As towns continue to sprawl further into rural areas, controlling dust at livestock operations has become an important issue. Of course, dust is created by livestock in pens, but considerable dust is also stirred up by feed trucks and other vehicles traveling down feedlot roads. An Iowa civil engineer has come up with an idea to minimize dust created by roads.

Mixing bentonite with limestone aggregate
The idea is to mix eight percent sodium bentonite with limestone aggregate and apply it to the top surface of existing limestone roads. Water is added in the mixing process. Another idea is to grade a windrow of an existing limestone surface and then add the bentonite and mix in with a motor grader.

The use of bentonite for dust control of feedlot roads was suggested by the Texas Sodium Bentonite Company, located at Comanche, Texas. The idea originated at the civil engineering department at Iowa State University by Dr. Ken Bergeson. This research was highlighted by the US Roads web site (www.usroads.com). The test compared three to twelve percent sodium bentonite, and eight percent appeared to be the best mixture for a “cost/benefit standpoint” according the report.

Benefits over calcium chloride
There appears to be several advantages for sodium bentonite compared to calcium chloride or lignin sulfonate. After blading to correct potholes or washboarding the effectiveness of calcium chloride or lignin sulfonate is minimized. ©