Experimental investigation on PM2.5 particle emission during polishing of granite

Abstract

Particle emission during manufacturing processes, whether chemical, physical or mechanical can represent a serious danger for environment and for occupational safety. Especially machining processes, particle emission could have an important impact on shop floor air quality and might jeopardise workers’ health. It is therefore important to find ways of reducing the particle emission at the source of manufacturing processes. To do so, there is a need to know the size, the quantity and the distribution of particles produced by processes currently used in industry. In this study, investigations are done to compare the particle emission (PM2.5) when polishing two granites (black and white). The black granite contained low Si concentration (about 10% Si) and the white granite contained high Si concentration (about 50% Si). Particle emission was monitored using the DustTrak II equipment with 2.5 μm impactor. The particle grain size was evaluated using X-ray diffraction techniques. Machining conditions leading to the generation of finer particles were identified.