New ProPress filter press from CDE

First published in the August 2024 issue of Quarry Management Hot off the Press

CDE unveil new generation of filter press at Hillhead

CDE, a leader in the design and engineering of sand and aggregate wet-processing solutions for the waste-recycling and natural minerals processing sectors, unveiled their new ProPress high-performance filter press at Hillhead 2024, adding to their state-of-the-art water-management and recycling systems.

Developed to meet the evolving needs of the quarrying, mining and construction and demolition (C&D) waste-recycling sectors, the ProPress integrates the latest technological advancements to deliver superior operational efficiency and maximum water recovery.

Benefits of the ProPress

CDE’s ProPress, which features patent-pending technology, benefits from a flexible design and variable throughput that can be scaled to fit the processing volume of any operation.

Unlike traditional filter presses, the system is dual feed, meaning sludge is fed from both sides of the ProPress for improved efficiency and faster cycle times. Optimized sludge feed pressure also allows for faster dewatering to increase overall throughput. This is further supported by an overhead beam design that ensures reliability by reducing stress on the unit and improving its durability.

The ProPress features plates that are 25% larger (2.5m x 2m) than traditional plates. Greater chamber volume and overall fewer plates serve to provide maximum capacity on a smaller footprint and improve mechanical cycle times.

Safe and efficient maintenance is made possible by integrated plate-shaking technology which addresses filter cake build-up within the chambers to help reduce the need for manual intervention. An access walkway provides clear and unobstructed means to carry out maintenance safely and efficiently, and flush mounted drip trays reduce material entrapment and lock in place to provide a secure maintenance platform for operators.

The smart design is supported by an innovative, multifunctional robot, which serves as the main workhorse for the ProPress, controlling plate opening, plate shaking, cloth washing, plate winch, and the maintenance platform.

The CDE ProPress is available in a range of different sizes to suit all markets and applications. Available globally, the ProPress is also largely pre-assembled to expedite commissioning, allowing operators to get up and running quickly to help achieve fast return on investment.

ProPress process

As materials are washed and graded, the water from that process accumulates silt and other residues to form a sludge. A challenging material to process, that sludge is pumped under high pressure into the CDE ProPress, which consists of a sequence of plates, the composition of which forms a series of chambers.

As sludge is pumped under high pressure through the press, solid materials build within the chambers to form a filter cake which is dewatered to maximize water recycling and recover a by-product with multiple applications.

With the CDE ProPress, owners and operators can recycle up to 95% of process water for immediate reuse in their wash plant while simultaneously cutting waste disposal fees by recovering a filter cake product that can be used for pipe bedding and landfill capping. This eliminates the need for settling ponds which typically require extensive maintenance, consume labour resources, and incur significant costs.

Engineering excellence

CDE’s business development director, Darren Eastwood, said: ‘Tackling the most challenging of materials is our expertise. We’ve poured over 30 years of engineering excellence into the development of the ProPress. We’ve listened to and worked alongside our customers around the globe to design a solution that is adaptable to their needs, be they in the waste recycling or natural minerals processing sectors.

‘Those needs were clear: sustainable water management was key to minimize fresh water dependency and maximize water recycling, all while improving processing capacity, reducing operating costs, and minimizing maintenance downtime. The ProPress is our response to all of this and more and it is already delivering for our customers. By the end of the year, the ProPress will be found on eight plants across three regions, processing around 1,000 tonnes/h of material.

‘Our most significant product launch in recent years, the ProPress really encapsulates CDE’s purpose: to create our best world, a tonne at a time. It represents a constant push for improvement to make our equipment, our customers’ operations, and the sectors we operate in more efficient and less wasteful. We’re very pleased to finally bring this latest innovation to the wider market to help maximize the availability of our natural resources and reduce the industry’s waste burden.’

Once a ProPress is commissioned, every customer is introduced to the local CDE CustomCare team which provides after-sales support to help achieve maximum performance from their equipment.

Case Study: ProPress delivers for Fife quarrying and recycling firm

The first ProPress high-performance filter press to be commissioned by CDE is currently exceeding processing targets and has significantly reduced reliance on costly settling ponds, according to the owner of one of Scotland’s leading aggregate specialists.

Collier Quarrying and Recycling Ltd were the very first CDE customer to integrate the new ProPress into their wash plant setup. Commissioned in April this year at the company’s Goathill Quarry, in Fife, the ProPress X4-200 – the largest model in the new CDE filter press range – benefits from 200 plates and can process 20m3 per mechanical cycle.

A longstanding customer, Collier Quarrying and Recycling operate two existing CDE wash plants. ‘I have two CDE plants and they’re really good plants,’ said company owner Duncan Collier. ‘They’re very efficient, so when I found out CDE were designing their new filter press, I knew it wouldn’t let me down. We’re very familiar with the technology under the hood and fully trusted CDE to deliver – and they really have.’

The problem with ponds

With the CDE ProPress, owners and operators can recycle up to 95% of process water for immediate reuse in their wash plant, eliminating the need for settling ponds which typically require extensive maintenance, consume labour resources, and incur significant costs.

CDE business development manager Fergal Campbell said: ‘Settling ponds are known to be a source of considerable revenue losses. They occupy a very large site footprint, maintenance costs are high, and they adversely impact the production of saleable material due to the amount of  management needed. With the CDE ProPress, we can address many of these pain points with a single solution.’

When Collier Quarrying and Recycling acquired Goathill Quarry, they began recycling demolition waste into reusable aggregates and sub-base materials, a process that requires significant water resources, along with their virgin material processing.

‘We’ve been managing settling ponds for over a decade now. More and more, our business is focused on recycling demolition waste and as that side of the business continues to grow our water needs increase substantially,’ said Mr Collier.

‘The time we spend creating and managing the ponds to ensure we have clean water readily available really impacts on our productivity, so the integration of a new filter press to dispose of waste and contaminants while quickly returning clean water to our two wash plants has been a really positive development.’

Jordan McCooe, CDE programme manager for the UK and Ireland, said: ‘For Collier, the challenge with pond management was doubled because they required clean water to supply two active wash plants. Initially, it was thought that two filter presses would be needed; one for each plant. When we reviewed current and projected throughput, we found that a single, large filter press had the capacity to process materials from both plants.’

The CDE ProPress is available in eight different sizes to suit all markets and applications, ranging from the ProPress X1-60, which has 60 plates and can process 6m3 per mechanical cycle, to the ProPress X4-200, which has 200 plates and can process 20m3 per mechanical cycle. At Goathill Quarry, a centrally located 600m3 buffer tank receives sludge from both wash plants simultaneously.

Mr McCooe continued: ‘The ProPress features plates that are 25% larger. The combination of greater chamber volume, fewer plates overall, and the buffer tank means that just one ProPress unit has the capacity to receive and process sludge from both of Collier’s wash plants.’

ProPress for profitability

‘The new CDE ProPress has allowed us to reduce our reliance on settling ponds. This is hugely positive, not only from a production standpoint but also in terms of health and safety. There’s less maintenance involved and open water areas have been scaled back greatly,’ said Duncan Collier.

‘Operational now for four months, the ProPress is very user-friendly and is processing at a higher volume than anticipated. It’s capable of doing what CDE said it would do, and more besides. It’s absolutely first class and helping to really accelerate our return on investment,’ he concluded.

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