Greenwich, CT -
Equipment rental leader United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI) recently partnered with Dallas Contracting, a provider of specialized demolition services, aggregate crushing and equipment salvage, to pilot a new technology that has successfully suppressed large-scale dust emissions. The DustBoss dust suppression system, a new product development offered by United Rentals, was tested by Dallas Contracting at the Essroc Cement Corp. production facility in Martinsburg, W.V. A portion of the plant needed to be demolished prior to Essroc's planned site renovation.
Dallas Contracting undertook the demolition of 14 silos and several other structures in July 2006. All structures had extensive exterior dust accumulation, said John Sisto, president of Dallas Contracting, and many of the silos contained some cement powder.
"Demolition of these structures posed a significant dust control challenge for Dallas Contracting, our jobsite crews and our customer's employees," Sisto said. "The conventional method of controlling dust is labor intensive and only moderately effective, requiring workers to man fire hoses. That methodology creates water droplets 300 to 3,000 microns in size, which are too large to effectively control the dust emissions typical of a demolition project. In addition, dust suppression via fire hoses is an inefficient use of labor and natural resources. United Rentals recommended a better method."
United Rentals offered Dallas Contracting the opportunity to pilot the patent-pending DustBoss dust suppression system.. The DustBoss is a fully automatic, oscillating ducted fan that incorporates a high-pressure water misting system to create a Virtual Dust Barrier™. "The DustBoss system can connect to a normal garden hose. It eliminates the manual labor and high water volumes typical of a manned fire hose operation," explained Brian Mauriello, director of new product development for United Rentals. "In addition, the DustBoss blankets between 5,500 and 21,000 square feet with a mist of 50 to 75 micron-sized water particles. This is the optimal size for agglomeration of dust particles; the dust is effectively coated and driven to the ground."
Dallas Contracting used two DustBoss units with portable generators at the Essroc plant over a period of a month. The units were positioned to create a dust barrier between the area to be demolished and the active plant. Representatives of the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) were onsite to observe the units in operation. "The units were very effective in suppressing dust emissions; consequently no dust complaints were filed. This is an indication of a very successful dust control operation," Sisto said. "We were very pleased with the effectiveness of the DustBoss system on this project. The demolition of the silos was a potential dust pollution and health nightmare, and United Rentals effectively resolved this challenge for us. We would definitely rent these units again for a project of this nature."
Mauriello said, "The DustBoss shows great promise as a dust control solution, especially for our demolition customers. Our objective is to provide our customers with innovative equipment technologies that solve their jobsite challenges and improve their productivity. We also work to create awareness of new products, so that contractors can make the best possible choices for their specific needs. And if an adequate solution doesn't exist in the market, we listen to our customers and work with our supply base to create solutions that enable our customers to succeed."
About United Rentals
United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world, with an integrated network of more than 760 rental locations in 48 states, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company's 14,000 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers for rent more than 20,000 classes of equipment with a total original cost of $4.2 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index® and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at www.unitedrentals.com.
About Dallas Contracting Co., Inc.
Dallas Contracting Co., Inc. has been in business for 26 years, is financially sound (D&B Rating of 3A2), is bondable, and works on a nationwide basis. Dallas Contracting Co., Inc. offers a turnkey approach to demolition, concrete recycling and remediation projects by offering the following services under one roof: demolition, building demolition, onsite concrete aggregate crushing and recycling, environmental remediation, rigging, brownfield redevelopment, surplus and used equipment sales, interior demolition, equipment removals, dismantlement, equipment salvage and scrap metal recycling.
About Essroc Italcementi
Essroc is a leading North American cement producer headquartered in Nazareth, Penn., with an annual capacity of 7 million metric tons. Essroc is a member of Italcementi Group, one of the largest cement producers in the world, based in Bergamo, Italy.
Contact:
Nicole Salas
Manager, Corporate Communications
United Rentals, Inc.
(203) 618-7246
[email protected]
Damon Kozul, PE, CHMM
Operations Manager
Dallas Contracting Co., Inc.
(908) 668-0600
[email protected]
Marco Barbesta
Director of Communications
Essroc Italcementi Group
(610 )837-3725
[email protected]