In the production of mechanical rock wool sandwich color steel plates, rock wool dust pollution is a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed. Rock wool fibers are fine and lightweight, easily becoming suspended in the air during cutting, filling, and lamination processes. This not only harms worker health but can also cause equipment malfunctions and environmental pollution. Therefore, optimizing the process to reduce dust pollution requires a comprehensive approach encompassing source control, closed-loop processes, high-efficiency filtration, resource recycling, and intelligent management.
Source control is the fundamental way to reduce dust generation. The production of rock wool core materials should prioritize three-dimensional or pendulum-type processes. These methods use mechanical oscillation or three-dimensional fiber placement technology to create a three-dimensional cross-structure of rock wool fibers, resulting in more uniform fiber distribution and tighter bonding, thereby reducing fiber breakage and scattering during cutting. Simultaneously, adjusting the rock wool density to a reasonable range avoids fiber loosening due to excessively low density or increased cutting resistance and dust generation due to excessively high density. Furthermore, spraying dust-resistant oil or adhesive onto the rock wool surface can further enhance the adhesion between fibers and reduce dust release during cutting.
Ensuring a closed production process is crucial for preventing dust dispersion. At the rock wool cutting station, localized suction arms or sealed dust hoods should be installed. A negative pressure system should be used to directly draw dust generated during cutting into the dust collection duct, preventing leakage. The dust hood design must fit the cutting equipment closely, ensuring the suction area covers the entire work area while maintaining appropriate negative pressure to prevent dust from escaping through gaps. For the rock wool filling process, automated filling equipment can be used to transport rock wool blocks through sealed pipes to the mechanical rock wool sandwich color steel plate, reducing dust generation from manual operations. Furthermore, the overall ventilation system of the production workshop should be optimized to combine positive pressure air supply and negative pressure exhaust, ensuring orderly airflow and preventing dust from flowing back into clean areas.
High-efficiency filtration technology is a key element in purifying dust-laden exhaust gases. The main treatment equipment can be a pulse-jet baghouse dust collector, whose filter bags use PTFE membrane or nanofiber laminated filter media, featuring high efficiency and low resistance, achieving a filtration efficiency of over 99% and a pressure reduction below 800 Pa, significantly reducing operating energy consumption. For large-volume, low-concentration dust-laden waste gas, a combined process of activated carbon adsorption concentration and catalytic combustion can be used. First, activated carbon adsorbs and concentrates organic pollutants in the dust, then catalytic combustion decomposes the organic matter into carbon dioxide and water, achieving synergistic treatment of dust and organic pollutants while saving operating costs. In addition, wet scrubbers are suitable for treating high-temperature or flammable and explosive dust-laden waste gas. Gas-liquid contact is achieved through Venturi tubes or cyclone separators. After dust is captured by the liquid, it undergoes flocculation sedimentation and plate and frame filtration, and fibers can be recovered as a byproduct, achieving resource utilization.
Resource utilization is a sustainable path to reduce dust pollution. The rock wool fibers collected by the dust removal system, after being crushed, can be returned to the production line as recycled raw materials for the production of low-density rock wool boards or sound insulation materials, with a recycling rate exceeding 90%. This not only reduces waste emissions but also lowers raw material consumption, aligning with the development concept of a circular economy. Simultaneously, the wastewater generated by wet dust collection, after flocculation sedimentation and plate and frame filtration, allows the supernatant to be reused in the production process, and the precipitated fibers can also be recycled, further reducing water waste and wastewater treatment costs.
Intelligent monitoring and management are crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of process optimization. By installing dust concentration sensors at dust emission outlets and within the workshop, real-time monitoring of dust emission concentration and worker exposure levels is achieved. When the concentration exceeds the standard, an alarm is automatically triggered, and emergency response measures are initiated. Furthermore, IoT technology enables remote monitoring and intelligent control of the dust removal equipment, dynamically adjusting the cleaning cycle and airflow based on production load and dust concentration, ensuring treatment effectiveness while reducing energy consumption. In addition, regular maintenance of the dust removal equipment, including timely replacement of filter bags or cleaning of accumulated dust, ensures long-term stable operation and prevents dust pollution rebound due to equipment failure.