Solid-liquid Separation Process Optimisation

Published on by in Technology

Equipment for solid-liquid separation is an essential part of our mining plant.

Traditional solutions such as gravity thickeners, settling ponds and filter presses are often associated with high costs, poor efficiency and/or environmental issues.

Is there any new technology plant operators are using for the solid-liquid separation?

How do you optimize this process?

Please share your ideas and any innovations in the field.

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28 Answers

  1. What are you separating? 

    I have experience in utilising vibrating membrane technology for liquid/solid separation. It has successfully been used to recycle waste oil with a viscosity of 70-80 cSt at 40 deg and is typically used in applications with slurries of up to 50% liquid 50% solid. 

    There are other alternatives including activated filter media if the solid % is lower.

    Please email me at andrew@waterandoilsolutions.com.au if you would like to find out more.

  3. Hello John,

    One addition to the conversation regarding process optimization is Water Planet's IntelliFlux® automated process control system. IntelliFlux software can be applied to any filtration equipment that requires periodic flux maintenance via backwashing, cleaning or regeneration and will optimize the cleaning protocol to minimize OPEX and improve overall water recovery.

    IntelliFlux is especially helpful in industrial applications, such as mining, with constant and rapidly changing influent characteristics. In your case, if you decided to integrate an MF or UF membrane system as others have suggested, IntelliFlux could operate the system more efficiently with less operator intervention.

    Feel free to reach out direct if there is any interest – jason@waterplanet.com 

  10. What sort of volumes of process water are we talking about and solids content and SG etc.

    Start possibly with Deep cone thickeners, that will return the vast majority of your process water back into the process ware its needed specifically if your mining in arid areas.

    The paste can then be dewatered further, please steer away from tailings dams! These are a life time manageable environmental disaster, a legacy of the mines and corporate greed our children will need to clean up.

    Personally again depending on volumes I would NOT use a centrifuge due to the High power High Polymer/chemical demand, plus the paste/sludge is usually very abrasive warranting expensive tiling. 

    If your carbon footprint conscious then try a Belt Press.

    https://youtu.be/xHRwaj6FX3g

  12. Dear sir, for solid-liquid separation in mining plants I suggest to consider a centrifugal decanter as the most efficient technology.

    1 Comment

  13. I wonder if you have tried the RVDF (Rotary Vacuum Dewatering Filteration process.It is not so much about  water quality but the DS derived from process also up to 75%.The RVDF has been used in the mines for a while and proven very cost effective. This is realtime time process with no polymer used...

  17. There is a BACT [Best Available Control Technology] that already exists in the oil and gas sector for processing drilling muds that "might" have direct technology transfer applicability for mining as I know it has also been used in steel mills for slag recovery, it is a five panel vibratory screen with either wedgewire or perforated plates (for particle size separation) and the filtrate off the screens is pumped through Hydrocyclones that can remove particles down to "sugar sand" size. I have literature from that company that is at a trade show this week for the off-shore drilling trade show in Houston, but they have sent me pdf files that I do not know how to attach here.  We are piloting this system for one of our textile mill clients to remove fine lint that bypasses their existing rotary screen HyCor systems.  johns@venturi-aeration.com

  19. Expanding on the comment from Michael Martin below, the "drying bed" technology is also called subaerial tailings deposition or managed tailings deposition.  It involves the rotational deposition of a thin lift (100mm to 150mm) of slurried (thickened) tailings (50% solids by weight) around a non-hydro-cycloned array of spigots feeding energy-robbing  drop bars.  Installations typically have a long beach and a very small supernatant pond. This technology is about 40 years old but the paste folks won't tell you about it.  No filter presses, no centrifuges, no polymers, just Stokes Law.    This proven technology isn't for every situation, but it's been used successfully from topical Fiji to Alaska and for a while, about 70% of the tailings produced in Nevada were deposited this way.  Google "subaerial tailings deposition" to learn more.

  20. Wastewater treatment chemicals market size was valued at over USD 22 billion and is estimated to be worth more than USD 35 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of approximately 5.5%.
     

    U.S. wastewater treatment chemicals market size accounted for more than 35% of the total volume in 2015. Asia Pacific was around 9 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach approximately 15 billion by 2023, with estimated gains of more than 7.5%. China and India are likely to fuel demand owing to high population density and industrialization growth.

    https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/wastewater-treatment-chemicals-market  

  21. There is a new technology using a vey innovative polymer process that is in commercial operations currently in Ukraine in Waste Water treatment Plants that through simple injection of the polymer and just gravity flow - separates the TSS and solids from the waste water very quickly and dries the separated solids 10 times faster than currently used polymers. All this through just gravity flow and drying beds. It has proven to continue to dry the solids even with snow and rain on the separated solids in the drying beds. Go to:  www.gc-solutions-inc.com

  22. Dear Mr Wilkinson,

    I agree with Maher Louis. De-sander Hydrocyclones are the usual equipment used for lolids-Liquid separation in the oil industry and can be well exported to the mining industry.

    The solid content in the treated water can be easily reduced to particles not exceeding 25 micron (typicaqlly equivalent to about 98% efficiency in solids separation). Is it enough for your use?. The hydrociclones and the paired tanks are typically skidded in a rather small arrangement and available at a very reasonable price.

    I am not selling any equipment like that, but I license the design to the fabricators, thus reducing the selling price to the very minimum.

  23. Dear Mr. John, 

    ​Now a days number of technologies are available in market ​technologies ​for solid/​liquid ​separation. In ​addition of the ​technologies ​you have ​described, you ​can find ​rainage tables, ​centrifuges, ​belt filters, ​disc press, ​screw press, ​etc.The most widely used conventional filter technology includes filter presses, vacuum filters, centrifuges, low-pressure automatic pressure filters and high-pressure or mechanical expression automatic pressure filters.The process ​depends on your ​need ​regarding  the ​final dryness (​thickening or ​dewatering?), ​reagent ​consumptions, ​manpower ​requirements, ​centrates ​ qualtity, CAPEX,​ etc. ​

    NEW FILTER TECHNOLOGYRegards,The focus for the design of the new high-pressure APF was to develop very effective filtration technology using mechanically simple and robust equipment available in a wide range of capacities. 

    Regards,

    Prem Baboo

  25. Hi John,

    if you speak about "not enough efficiency", supposed fine after treatment is required.

    Importand think for understanding what you need is kind of mine (coal, gold etc) this important because water quality will be different.

    I had some experience with ultrafiltration of mine water after sedimentation pond on coal mine. At this moment few systems are working in CIS territory.

    Feel free, contact me if you need more info.

    Best regards

    Sergey

  26. There are numerous technologies you can utilize to increase solids content and to bolster efficiencies associated with your solids liquid separation equipment. 

    DAF's, gravity belt thickeners, and gravity clarifiers are often very effective thickeners, especially when coupled with a flocculant or coagulant to aid in the dewatering. 

    Belt filter press, screw presses, and centrifuges are all great ways to make very high solids content cake but require significant sludge conditioning and either energy, manpower, or capital to implement. 

    I would love to discuss this more with you. Feel free to message me

  28. Dear John, you have many technologies for solid/liquid separation. In addition of the technologies you have described, you can find rainage tables, centrifuges, belt filters, disc press, screw press, etc.

    The choice deponds on your targets regarding the final dryness (thickening or dewatering?), reagent consumptions, manpower requirements, centrates qualtity, CAPEX, etc.

    Regards