Filter Press Application Areas and Case Analysis

As an intermittent pressure device, the filter press is widely used for solid-liquid separation of various suspensions. It relies on a pressing device to clamp the filter plates tightly, and the feed pump draws the material (wastewater) into the filter press chamber. Using filter cloth, it separates solid particles from the liquid in the wastewater to achieve filtration. The filter press has a simple overall structure and a wide range of applications, covering many fields such as mining, metallurgy, petroleum, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyeing, papermaking, food, alcohol, coal washing, dyes, and wastewater treatment. This article will provide a detailed introduction to the application fields of the filter press and analyze its application effects through specific cases.

Application Fields of the Filter Press

1. Chemical and Similar Industries

In chemical and similar industries, the filter press is widely used to treat various sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, oxides, hydroxides, titanium dioxide, iron oxide red, as well as various dyes and pigments. These substances often generate large amounts of suspensions during production. Through the treatment by the filter press, solid particles in these suspensions can be effectively separated from the liquid, achieving the purpose of purifying the liquid.

2. Non-ferrous Metal Smelting Industry

The non-ferrous metal smelting industry is another important application field of the filter press. During the wet smelting processes of lead, zinc, gold, silver, copper, manganese, cobalt, rare earths, etc., various acid liquids, slurries, pulps, and electrolytes are produced. These substances contain a large number of solid particles and impurities. Through the treatment by the filter press, these solid particles and impurities can be effectively separated, improving the purity and quality of smelting products.

3. Wastewater Treatment Industry

In the field of wastewater treatment, the filter press also plays an important role. Whether it is municipal wastewater or industrial wastewater such as electroplating wastewater, metallurgical wastewater, electronic wastewater, papermaking wastewater, textile wastewater, food wastewater, and pharmaceutical wastewater, all can be treated by the filter press. The filter press can effectively remove suspended particles and pollutants in these wastewaters, enabling the wastewater to meet discharge standards or reuse requirements.

4. Other Fields

Besides the above fields, the filter press is also widely used in fertilizer production, acid pickling systems of steel enterprises, wet desulfurization and gypsum treatment, coal industry’s clean coal and coal slime processing, as well as the processing of non-metallic minerals such as ceramic clay, kaolin, and activated white clay. In these fields, the filter press can also deliver excellent solid-liquid separation effects, improving production efficiency and product quality.

Filter Press Application Case Analysis

1. Traditional Chinese Medicine Extraction Liquid Refinement Case

A pharmaceutical company replaced the traditional Buchner funnel with an automatic plate and frame filter press for refining Astragalus extraction liquid. Through this improvement, the processing time was reduced from the original 8 hours to 2 hours, the yield of astragaloside increased by 12%, and the annual cost savings exceeded 2 million yuan. This case fully demonstrates the economic benefits of the filter press in refining traditional Chinese medicine extraction liquids.

2. Saccharification Alcohol Purification Process Case

In saccharification alcohol production, a company used a filter press combined with diatomaceous earth pre-coating technology for the purification process. This technology effectively removed mycelium from the fermentation broth, increasing product purity from 85% to 98%, meeting export standards. Meanwhile, IoT sensors monitored filtrate turbidity and pressure curves in real time, automatically warning of filter cloth damage or blockage, improving the stability of the production process.

3. Pharmaceutical Industry Case

A vaccine manufacturer used a sanitary-grade stainless steel filter press combined with a 0.22μm filter membrane for drug liquid filtration. Through this treatment, the drug liquid purity reached 99.99%, and batch switching time was reduced by 50%. This case shows that the filter press can also deliver excellent filtration effects in the pharmaceutical industry, improving drug liquid purity and production efficiency.

4. Environmental Water Treatment Case

In the field of environmental water treatment, an electroplating park deployed a multi-stage filtration system (pre-filtration + plate and frame fine filtration) to achieve "zero discharge" of wastewater. Through this system, annual hazardous waste disposal costs were reduced by 60%. This case fully demonstrates the importance and application potential of the filter press in environmental water treatment.

In summary, as a solid-liquid separation device, the filter press plays an important role in various fields. Through the analysis of specific cases, we can see that the filter press has achieved remarkable results in improving production efficiency, reducing costs, and protecting the environment. With continuous technological progress and expanding application fields, the filter press will play a greater role in more areas.