Making Explosives From Waste Oil

Overview

The disposal of used hydrocarbon oils at remote mining sites can be expensive, as often they must be transported over long distances to a suitable treatment plant for recycling or disposal. As petrochemicals are used to manufacture bulk explosives, an environmentally responsible disposal method is to formulate the waste oil into the explosives that are also used at the mine. This project involves developing explosives made with minimally treated waste oil at remote mine sites.

Status

The project is continuing and, if successful, will result in the technology being implemented at many of the remote mines we service. The project has been successful at several sites and we continue to work with our customers to evaluate opportunities for further implementation.

Results

Success is measured by: the number of sites the project is implemented at and the percentage of waste oil blends to total diesel usage at those sites.

It is too early to report results.