Stone fabrication shops throughout the world understand the need to recycle their sludge water.  Not only does stone water recycling allow water reuse and significantly reduce water use and costs – collecting the sludge aids in meeting federal, state, and local laws, regulations and ordinances.

Stone industry water involves multiple challenges.  Individual stones such as granite, slate, limestone, sandstone, and fieldstone each have unique characteristics.

Many of today’s consumers are searching for fabricators that utilize environmentally friendly business practices.  Recycling water can be one of your most important marketing benefits.

Sludge water produced from stone fabrication presents unique challenges in sludge removal and in recycling of the water.  The nature of the slurry varies by stone type, by shop equipment mix and by specific operation of equipment.  The largest issue is the removal of suspended solids (slurry) from the waste water.

Cycle description

The waste waters involved in the industrial processing are collected into a pit (A) and are conveyed to the decanter by a suitable pump, which works automatically through level probes. In the flocculant station (B) a solution of water and flocculant is prepared, and is subsequently injected into the pipe feeding the decanter (C). The flocculant acts on the solid particles increasing their settling speed. Once the waste water has entered into the decanter, the clean water rises towards the top of the silo and overflows into the clean water collection tank (H), from which it can be sent back to the machines. The mud accumulates at the bottom of the decanter and is extracted by a pneumatic group (D), which discharges it into the homogenizing tank (E). The tank is equipped with an agitator for preventing the settlement of the solids. A double speed centrifugal pump (F) takes the mud out of the tank and feeds the filterpress (G). The chamber-type filterpress squeezes out the residual water still retained in the mud and discharges the dry mud below its structure.

Applicative fields

• Decantation of waste water and dehydration of mud coming from the industrial processing of marble, granite and stone.
• Decantation of waste water and dehydration of mud coming from the washing of aggregates (sand, gravel) and washing of ready-mix cars for concrete.
• Waste water recycling and mud dehydration plant for water produced in ready-mixed concrete truck washing.
• Decantation of waste water and dehydration of mud coming from excavation, during the realization of tunnels.

Filterpresses

The filterpresses are equipped with a hydraulic power unit, for the automatic control of the opening-closing cycle of the plates. A group of probes located in the filtered water collection channel determines the end of filtration. An automatic system for shaking the plates makes it easier for the mud panels to detach from the plates. Moreover, the filterpresses can be equipped by a sliding tray collecting the dripping water, by a platform and a supporting structure complete with ladder and railings.