One of the major challenges faced by the metallurgical coal mining industry is the presence of very fine particles in the processed water that are difficult to treat with traditional methods.
Application: Total suspended solids (TSS) removal at a coal mine after thickener and after settling pond.
Driver: Water recovery and environmental regulations for discharge.
Solution: A test was carried out in Sofi’s R&D facility in Angleton, Texas USA. In the test Sofi Filter’s performance was assessed in removing fine coal from water samples collected from a coal mine. Trial tests performed best with 1 µm sintered metal filter elements, both wire mesh and metal powder. During the 30 minutes wash cycle program, the average liquid flow rate was 3.3 m3/h on a small test rig, scalable to a flux rate of 5 or more times at an industrial scale module. On another water sample, the flow rate was greater than 6 m3/h. In both cases the filtrate TSS requirements were met.
Result: The pilot demonstrates the viability of Sofi Filter for coal fines removal application. The result shows the filtrate had a concentration of 9 mg/l in a higher solids concentration application and 2 mg/l on a lower solids concentration application. Moreover, the self-cleaning is accomplished using a strong integrated ultrasonic cleaning system and compressed air backpulse. In the trial test Sofi's filter was able to remove high percentage of solids (80%) while maintaining stable flow rate.
Interested in learning more? Connect with our Global R&D director Steve Gluck or email steve@sofifiltration.com