It takes a drastic development to ensure that the progress of mankind towards a better future is not hindered at any cost. One such development was the invention of the filter press that revolutionized the manner in which industries operate. It was in the year 1853 that the first filter press was developed in the United Kingdom and without any doubt gave a major impetus to the industrial revolution taking place at that time. Further improvements in the machine were made in the mid-nineteenth century that addressed the limitations existing in the earlier version of the machine.
A filter press is a machine that is used in the separation processes, particularly the solid/liquid separations using the principles of pressure drive. It is used in fixed volume and batch operations wherein the operation has to be stopped to discharge the filter cake before the next batch commences. There are mainly three types of filter presses that are:
• Plate and frame filter press
• Automatic filter press
• Recessed plate and frame filter press
The filter press technology works on a unique concept. Here the slurry to be dewatered is fed into the centre of the filter press and each of the chambers is filled. However care is taken that the filling of the chambers is done as swiftly as possible to prevent cake formation in the first chamber before the last chamber is filled. The formation of the thick sludge increases the pressure inside the system. The filtration of the liquid is done through the filter cloths by the addition of streams of compressed air or water. The easy availability of filter press in New Zealand has ensured that the demands of the filtration industries in the country can now be easily met.
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