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A Review of Filter Press Basics and Issues

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Filtration experts, over the years, have discussed filter presses and have indicated that soon they would be a thing of the past; the last filter press would be replaced by more modern equipment. This article discusses the perceived shortcomings of the filter press as well as the batch or continuous filtration alternatives to replace them.

HISTORICAL PROBLEMS WITH FILTER PRESSES

• The cake has to be scraped manually out of the frames
• The frames cannot be too thin otherwise the feed ports block. This point applies to the plate and frame presses. For the rest, almost all filter presses now have recessed or chamber plates.
• If the plates are too large or there are too many of them, the weight is excessive. Almost every plate nowadays is made out of a plastic material, usuallypolypropylene which also solves many chemical resistance problems, although thisdoes pose limitations on temperatures of the feed, the wash liquids and the cleaning liquids.