Applications / Filter Press for Metal Refinery

Filter Press for Red Mud Filtration

Metal-Refinery-Red-Mud-Hero

Filter Press for Red Mud Filtration

This filter press case study is an application where the Filter Press is used for the filtration of Red Mud for safe & environment friendly dry stacking disposal. Red Mud is the residue or tailings generated from the Bayer Process of Alumina refinery. By the Bayer Process, we extracts the aluminium hydroxides from bauxite and get alumina. The alumina is eventually smelted to produce aluminium. ​

For its highly alkaline characteristics, it is environmentally highly hazardous to store or discharge Red Mud slurry in conventional tailings storage facilities or tailings dams. Hence Pressure Filtration by Filter Press & dry stacking disposal is the most environment friendly disposal method and this is aggressively getting implemented across the globe. ​

For the Red Mud Filtration application Chamber or a mixed plate pack Filter Press is used based on the process and filter press performance requirements. During the Filter Press operation, additional process steps like cake washing is considered or added, if the client is willing to have caustic soda recovery. ​

This red mud filtration case study by Filter Press is performed for a large scale alumina refinery where economic viability of cake washing during Filter Press operation is also been evaluated. ​

Case Study
on using Filter Press for Red
Mud Filtration

Feed
Details

Feed : Red Mud​

Feed T : 70-80 Deg C

pH : ~ 13​

Conc. : 30-40% (w/w)​

Qty. : > 385 DMTPH​

Desired Output
Parameters

Filtered Cake Moisture : ≤ 25-30% (w/w)

Process
Engineering

​A representative red mud sample is collected & tested in Dewater Filter Press R & D Laboratory in Italy in a lab scale Filter Press. ​

The first step was to clearly understand the red mud 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 red mud slurry sample by altering​

  • filter press plate configurations,

  • chamber thickness, ​

  • feeding, ​

  • squeezing, ​

  • Cake washing efficiency​

  • cake blowing pressures & time​

​to define the optimum filtration parameters to reach the performance parameters required by the customer. ​

Result
(Dry Cake)

Red-Mud-Dry-Cake

Filter Press &
its ancillaries sizing

The Filtration test results from the red mud 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 without cake washing configuration was choosen for this red mud filtration project​

​We recommended the customer for 05 Nos. Dewater HP Model 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.

Our Dewater HP 4×4 Filter Presses delivers high efficiency Red Mud Filtration & caustic recovery at lowest cost/ton of dewatering

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