New cost-competitive, large-scale filter press can recycle up to 95% of water for mine sites

The new AFP2525 Automatic Filter Press from FLSmidth allows miners to recycle and reuse a significant amount water in their operations. As a result, the high-efficiency, large-capacity, dewatering equipment both reduces the need for fresh water intake and cuts costs for the mine site.

Today’s mines operate with many ecological and social responsibilities – to minimise water and energy consumption, protect the local environment, and keep surrounding communities safe. All of these efforts can create a huge economic impact, so cost-effective solutions are imperative.

To help miners achieve this, we have launched the AFP2525 Automatic Filter Press that delivers high availability and efficiency, with the lowest cost possible – in fact, the lowest cost per ton in its class. The AFP2525 is also durable and long-lasting due to a maintenance-friendly, robust design so it is built to last for the life of the mine and beyond.

"We are delighted to launch this large-scale, cost-competitive filter press to the mining industry. With a combination of fast and safe maintenance, lower costs and a minimised environmental footprint, the AFP2525 immediately becomes the leading solution in its area. It meets growing customer demand for fast and efficient water recovery and illustrates our determination to meet our MissionZero ambition and help mining move towards zero water waste by 2030,” comments Mikko Keto, Mining President at FLSmidth.

As ore grades decline, greater challenges are experienced with water management to keep up with desired production rates. This creates more water and tailings to manage. Some of the major environmental risks in mining are associated with tailings – high water use (in areas of water scarcity), contamination of ground water and tailings dam failures.

By employing a filter press to remove the water from tailings waste, the AFP eliminates the need for wet tailings dams, while the reuse of process water minimises environmental risks associated with mining, cuts complexity and helps miners attain a social license to operate.

Why does the AFP2525 provide a step change in this area? Firstly, the technology has been rethought so the filter is easy to maintain, which means costly downtime is minimised. Secondly, the filter is very efficient and operates at high capacity – i.e., it maximises water recovery and is suitable for large-scale mines. Additionally, fast filtration rates and short mechanical times minimise the filter cycle time; this combination of speed and reliability result in the lowest cost per ton in the industry. With the AFP2525 Automatic Filter Press, miners can expect an average of 93% availability and up to 95% recovery of process water.

The AFP2525 Automatic Filter Press is a key solution in FLSmidth’s MissionZero ambition to enable mines to eliminate water waste and emissions by 2030.

Contacts

Media Relations
Rasmus Windfeld, +45 40 44 60 60, rwin@flsmidth.com

Investor Relations
Nicolai Mauritzen, +45 30 93 18 51, nicm@flsmidth.com

FLSmidth provides sustainable productivity to the global mining and cement industries. We deliver market-leading engineering, equipment and service solutions that enable our customers to improve performance, drive down costs and reduce environmental impact. Our operations span the globe and we are close to 10,700 employees, present in more than 60 countries. In 2020, FLSmidth generated revenue of DKK 16.4 billion. MissionZero is our sustainability ambition towards zero emissions in mining and cement by 2030.
www.flsmidth.com/MissionZero

Attachment

• Press release FLSmidth 1 March 2021