The role of sodium lignosulfonate in road, soil and dust control
The stabilizing effect of compacted gravel pavement with sodium lignosulfonate provides a hard wearing surface that withstands damage caused by heavy traffic, prevents holes and small gullies in the road, and reduces dust. If the slope needs to be corrected, the maintenance cost is greatly reduced to a small degree, and when the road is to be rebuilt and renovated a low grade of gravel can be used, and the road wear strength is greatly increased.
The stabilization of dikes, dunes and tailings piles with the use of sodium lignosulfonate eliminates wind erosion and provides some protection against water erosion. When these areas have been seeded during stabilization, sodium lignosulfonate holds the surface until the seeds germinate. Without retarding its growth, sodium lignosulfonate can also increase the growth rate of the seeds in some occasions.
The use of sodium lignosulfonate solutions for dust control has proven beneficial in many villages, in open pit mining operations. Continuous treatment of the road surface has reduced dust to operational levels and greatly reduced maintenance costs for machinery and equipment, even allowing the road to be heavily loaded during the spring snow melt and reducing road maintenance costs.
In the tundra, sodium lignosulfonate is used by pipeline transmission companies and energy companies to stabilize and avoid movement of installations due to freezing. Injection of sodium lignosulfonate into the freeze line can mitigate the movement of capillary water, which is the cause of freezing.