Zinc is an essential metal in the growing circular economy.
A leading Latin American metallurgical company needed sophisticated new filter press solutions for its “Hot” and “Cold” Zinc Purification process and turned to Micronics for needed upgrades. The client’s zinc purification process is a long-standing installation consisting of multiple filter presses running in-line in a closed loop fashion.
For this client, the pure dilute zinc is the valuable recovered product from the solid-liquid separation process and the filtration process needs to successfully remove all of the impurities from the zinc solution.
Micronics recently partnered with this client to develop, customize, install, and commission two new heavy-duty filter presses for this demanding 24/7 operation.
The zinc purification process is challenging in that there is a low percent solids in the slurry and the formed filter cakes remain wet and thin and do not discharge as easily as other higher solids filter press applications.
The not very well-formed filter cakes (typical of low-solids applications) need to be scraped from the filter cloth, washed from the cloth by low-pressure water hose every cycle, and chemically cleaned every ~10 cycles. In addition to these labor-intensive requirements, there needed to be recirculation of the filtrate to a recovery tank in the event of any cloth failures to ensure that the pure filtration achieved targeted quality parameters.
The client needed a replacement filter press solution that first addressed the very labor-intensive process associated with this low-percent solids application. Secondly, the filter press solution needed to be addressed in the context of the client’s existing footprint constraints.
Micronics’ engineering team had to come up with filter presses of a suitable length to be installed right above the foundations of the filter presses that were being replaced.
Micronics conducted an in-depth design and site revision analysis to not only address the client’s pain points but to find a solution that would fit the same footprint (size and dimensions) as the old filter presses without affecting the required filtration area. The new filter presses also needed to have a 16-bar pressure rating instead of the existing 8-bar pressure.
Micronics designed a custom filtration solution that addressed all of the critical process and site requirements:
The Automatic Cloth Washing System was developed specifically to address the client’s very specific process needs and adjustments required as cake thickness varied. Micronics’ Filter Cloth Washing Solution which was smart and flexible enough to address and minimize water consumption requirements for the client, another important consideration. In addition, Micronics delivered an Automatic Cloth Washing solution with a complete, easy to operate program to assist the client with the preventative maintenance tasks required to ensure ongoing press efficiency.
The Micronics solution also incorporated significant Control System customization to ensure complete client satisfaction. This is typical of the Filter Press solutions that Micronics provides.
Micronics’ technical service team commissioned and installed all of the new equipment for the client’s Zinc Processing facility including extensive on-site customization, add-ons, and cycle step modifications. The customer was extremely pleased both with the filter press equipment and the on-site technical service provided during the commissioning and start-up.
We take great pride in the fact that the customer specifically highlighted their satisfaction with Micronics filter presses & service as compared to other OEM brands of presses/suppliers.
It is the details that make the difference in working with Micronics. We think innovative filtration solutions and attentive on-site service should be expected of a filter press manufacturer. In Latin America – and across the globe – Micronics aims to deliver complete customer satisfaction and go beyond basic filter press equipment supply expectations.
Contact us to learn more about our customized filter press solutions, along with expert on-site installation, start-up, and commissioning services. We look forward to customizing a total liquid-solid separation solution for your process and site requirements.
Micronics, now a part of Cleanova, is your trusted partner for engineered filtration solutions. We offer end-to-end solutions from filter media to industry-leading filtration equipment, to spare parts & accessories, to on-site field services and in-house laboratory services. Whether for your Filter Press, Belt Press, Leaf Filter, Vacuum Filter, or Baghouse, you can count on Micronics’ deep industry and applications knowledge for the right engineered filtration solution to meet your needs. We look forward to working with your team.