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Combustibility Determination for Cotton Gin Dust and Almond Huller Dust
- Source :
- Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health. 23:125-132
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), 2017.
-
Abstract
- It has been documented that some dusts generated while processing agricultural products, such as grain and sugar, can constitute combustible dust hazards. After a catastrophic dust explosion in a sugar refinery in 2008, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiated action to develop a mandatory standard to comprehensively address the fire and explosion hazards of combustible dusts. Cotton fiber and related materials from cotton ginning, in loose form, can support smoldering combustion if ignited by an outside source. However, dust fires and other more hazardous events, such as dust explosions, are unknown in the cotton ginning industry. Dust material that accumulates inside cotton gins and almond huller plants during normal processing was collected for testing to determine combustibility. Cotton gin dust is composed of greater than 50% inert inorganic mineral dust (ash content), while almond huller dust is composed of at least 7% inert inorganic material. Inorganic mineral dust is not a combustible dust. The collected samples of cotton gin dust and almond huller dust were sieved to a known particle size range for testing to determine combustibility potential. Combustibility testing was conducted on the cotton gin dust and almond huller dust samples using the UN test for combustibility suggested in NFPA 652.. This testing indicated that neither the cotton gin dust nor the almond huller dust should be considered combustible dusts (i.e., not a Division 4.1 flammable hazard per 49 CFR 173.124).
- Subjects :
- Safety Management
Poison control
Mineral dust
Combustion
complex mixtures
Fires
chemistry.chemical_compound
parasitic diseases
Accidents, Occupational
Humans
Cotton Fiber
Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Flammable liquid
Waste management
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
food and beverages
Cotton gin dust
Dust
Prunus dulcis
United States
respiratory tract diseases
Combustibility
chemistry
Environmental science
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S
Dust explosion
Sugar refinery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19437846 and 10747583
- Volume :
- 23
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4ad633da0a46594f18660c3602fc5f2f