With an alarming amount of asbestos used in old buildings across Australia, a massive industry has developed around the safe removal of asbestos contaminated materials from worksites ranging from major property developments to home demolitions.

Reynolds Soil Technology (RST) has developed a cutting-edge industrial solution with the launch of its new product, Asbestoguard, a spray-on material binding agent that seals off dangerous asbestos fibres at contaminated sites.

RST recognised the need for a technologically advanced product that can be sprayed on asbestos contaminated materials to hold the dangerous fine particles in place during the demolition and removal process, improving worker safety.

RST operations and technical director David Handel said the development of Asbestoguard was focused on minimising health risks and improving worksite efficiency to increase operational optimisation in the demolition and removal of old buildings.

“In many areas across Australia, particularly in major capital cities experiencing land shortage, developers are demolishing older style buildings to make way for new developments,” David says.

“A lot of these buildings contain asbestos contaminated materials which release dangerous fibres into the air when disturbed or broken down.

The RST team drew on its expertise in the field as fine particle dust management specialists working in some of the harshest conditions across the globe to develop Asbestoguard – an innovative asbestos binding agent in the form of a specialty cross-linking polymer emulsion.

“The RST team specialises in the control and suppression of dust particles and saw how this knowledge could be applied to create a solution stopping the release of fine asbestos particles from contaminated materials.

“While most of the demand for this solution is from the construction industry, our aim is for Asbestoguard to be a leading safety solution in any industry where asbestos contaminated material is present at the worksite.”

Asbestoguard is a hard-wearing solution that works on all asbestos contaminated material types in all weather conditions after one application. Asbestoguard dilutes in water, allowing for varying binding strengths and longevity requirements, and is easily applied through any watering system.

The solution can be mixed with another RST product, RT60 Super Wetter, to improve application on hard to wet surfaces and materials. It can also be applied to surfaces that aren’t going to be removed but would benefit from an overcoat of improved safety.

Marking dye can also be added to Asbestoguard to monitor application areas and strengths.

Excellent results for contaminated earthworks have been achieved applying Asbestoguard diluted at 1:20 and applied at one litre per square metre of material.

If the material to be treated is very dry and water repelling, RST recommends the addition of RT60 Super Wetter at a dilution rate of 1:1000 in the Asbestoguard solution.

The University of Newcastle has independently tested the solution and found it to be effective in withstanding wind speeds of more than 100 kilometres per hour.

“RST’s extensive range of products have been designed to solve a broad variety of problems related to asbestos management, dust control, road and soil stabilisation, erosion control, water management, sediment control and site rehabilitation in all industries.

RST can provide tradespeople with specific advice regarding the best dosage and application for their individual jobs.

“We go out into the field and work side by side with clients to identify their unique challenges and offer solutions, developing products, services or total packages to manage their situations,” David explains.

“We also offer ongoing on and off site training and support to all of our clients and understand the key to success is ensuring our recommendations are followed through with correct operational support.”

Asbestoguard is available in 25 litre containers, 200 litre containers and 1000 litre containers.

RST has more than 26 years’ experience specialising in dust, earth and water solutions for mine sites, haul roads, ports and land sites in Australia and overseas. Its head office is based at Burleigh Heads, Queensland with an additional office in Carlisle, Western Australia.