Application of Filter Press in Sulfur Mine Dehydration

Sulfur mines (such as natural sulfur, pyrosulfide, etc.) are mainly used to produce sulfur or further prepare sulfuric acid. Its beneficiation and dehydration methods are different from those of ordinary metal mines. Especially in the filtration and dehydration process, higher requirements are placed on the corrosion resistance, sealing, and temperature adaptability of the equipment. The following will introduce in detail the application of the filter press in sulfur mine dehydration.

Difficulties in Dehydrating Sulfur Ore

High oil content or hydrophobicity
Natural sulfur is often hydrophobic, and the filter cloth is easily blocked during dehydration, so special filter cloth and filter aids are required.
High temperature or volatile components may exist
Some sulfur ore processes (such as hot melt method) may involve heating and melting, cooling and solidification before dehydration, and the filter press needs to adapt to high temperature slurry filtration.
Corrosive media
The ore slurry may contain hydrogen sulfide, free sulfur, etc., which will corrode the equipment in long-term operation, requiring the filter press to have good anti-corrosion performance.

The Role of Sulfur Ore Dehydration

Improve product quality
The moisture content of dehydrated sulfur concentrate is low, which is conducive to improving purity and facilitating subsequent smelting, packaging, or direct sales.
Easy to transport and store
Wet materials are prone to agglomeration, heating and even spontaneous combustion. Dehydration can reduce transportation costs and improve storage and transportation safety.
Water resource recycling and reuse
The filtrate can be reused in the mineral processing system, saving water and reducing wastewater discharge, which is in line with the requirements of green mines and environmental protection policies.
Reduce the pressure of tailings ponds
Dry stacking tailings can reduce dependence on tailings ponds, reduce the risk of tailings pond dam failure, and improve the overall safety level of the mining area.

Specific Application Process of Filter Press

Slurry pretreatment
Part of the free water is removed through the thickener, and PAM (polyacrylamide) or bentonite is added to enhance the solid-liquid separation effect for the hydrophobic particles that may exist in the sulfur ore.

Feeding and filtration
The hydraulic system starts to press the filter plate to form a sealed filter chamber to ensure that the slurry does not leak under high pressure. The slurry pump pumps the slurry into the filter chamber of the filter press, the solids are deposited on the filter cloth to form a filter cake, and the liquid is discharged through the filter cloth.

Unloading and cleaning
When the set filtration time or filter cake thickness is reached, the system enters the unloading stage. The hydraulic system returns to its original position, the filter plate is loosened, and the filter cake falls off automatically or is peeled off manually. The filter cloth is rinsed with a high-pressure water gun to prevent the mineral powder from clogging and affecting the next filtration.

Filtrate collection and reuse
The filtrate can be collected in a sedimentation tank, a clear water tank or a reuse system for recycling.

Advantages of Filter Press in Sulfur Mine Dehydration

High dehydration efficiency: the moisture content of filter cake can be reduced to 50-70%, and the dryness of some diaphragm filter presses can reach 30-60%.

Adapt to corrosive media: anti-corrosion materials (such as PP, 316L, etc.) can be selected for filter plates, filter cloths and pump bodies to adapt to sulfur environments.

Flexible processing capacity: It can be flexibly configured according to the scale of the mine to meet the processing volume requirements from tens of tons to thousands of tons/day.

Safety and environmental protection: According to the needs, the sealed filtration system can be used to effectively control the risk of leakage of harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide, which meets the requirements of safety and environmental protection.

Conclusion

Due to its high efficiency, good adaptability, and environmental performance, the filter press has become the core equipment ofthe sulfur mine dewatering system. Reasonable selection combined with professional operation and management can not only significantly improve the dewatering quality and processing efficiency, but also effectively reduce operating costs and environmental risks.

Application of Filter Press in Sulfur Mine Dehydration