A clog-free automatic KDS liquid-to-solid waste separator technology from CST Wastewater Solutions is being used throughout Australia and New Zealand for compact dewatering in food processing, food waste, agribusiness and more.
The energy-saving and water-saving technology – which also typically halves the cost of transporting its drier and lighter output, for recycling or disposal – is being used by this chicken processor (which cannot be named due to commercial confidentiality reasons) to process three cubic metres of wastewater every hour.
A major Australian supplier of poultry and protein products to the food and retail industry has adopted new KDS liquid-separator technology to enhance efficiency while reinforcing its environmental credentials for customers.
An environmentally conscious solution
Designed for efficiency, sustainability, and conservation of resources in small-to- medium applications, the energy-efficient KDS separator consumes as little as 0.06kW hr of electricity an hour and uses no washwaster The simple-to-maintain separator offers a high throughput within a small body, with the smallest model being just under 350mm wide and weighing 50kg.
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 otherwise potentially hazardous materials, including, in this case, mixed poultry waste and process effluent.
CST Wastewater Solutions MD Michael Bambridge said the KDS installation dramatically reduces waste disposal and landfill costs – while reducing this customer’s environmental footprint.
“The KDS is very easy to operate, without needing skilled staff in constant attendance. And its robust stainless steel structure needs only the occasional hose down to maintain cleanliness and production,” said Bambridge.
The KDS separator – which is also available skid-mounted for operational versatility and relocation – uses a fraction of the power of a centrifuge and requires no water usage during operation, unlike alternatives such as a belt press or a screw press.
“For a relatively low investment cost, it offers a high-performance alternative to sludge drying beds and geobags, for example, said Bambridge.
Skid-mounted version of the KDS, left, and the unique self-cleaning action of the KDS separator, which is available in hydraulic capacities from 1,000-18,600 lit/hr (264-4,092 gal/hr) with input solids content of 2 per cent
Used for thickening of dissolved air flotation sludge – a very common application throughout wastewater operations – it achieves solids capture of 97 per cent with thickened sludge at a dryness of 17 per cent. Waste activated sludge dryness levels are typically 15-25 per cent. Thickened sludge dryness at this chicken processing facility has achieved this outstanding range even with the elevated levels of fat and oil involved in the application.
The KDS reduces the amount of sludge to be removed by at least 50 per cent – and opens up potential for re-use in composting and energy recovery, rather than straight disposal.
Bambridge added that, because it produces radically drier and lighter waste, the KDS avoids the problem faced by many food and primary production plants of tons of sodden, sticky, unhealthy and potentially environmentally hazardous wastewater sludge byproduct that must be expensively transported to costly processing and disposal facilities.
These wet cakes of byproduct from farms, food processors, kitchens, manufacturers, and primary producers can cost upwards of $A150 ($NZ160+) a ton to move by specialised transport from the places where effluent is produced, to centres where compacting, drying, recycling or disposal can take place in controlled environments where they don’t threaten groundwater.
The compact KDS multi-disc roller separator also saves money and downtime by featuring a unique self-cleaning dewatering and conveying system with oval plate separation and transfer structure that prevents clogging and permits automatic continuous operation that handles oily and fibrous material with ease.
Applications for which the separator is designed include:
- Food processing waste, including snackfoods, kitchen and restaurant waste, raw wastewater (primary screening) and sludge;
- sewage treatment, including raw wastewater (primary screening) and sludge to landfill;
- abattoir, feedlots, and dairy farm wastewater and sludge;
- pig farm raw manure and sludge;
- barrel polishing water, water-based paint wastewater, grease trap waste, dyeing wastewater, waste oil, and plastic recycling; and
- seafood processing.
