In today's world, there is more demand for the earth's natural resources than ever before. For the company's success and development, sustainability and circular economy are important considerations in business plans. As planning permission for natural aggregates takes longer to be approved, and costs continue to rise, landfill space for building materials that were once considered waste is decreasing. Therefore, we are brewing a perfect match between supply and demand. storm.
Many companies in the aggregate supply chain are now considering and purchasing aggregate cleaning equipment suitable for processing construction, demolition and excavation waste to recover valuable sand and aggregate from this material for reuse in construction. This is a very sustainable method of building sand with limited resources. If used correctly, it can also add significant value to the materials produced by the cleaning plant.
An important consideration for washing aggregates is how to treat sewage from the washing plant, which contains sludge and other pollutants from the washing process. Due to space constraints and UNEP's desire to manage any water from the factory in a controlled and measurable way to ensure that there is no pollution, lagoons are rarely an option these days.
When following a tried and tested process, the washing of recyclable aggregates is generally considered relatively simple. However, for this variable input material, the key to a successful washing operation is the water treatment plant, as well as the material produced by the sludge that is finally washed and washed out of the feed. Available technologies: There are currently a variety of technologies that can be used to receive concentrated sludge from water treatment plants, remove solids from the water to produce easy-to-treat filter cakes, and return clean water to the washing process. When deciding which one to use, one must consider the initial capital and operating costs, civil engineering requirements, available space, and ultimately how the sludge cake produced at the end of the process will be treated.
Today, most companies need to produce cakes that are as dry as possible so that they can be stored, transported and possibly used as products after the washing process. In order to realize this filter press technology, the best solution is provided to handle variable feeds and produce the dry filter cake as possible. Generally, the moisture content of the filter cake is less than 25%, while the moisture content of other alternative technologies is 40%. This ensures the maximum return of water to the washing process and minimizes water loss during the process.
A filter press is a machine used to dehydrate mud. They separate solids from wastewater or mud and recover water, which can be reused in the processing cycle. Filter presses have a wide range of applications-aggregate cleaning, mining concentrates and tailings, recycling, concrete mixing plants, and almost all processes involving water/solid separation.
Tyrone International and our Italian partner Fraccaroli & Balzan have worked exclusively in the UK market. As one of the world leaders in this technology, they have been designing and manufacturing industry-leading filter presses for more than 50 years.
A common misunderstanding: The filter press is basically composed of a heavy-duty steel chassis with a series of recessed plates covered by filter media (cloth and sometimes backing cloth). The plate is kept tightly closed by hydraulic cylinders, thus forming a seal around the periphery of the plate. The high-pressure mud pump presses the mud into the cavity between the plates. The cavity between the plates has an inner cavity for accommodating solids. At the same time, water is discharged through the clothes and is recycled for the process. A common misconception is that when the pump sends the sludge into the press, the hydraulic cylinder squeezes the water out of the sludge, creating pressure to expel the water from the sludge. The result is that the dried solid filter cake contains a low percentage of water and falls below the filter press at the end of the filtration cycle. This process is fully automatic and does not require the presence of an operator.
The feed pressure of the press is also an important consideration. If the feed pressure is too high (for example, 20 bar), it will cause high energy consumption, accelerated wear of filter cloth, accelerated wear of pump impellers and bushings, and damage to pump seals. The goal is to achieve filtration at the lowest possible feed pressure. Pressures of 10 to 14 bar can be found in our industry. In order to obtain a filter cake that is as dry as possible, in addition to the feed pressure, factors such as the density of the feed sludge, the thickness of the filter cake and the selection of filter cloth must also be considered.
When considering which filter press to purchase, customers can choose between a side beam filter press or a top beam filter press. The side beam press is made of rectangular steel box profiles and runs along both sides of the filter plate, while the overhead beam press is made of heavy I-section beams located on top of the filter plate. Therefore, side beam presses are less expensive to manufacture and tend to be used in smaller applications because they cannot support as many filter plates as overhead beam presses without adding more steel frame support. The top beam filter press provides an unparalleled filter cloth channel, while the side beam filter press obstructs the entry of the filter cloth, and the maintenance of the filter cloth must be carried out from the top of the filter press.
In order to meet the market's growing demand for greater production capacity, the size of filter presses has continued to increase, and now Fraccaroli & Balzan manufactures some of the largest filter presses in our industry, which can discharge up to 32 tons of filter cake per press cycle.
Although the basic concept of filtration is very simple, Fraccaroli & Balzan has enhanced many functions to improve the performance of the filter press, reduce operating costs, increase productivity and make the management of the filter press easier.
Larger filter presses are equipped with double top beams to provide a high degree of structural integrity, plate stability and easy access to the plates for maintenance or any other intervention. In fact, the structure of the filter press is completely open from the side and from above, so that the operator can directly enter the filter press and remove the plates from the top.
The filter press is equipped with robots to move and shake plates at high speed, and is equipped with an automatic cloth washing machine. There are no chains, sprockets, or any other complicated and unreliable mechanisms to move the board. It is particularly important to highlight the range of the plate vibrator. It ensures that all cakes fall off at the end of the cycle. Fraccaroli & Balzan is the first company to introduce this mechanism into the filtration business.
A full-length drip tray or a shorter movable drip tray is integrated into the structure of the filter press. Either way, it can be ensured that the water is collected during the washing cycle and enters the filter press for maintenance.
The electronic equipment and software used in the filter press have been continuously improved using the most reliable and advanced technology. The filter press is equipped with PLC, and all operations can be remotely visualized and controlled. Through the local WIFI, customers can use the tablet computer to control the filter press. As an alternative, customers can use any connection (such as their personal computer) to remotely control the filter press. Through a dedicated application, we can control the touch screen through a smart phone.
If you are considering cleaning recycled aggregates or are looking for solutions for sludge dewatering in existing processes, please contact Tyrone International's team.
Author – Fintan McKeever is the MD of Tyrone International.
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