SBIR/STTR Phase II: Innovative Blasting to Eliminate Nitrogen Dioxide Formation While Maximizing Energy Efficiency in Surface Mining

This Small Buisness Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the urgent need to improve control of the blast chemical reaction. These blasts are produced by drilling boreholes into the overburden and filling them with an ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) mixture. These explosive charges are then ignited to push the overburden into a previously excavated trench. This Phase II project will complete the design, fabrication, and testing of a prototype detonation system to be deployed in surface mining boreholes to preferentially initiate detonation of the powder column, thus insuring a high efficiency blast without the unwanted release of toxic air pollutants. This project will lead to commercialization of a method of improving the efficiency and environmental quality of the cast blasting technique used by the surface mining. The market for this detonation system is any mining that involves cast blasting, primarily the surface coal mining industry. The United States is one of the two world leaders in coal production with nearly one billion tons of coal being produced in 2001