four inches of gravel and then reapply it with Rhino Snot,” he said. “But, we’re going to have to figure out how to do it without getting the gravel all over the residents’ lawns. We’re also going to have to work out how to take our equipment over the manholes on the streets without damaging them. I’ll discuss all this with our grader operator, who is one of the best and most experienced in the area.” The trial begins in early June and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. After a year, the road will be sealed. “It should last for 20 years,” said Bak. “Resurfacing the gravel roads is a cheaper and more flexible solution for us than paving, which needs to be repaired every spring, when cracks and pot holes appear.” According to Alberta Transportation, about 10 per cent of Alberta’s roadways are gravel and are prone to getting dirty and dusty in the non-winter months. Melinda Steenbergen with Alberta Transportation said the ministry considers dust a problem if there is a safety concern with poor visibility. “Then dust control can be implemented,” she said. She added that various products have been used in Alberta to control dust, including calcium chloride, tree sap and plain water.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Jun 2013 02:37:20 +0000
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