Pressure separation procedure for liquid and solid phases of an effluent uses added compacting material of mineral granules to assist separation

摘要

The procedure consists of introducing a compacting material of mineral granules into an effluent mixture of liquid and solid phases, causing the solids to form a sludge with the granules that allows the liquid phase to be separated more easily by compression. The compacting material is insoluble or of low solubility and contains one mineral product in granules of 10 - 80 microns and another with grains of 150 - 650 microns. The products can have a single or multiple chemical nature and are made e.g. from oxides and/or salts that are insoluble or of low solubility such as silica, calcium carbonate and/or calcium sulfate. The effluent (1) and compacting material (2) are mixed to produce a mixture (3) that is sufficiently liquid to be manipulated without difficulty, e.g. in a semi-cylindrical trough (4) with an auger (5) or pump. The mixture is homogenized and transferred to a compacting unit (6) that can be reduced in volume to expel the liquid fraction, after which the compacting material can be separated and re-used.