With today’s post we want to go inside the mining sector and deepen its importance of solid-liquid separation in this area.
Mining processes produce, in addition to wastewater, mineral fertilizers such as phosphorus and potassium too, which are an indispensable element to support the growth of plants and crops.
To obtain these substances and consequently be able to use them, it is necessary to treat the contaminated water of the basins and the underground water of the mines.
How? By removing suspended solids, especially heavy metals and other pollutants.
What does this process involve?
Dispersion of toxic waste in the surrounding environment and effects that can be devastating are avoided. For this reason, this treatment becomes of vital importance so that the waste from the mines can be recovered and put back into circulation in new forms.
Let’s find out more about it.
How does the solid-liquid separation process of the mining sector
The solid-liquid separation process it is a process present in almost all mining operations.
The main objectives are:
- the removal of metals, solids and other contaminants
- restoring optimal pH levels
Generally, minerals are mined and then recovered using several operations. For this there are two main methods of separation:
- thermal separation
- mechanical separation
In particular, the process of mechanical separation of contaminants involves three phases:
- Sedimentation
- Centrifugation
- Filtration
Furthermore, in the specific case of the mining sector, the solid-liquid separation process with filtration methods can lead to various advantages including:
- cost savings
- full control of the treatment process
- possibility of recovering material deriving from mining activities
Producers of large quantities of minerals and raw aggregates for their needs especially favor the vacuum filtration system.
Tecniplant filters dedicated to the mining sector
At Tecniplant we are specialized in filtration systems for solid-liquid separation in mines.
In particular, we dedicate our horizontal vacuum belt filters to this activity.
The strengths that characterize these filters and differentiate them from other solutions are:
- the ability to achieve very high efficiencies in the field of filtration of suspensions with a high solid content
- the fact that they are extremely flexible instruments
- being characterized by a high filtration speed
The Horizontal Vacuum Belt filters
Thanks to the high filtration capacity and the presence of a rubber support, the vacuum belt filters are particularly suitable when there are:
- heavy solids
- large filtration surfaces
The main elements of this filtration system are two:
- the presence of the filtration cloth
- the reinforced rubber tape with drainage grooves
Specifically, the rubber belt is activated by means of a variable speed drive drum. While the vacuum action is created thanks to the use of a vacuum box system.
At the end of the filtration process phase, the panel can be removed by means of a blade discharge device.
Finally, it is possible to drain the filtered liquid via the central grooves of the belt and send it to the vacuum box and filtered liquid collector.
Contact us for more information on our full range of filtration solutions.
