Mitigation of filter fouling in a mine waste filtration system

CEC矿业系统公司生产基于传统旋转真空圆盘过滤器的矿山废水脱水系统。这些系统用于将尾矿脱水至80%以上的固体。这使储存成为一种包装固体，减少或消除了对尾矿池和相关水坝或堰的需要，从而减少了水的消耗和土地的使用。这项技术为传统的尾矿管理设施提供了一种具有成本效益和环境安全的替代方案，传统的尾矿管理设施在过去150年里一直是加拿大事实上的制度。

CEC Mining Systems Corp. manufactures mine waste dewatering systems based on traditional rotary vacuum disc filters. These systems are used to dewater mine tailings to more than 80% solids. This enables storage as a packed solid, reducing or eliminating the need for tailings ponds and the associated dams or weirs and, thereby, reducing both water consumption and land use. This technology offers a cost-effective and environmentally safe alternative to the conventional tailings management facilities which have been the de-facto regime in Canada for the past 150 years. The filter media in this system is a ceramic-polymer blend, which is formed in plates that are secured to the faces of the rotating discs. Although these filter plates are backwashed once in each revolution of the system rotor, irreversible performance degradation ultimately reduces effectiveness such that plates must either be removed for ultrasonic/acid cleaning or replaced. Both plate cleaning and plate replacement can represent a significant component of total cost of dewatering operations. The objectives of the proposed research are (1) to identify the dominant filter performance degradation mechanisms and system operating and design parameters that are drivers for these mechanisms and (2) to develop research strategies that will guide modification of these parameters that will lead to enhanced system performance. Advancement of the body of work surrounding the factors attributed to ceramic plate degradation would allow for more mining operators in Canada to adopt "dry-stacking" as a practice. By de-risking the selection criteria (e.g. cost estimations) between tailings management solutions, CEC would be in a position to positively impact the current and projected liabilities to local communities, regional and federal governments and shareholders of mining companies.