APS Supply Baioni Centrifugal Decanters
Aggregate Processing Solutions (APS), the specialist washing arm of the Finlay Group, have secured a sole distribution agreement with Italian centrifuge manufacturers Baioni
First showcased at Hillhead 2007, Baioni’s centrifugal decanter systems are designed to allow quarry operators to reclaim the inherent solids from wash plant effluent, and then recycle and reuse the wash water immediately – thereby eliminating the large settlement lagoons often associated with quarry-based washing plants.
Developed over a number of years specifically for quarry, sand and gravel, and reclaimed material applications, to date the centrifuges have proven very popular in Italy and other parts the world.
APS, the specialist washing arm of the Finlay Group, now have sole distribution rights to market three specific Baioni centrifuge models – the Baidec 65, 65L and 80L – across the UK and Ireland. The three models are capable of processing between 5 and 35 tonnes/h, depending on the specific nature of the material and the dry solids grading.
The Baioni centrifuges work on the principle of the difference in specific weights between the various materials that need to be separated. Solid particles in suspension in a liquid tend to sink under the force of gravity, but using a centrifuge decanter, it is possible to reproduce and enhance this process, making the separation process almost instantaneous. All Baioni centrifuge units come fully equipped with PLC management controls, allowing them to run automatically.
John Dunne, a director of the Finlay Group, said: ‘Baioni have an exceptional and proven track record in this sector and the quality of their products, combined with our sales, technical support and after-sales service, makes for a good partnership.’
Mobile system
One company that has already purchased a Baioni centrifugal decanter system from APS is S.E. Davis & Son Ltd. They had identified a market for highly mobile processing equipment capable of providing both intense washing and attrition, together with water clarification and manageable silt recovery.
To meet this requirement, APS provided the company with two Trio coarse material washers suitable for –50mm material. These are designed to encourage severe attrition to all feed material, particularly the fines/sand particles and gravel sizes.
Meanwhile, lightweight contaminates, which are encouraged to float due to the increasing liquid density, spill over a weir in the opposite direction to the material flow and are then removed by a trash screen while the remaining fines are delivered, by gravity, to the sand system.
A mobile thickener then concentrates the solids to around 35% and the underflow from this unit is fed into the bespoke mobile centrifuge unit.
S.E. Davis & Son deliberated extensively on how to condense these components into a portable unit that would be readily relocatable and appointed Manvers Engineering Ltd to help design a solution to meet their requirements.
S.E. Davis & Son opted for the Baioni 65L centrifugal decanter system mounted within a 40in enclosed ‘box’ trailer, complete with a PLC-operated system. Particular attention was paid to maintain clear floor space around the key components for ease of maintenance and adjustment.
This was achieved by the external mounting of the sludge and polymer make-up, together with the supply pumps, beneath the floor of the trailer. The flocculent make-up unit is housed, along with the generator that powers the system, inside the trailer body, while the dewatered sludge is discharged and stockpiled from the rear of the trailer via a special folding screw conveyor.
With APS’s assistance, S.E Davis & Son say they have taken a significant step forward in the recovery of high-value materials, ensuring the optimal cleaning and producing cleaner, more diverse and more cost-effective range of construction materials for the future.
Aggregate Processing Solutions Ltd, Lakeside House, Ladford Covert Industrial Park, Seightford, Stafford ST18 9QL; tel: (01785) 282360; fax: (01785) 282991
