Applications / Tailings Management
Filter Press for
Copper Tailings Filtration
Copper Tailings Filtration
This filter press case study is an application where the Filter Press is used for the Copper Tailings Dewatering for tailings management by dry stacking. Copper tailings was generated from the floatation process in the Copper concentrator. The copper concentrate is then eventually smelted to produce Copper.
Copper Tailings generated from Copper mining is one of the highest contributor to the total global tailings generation. And as the ore grades are decreasing, copper mining industry is generating even more tailings.
Managing this huge amount of Copper Tailings by conventional tailings storage facilities or tailings dams is a huge challenge with potentially disastrous environmental impacts or loss of precious life in case of tailings dam collapse.
Our customer was evaluating Pressure Filtration by Filter Press & dry stacking disposal as now this is well proven as the most environment friendly disposal method for Copper Tailings dewatering.
Additionally Filtration of Copper Tailings by Filter Press substantially increases the water recovery from Tailings & recycling the water back to the concentrator can result more water efficient Copper Concentrator.
For this Copper Tailings Filtration application both Chamber or a mixed plate pack Filter Press is used in order to define the optimum filter press process parameters to achieve the desired filter press performance.
Case Study
on Copper
Tailings
Filtration
Feed
Details
Feed : Copper Tailings
Conc. : 45% (w/w)
Qty. : > 1000 DMTPH
Desired Output
Parameters
Filtered Cake Moisture : 16-18% (w/w).
Process
Engineering
A representative copper tailings sample is collected & tested in Dewater Filter Press R & D Laboratory in Italy in a lab scale Filter Press.
The first step was to understand the copper tailings slurry chemical & physical characteristics & tests such as elemental analysis, dimensional Particle size analysis, IR Spectroscopic analysis, XRD Crystalline Phase analysis were conducted.
Subsequently multiple filtration tests were conducted on the copper tailings slurry sample by altering
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Filter press plate configurations,
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Chamber thickness,
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Feeding,
-
Squeezing,
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Cake blowing pressures & time
To define the optimum filtration parameters to reach the performance parameters required by the customer.
Result
(Dry Cake)
Filter Press &
its ancillaries sizing
The Filtration test results from the copper tailings slurry sample provided us the optimum process parameters to make the sizing of the Filter Press & all the associated ancillary equipment.
The Filter Press & the ancillaries are sized considering the results from the filtration test.
Recommended
solution
Membrane plate configuration was choosen for this copper tailings filtration project.
We recommended the customer for 06 Nos. Dewater HP Next Generation Filter Press to reach the total capacity with desired Filter Press performance parameters.
*Our projects are covered under non-disclosure agreement. Hence specific process input-output details can not be shared.
**Please contact us for your specific requirements & we will be happy to assist & support.