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08. Mar 2018
Vacuum belt filters: High performance in fertilizer production operations
Around 220 million tons of phosphorus are currently mined each year and processed to create fertilizer, with a rising trend. Phosphate ore is shredded and ground to create rock flour as the raw material for these phosphate fertilizers (apatite). The addition of sulphuric acid then dissolves and separates the phosphate from the rock flour. Phosphogypsum, which needs to be efficiently dewatered before final storage, is created as a by-product of phosphoric acid production. The high-performance VACUBELT® filter belts play a key role in this processing step. GKD designs and thermally matches these belts individually to the specific phosphogypsum properties. Besides efficient dewatering, this belt type impresses with its low clogging tendency and excellent cleaning properties. Its smooth surface also facilitates optimum cake discharge, while its special transverse stability keeps the filter belt tracking accurately and thereby provides for greater efficiency in fertilizer production operations. As such, VACUBELT® filter belts guarantee the requisite resistance to creasing/wrinkling – even when working with very large system dimensions of up to 4.50 meters in width and over 70 meters in length. The belt therefore not only fulfills the strict requirements in terms of mechanical, thermal, and chemical stability, but also significantly reduces particle penetration thanks to the particularly flat PAD seam. Its design significantly improves both the strength and running characteristics of the filter belt overall. VACUBELT® filter belts from GKD therefore contribute to a significantly longer service life.
