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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflondon AT mindspring.com>
  • To: market-farming
  • Subject: Re: Granite dust
  • Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2001 21:35:31 -0500


On Tue, 6 Feb 2001 20:04:30 -0500, "WB Carver"
<wbcarver AT marketfarming.com> wrote:

> I have been watching the thread on Granite Dust and related materials and
>would like to pose a suggestion. When considering applying quarry fines, or
>pond fines as an soil additive I would want to test them before use. My
>background is mechanical rather than environmental, however in 20 plus years
>in heavy equipment I have worked in or around a number of quarries and would
>like to pass along the following to think about.
> I don't know if there is an MSDS as such, for crushed stone materials (of
>which fines are a production by-product) because they are considered a
>natural, rather than chemical material. There may in some cases, be lab

There is a MSDS for crushed stone materials for those companies
required to or voluntarily motivated to offer it. American Stone
Company in Chapel Hill (bluestone) and possibly Martin Marietta in
Burlington (granite) offer it as does the Piedmont Minerals
pyrophyllite mine in Hillsboro NC.

>reports available on the percentage of different materials and moisture
>content, which are good to a point, and by all means get a copy if one is
>available.
> However, most of the testing is done on the materials as they leave the
>crusher or shaker, not after they have been moved around the quarry by heavy
>equipment or have been in the silt pond.
> Here is the point to consider. In all but the most tightly run
>operations, there are a number of pieces of equipment with fluid leaks. The
>worst leaks are usually hydraulic fluid, but antifreeze, diesel fuel and
>motor oil are also likely. Often in quantities that makes the local oil
>supplier grin from ear to ear. After many years of equipment fluid leaks the
>ground water, and soil base in and around quarries, and other similar
>facilities, is not water or soil I would want to drink, or put on my crops.

That is really something to consider and in some cases would negate
using fines but you can still visit the quarry and see the lay of the
land, where/how many/condition-maintenance the equipment moves
around the site and where that and the equipment maintenance area are
in relation to the siltation ponds - what drains into them during
rainfall. Also many quarries are turned into water reservoirs for
municipal use after they are mined out so attention would be paid, in
advance, to water quality and would be extensively monitored (these
days) by a variety of governmental agencies from local to federal.
The siltation ponds may well drain into unused portions of the quarry
pit so I would imagine pollution from yard runoff would be carefully
monitored. My take was that ASC and PM fines were OK for my garden
but I didn't visit MM and took a chance on their granite fines (they
have huge quantities that have been used by local farmers for years.

Still this is an excellent heads-up about potential hazards in using
fines and one I will pay more attention to in the future. BTW, where
would you obtain testing for petroleum products, ethylene glycol
and hydraulic fluid in fines?

>This is not to say that you should automatically discard quarry fines as a
>viable source of mineral supplements. As one poster said, they are
>inexpensive, if not free for the hauling, ($3.00/ton at one quarry in my
>area)and do contain valuable minerals. But, if I valued my organic
>certification, I would suggest having a sample tested, specifically for
>petroleum, ethylene glycol, and other trace elements before using them.
>
> Just wanted to pass along the thought.
>
>WB (Bill) Carver
>Laughing Brook Farm
>Westfield, NC


Lawrence F. London, Jr. ICQ # 27930345
lflondon AT mindspring.com london AT ibiblio.org
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech




  • Re: Granite dust, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 02/01/2001
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Granite dust, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 02/02/2001
    • Re: Granite dust, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 02/02/2001
    • Re: Granite dust, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 02/06/2001

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