Combustible dust explosions are a risk in virtually any industrial manufacturing facility. Materials that are combustible as a solid will usually present a deflagration and/or explosion hazard when finely divided into fine particulate through various manufacturing processes. Combustible dusts include most organic materials and many metals.
Wet scrubbers and dry media dust collectors are two very different technologies used to capture these dusts. EHS managers are faced with a balancing act of finding the best and most cost-efficient equipment to minimize explosion hazards while also keeping emissions below required thresholds to safeguard workers’ health.