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Dust emission is a generic term for dust that is emitted directly into the atmosphere without a certain discharge port (Cohen et al., 2005; Petkova, Jack, Volavka-Close, & Kinney, 2013). In general, dust in the atmosphere is made up of fine suspended particles that are less than 50 µm. These are called total suspended particles (TSP). The TSP includes less than 10 µm of particulate matter-10 (PM10), and less than 2.5 µm of particulate matter-2.5 (PM2.5). According to the 2015 National Institute of Environmental Science statistical data, TSP and PM10 are among the biggest contributors of pollution caused by dust emissions. Most air pollutants are primarily due to dust emissions. Recently, the National Institute of Environmental Science has mandated the forecast and broadcast of fine dust PM10 readings for the metropolitan area (Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi) taking into account atmospheric environmental standards and health impacts. As shown in Table 1, based on the daily average, it is divided into four levels (Park, 2018).
Table 1. Daily limit value for PM10
Dust Concentration
(µg/m3, day) | Good | Normal | Bad | Very Bad |
| Fine dust, PM10 | 0~30 | 31~80 | 81~150 | 151~ |
In 2017, 97% (1,751) construction site locations, out of a total of 1,805 locations, reported soil particle scattering in Seoul. Most of the related complaints started at the construction site. Currently, there are intermittent water sprays, water-soluble salt sprays, dust covers, and dust nets being used as countermeasures against the emission of soil dust at these construction sites, but the effects are temporary, and more sustainable measures are required (Seo, 2011).
Starch, a water-soluble natural polymer substance, has a polymer structure consisting of several hundred monomer units. Amylose in the polymer is connected through a straight chain, and amylopectin is connected through a branch chain in the form of a tree branch. Amylose shows a tendency to easily retrograde and precipitate upon cooling. These structural features are biodegradable (Priya et al., 2014) and non-toxic (Lu, Wang, Li, & Huang, 2018; Wang, Li, Copeland, Niu, & Wang, 2015).
On the other hand, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble surface-active polymer that has excellent film formation, adhesive properties, and it is biodegradable (Priya et al., 2014). PVA, when applied to soil particles, binds the soil surface giving an adhesive effect and also increasing the moisture retention quality of the soil by increasing the capillarity of the dust emissions (Sadhu, Soni, Varmani, & Garg, 2014). Due to these properties, starch and PVA were selected as dust suppressants in this study. The researchers devised a laboratory-scale, small wind, box tunnel and copied various application conditions and field conditions to investigate the dust suppression effect of starch, PVA, and a mixture of starch and PVA. In addition, the correlation between changes in the formation of soil dust due to the action of dust suppressants and dust suppression efficiency was analysed.