The ASEAN Potash Mining project has determination to control salt dust

by using modern technology that can control, store and trap salt dust effectively.

 

Evaluation of salt dust impact

The salt dust arises from the project operations is another issue of the evaluation on the air impact. The environmental consultant has evaluated by using the AERMOD mathematical simulation. It found the accumulated fall of the salt dust of NaCI and KCI per annum has the approximate value of 0.9790 and 0.5349 per square meter respective. The accumulated fall of the salt dust can cause positive impact on the agricultural area from potassium is the main nutrient element necessary for growth of plants. While the fall of the salt dust NaCI on the land surface has a chance to increase land salinity at 0.04 g Na/sq. m per year. Evaluation of impact from increasing of sodium in soil due to NaCI and KCI has potential in high water solution, so the salt dust is eliminated by rain water each year continuously.

Normally, soil at the project area has sodium volume at 18.36 g/sq. m already although no project took place. However, when the project has the sodium volume in the soil increased by 0.04 g/sq. m per year was a very small amount compared with the existing volume in the soil before the project. Thus, the significant level of impact from salt dust released into the atmosphere and fall on the soil surface was at the very low level.