Application
Dust Collection in Mineral Processing
Answer in brief
In mineral processing the dust is both an emission and a health hazard, and the capture points are noisy, wet and awkward.
Crushers and screens generate dust in bursts, which a system sized for average flow will not capture.
- Size capture for the burst, not the average.
- Treat respirable silica as the governing limit.
- Consider wet collection where the process tolerates moisture.
Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026
The problem
Crushing and screening release dust in surges, and the respirable fraction contains crystalline silica with a strict exposure limit.
Desired outcome
A system that captures the surges at the source, keeps operator exposure within the limit and survives abrasive fines in the filter.
Process approach
Enclosures around crushers and screens with properly sized extraction capture the dust before it disperses.
Where the process tolerates water, wet suppression or wet collection avoids handling abrasive fines in a dry filter.
Dry collectors need media and hoppers that cope with abrasive dust, and the discharge valve is a wear part.
- Capture sized for the generation surge.
- Wet or dry collection decided against the process moisture limit.
- Wear-tolerant media, hopper and discharge components.
Selection factors
- Silica content and the exposure limit.
- Air volume needed at each capture point including surges.
- Moisture tolerance of the product.
- Abrasiveness of the collected fines.
- Emission limits at the boundary.
Common failure modes
- Extraction sized for average flow, missing the surge
- Abrasive fines destroying the discharge valve
- Wet suppression pushing the product over its moisture limit
- Operator exposure assessed only at the control room
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