In the first part of a two-part article, Steve Meiring, PasteTech Pty Ltd, Australia, provides a comprehensive comparison of the pressures of various dewatering technologies for fine coal tailings.
T
he Australian coal industry has, for many years, utilised belt press filters to dewater fine thickened tailings. Recently, solidbowl centrifuges have been introduced as an alternate technology to dewater tailings. Both dewatering technologies have been in the industry for over 60 years and are well-accepted dewatering methods. However, tailings technologies
have recently become more demanding. Globally, other coal tailings plants are successfully utilising plate and frame pressure filters. This article will look at these three technologies and how they are used to meet tailings requirements. While each application is uniquely different, a common criterion applies, namely to dewater fine solids to meet an acceptable transport
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