Abstract
The abrasive blasting industry is identified as the most unsafe operation in terms of potential exposure to airborne crystalline silica. This is due to the free silica content in the common abrasives that are used for blasting activities. This paper will identify a sustainability-based or green blasting media to replace free silica content abrasives for blasting activities. The characteristics of sustainability-based abrasives are determined based on systematic review procedure. The combination keywords of “Abrasive blasting”, “Garnet’’, “Free Silica Media”, “Sustainable blasting”, “Eco-friendly blasting”, “Glass Bead blasting” and “Green blasting” were used to collect the existing studies on abrasive blasting operations. Six characteristics of green abrasives were identified: (1) zero content of free silica, (2) high efficiency and productivity, (3) low consumption media (4) low amount of waste generation and emission potentials (5) high recyclability and (6) environmentally friendly in line with sustainable development goals SDG3, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15. The application of green abrasives as substitution to free silica media is therefore important not only for safety and health reasons, but also for the environmental protection and sustainable business operations.
Highlights
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded that, from 2001 to 2010, about 2 million workers in the US are potentially exposed to the respirable crystalline silica, which places the workers at risk of suffering silicosis [2], possibly in the form of chronic, accelerated or acute of the illness [3]
Operators in the basting industry, the selection of media that contain less than of silica is operators in the basting industry, the selection of media that contain less than 1% of silica timely to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous gases and free silica dust (OSHA, 2014)
Glass dust is classified by OSHA/NIOSH as only “nuisance” dust because it contains less than 0.1% free silica [43,44,45]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Considering the safety precaution and effective operations of blasting activities, the most efficient or productive abrasives selection is critical. This study aimed to identify potential characteristics of blasting media as an alternative to free silica content abrasives for blasting activities in line with the Sustainable. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8130 media as an alternative to free silica content abrasives for blasting activities in line 2with of 13 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Figure 1). Of silica is operators in the basting industry, the selection of media that contain less than 1% of silica timely to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous gases and free silica dust (OSHA, 2014). Is timely to reduce the risk of exposure to hazardous gases and free silica dust
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