A compact and cost-efficient alternative to conventional dewatering technologies is being introduced to Australia and New Zealand to eliminate costs and OH&S hazards associated with damper and heavier output from pork processing and major food preparation operations.

The KDS Multidisc Separator system from CST Wastewater Solutions – which requires no washwater, while capturing 90-99 percent of solids – is engineered to overcome the limitations of technologies such as screw presses, belt presses and centrifuges currently used.

Applications include small-to-medium pork, meat and livestock, poultry, fish, and dairy plants as well as large-scale food and beverage kitchens and catering facilities which face the challenge not only of handling heavy, sticky, wet waste, but also the volume and cost and OH&S hazards of transporting such unhygienic material to disposal facilities.

CST Wastewater Solutions Managing Director Mr Michael Bambridge says benefits of particular importance to installations for the pork industry include:

The largest energy-saving KDS unit can handle about 100kg DS (dry solids) an hour at 98 percent solids capture, to produce this more hygienic and more compact output that is easier and cheaper to handle and transport, he says.                   

Used for dewatering of dissolved air flotation sludge – a very common application throughout waste water operations – The KDS achieves solids capture of 97 percent thickened sludge at a dryness of 17 percent. Waste activated sludge dryness levels are typically 15-18 percent dryness.

The high quality, Japanese-manufactured technology:

This lighter, dryer waste it produces reduces the need for manual labour in cleaning and transport operations and curtails the need for staff to handle sloppy heavy waste potentially hazardous to health.

“With the KDS’ minimal water, power and space demands, it is ideally suited to both smaller-to-medium business and also to those operating in remote or environmentally sensitive situations,” said Mr Bambridge.

How It Works The clog-free automatic liquid-to-solid waste separator dewaters solids and conditioned sludge on a self-cleaning wedgewire belt. This static belt is cleaned by a unique set of rotating oval shape plates.

After the drainage and thickening zone, the thickened sludge passes a dewatering zone which consists of an adjustable plate, actuated manually or by pneumatic cylinder to further squeeze the solids.

The KDS’ unique self-cleaning dewatering and conveying system features an oval plate separation and transfer structure that prevents clogging and permits automatic continuous operation that handles oily and fibrous material with ease.

“This simple-to-maintain separator offers a high throughput within a small body, with the smallest model being just under 350mm wide and weighing 50 kg. The compact rotational oval plate structure achieves high transportation and separation efficiencies, while the simplicity of the machine’s overall structure offers low maintenance, achieving cost and OH&S benefits through less handling being required to clear hazardous materials.                                                        

“The KDS separator uses a fraction of the power of a centrifuge and requires no water usage during operation, unlike a belt press or a screw press. For a relatively low investment cost, it also offers a high performance alternative to sludge drying beds and geobags, for example,” says Mr Bambridge.

Applications for which the separator is designed include:

For more information, visit www.cstwastewater.com.

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