Pre-Filtration, Industrial Process Water, Laundry

– Cape Town

GraviFilter Self Cleaning Gravity Screen Filter

Client: Texcare Laundry
Industry: Industrial Process Water (Textiles) • Re-use of process water / removal of lint
Region: Western Cape, South Africa
Product: VA1, 10m³/h, 200µm
Installation Date: 2017

Challenge

  • Texcare is an industrial size laundry and drycleaning operation based in the Western Cape (South Africa).
  • Regional drought (2015 – 2018) made re-use of process water essential.
  • Texcare developed a water treatment plant that includes prefiltration, DAF, final filtration and membrane separation (UF / NF) stages.
  • Lint is a significant component of the suspended solids in the process water. It interferes directly with the efficiency of the membrane separation processes and will debilitate the process if not removed.
  • Lint cannot be removed efficiently with pressure filters and it blocks manual gravity screen filters within minutes.
  • A self-cleaning gravity (non-pressurized) screen filter was required that could remove soft, fibrous suspended solids

Application

  • Pre-Filtration / To reduce suspended solids load (mainly lint) in process water in preparation for downstream separation processes (DAF, UF and NF).

Solution

  • Texcare installed a GraviFilter model VA1 with integral, self-cleaning mechanism. 10m³/h. 200µm screens.
  • The GraviFilter is an essential component within the larger treatment process.
  • Dirty water from the washing machines is delivered to the GraviFilter.
  • Larger solids and lint is filtered out. Lint will blind a manual gravity screen filter very quickly, but the integral, continuous self-cleaning mechanism of the GraviFilter ensures uninterrupted filtration for extended periods of time.
  • Filtrate from the GraviFilter is processed further (DAF and sand filters) before the UF / NF separation processes take place.

Results

  • The integral, continuous self-cleaning mechanism of the GraviFilter ensures intervention free filtration for long periods of time.
  • Improvement in the quality of water supplied to downstream treatment processes.
  • Reduction in maintenance costs and downtime on the UF/NF Membranes.

 

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