The range of applications for Klinkau filter elements is extremely broad and therefore suited even to the manufacture of niche products such as carotene extraction using methanol at -15°C, carrageenan extraction from seaweed using extremely thin gel cakes, tartrate extraction from wine lees, or fish oil fractionation. In all cases, high demands are placed on the construction of the filter elements being used. Many of these applications are found in the pharmaceutical industry which also require high levels of hygiene and sterility. Klinkau filter elements meet all these demands. FDA-approved materials can also be supplied if required.
Plate and frame and membrane filter elements are mainly used for blood plasma filtration. Because of the higher levels of hygiene required, specially designed Klinkau filter elements are being used made from materials with very high levels of surface quality.
Filtration processes that produce explosive gases are subject to ATEX regulations. These include the use of filter elements with permanent antistatic and earthing properties. Klinkau has therefore developed special material compounds that comply with protection regulations. Klinkau can provide the required filter elements for any ATEX class along with the corresponding plates.
Carrageenan is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed. After cleaning the extract, the carrageenan gel is sprayed with potassium chloride and the finest gel particles dewatered in a membrane filter press. The particles are highly compressible so sensitive filtration and squeezing is required at very low rates of applied pressure. Squeezing at 16 bar can achieve TS contents of up to 25%. The multi-phase dewatering process currently performed with mechanical and hydraulic presses is being increasingly replaced with membrane filter presses. Filtration and squeezing then takes place in a single process and eliminates the need for additional procedures where contamination might occur. Membrane filter presses therefore ensure flawless hygienic production.
In many areas, solid substances are dewatered to the required TS content using thermal drying methods. This requires the handling and transportation of materials. Standard drying facilities incur high energy costs with energy wastage in inefficient systems. By using Klinkau heat exchanger plates in filter presses, filtration, squeezing and thermal drying all take place within a single unit. It is especially suited to the dewatering of hazardous slurries because any toxic emissions produced by drying are then kept to a minimum. Drying is performed within the filter press itself so transportation of the dewatered filtrate cake to a drying facility is unnecessary The TCD process also achieves significant savings on disposal costs because the high-level of drying (exceeding 90% if required) reduces the weight of the filter cake. Lower transport and storage costs are then the result.
The TCD procedure can also be used during filtration to produce extra dry filter cake.
Existing filter presses are easy to convert to the TCD system. All that is required is 2.5 bar of saturated steam which can be generated by mobile steam units when a mains steam supply is unavailable.
