Prior to 2006, the filtration unit for leached sludge treatment (filter press) permitted the filtration, washing and drying of cake to 17 percent (w/w) moisture. That year saw moisture content abruptly increase to 20 percent (w/w), drastically changing the rheological properties of the cake. The cake became sticky and agglomerated. This led to major disruptions of operations and plant capacity (cake release and cake conveyor problems, complicating the subsequent steps of the process). The conditions for the filtration, washing and drying, were simulated to ease cake unloading without aggravating dust emissions (moisture about 17 percent (w/w)). All of the laboratory tests yielded a moisture content above 17 percent (w/w). Therefore, we concluded that the moisture problems were not due to a recipe change in primary material, but to an operational problem in the filter press. Through the laboratory results, the filter press operating conditions (washing ratio, drying pressure and drying time) were optimized to enable a reduction in cake moisture to 17 percent (w/w).
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