The disclosed technology regards a water/solids separator for filtering slurry into residue cakes and filtrate water. The separator includes a frame supporting a plurality of rollers supporting a filter media belt, a plurality of blades and wipers for cleaning the rollers and removing excess filtrate water and cake material, and an inlet water manifold to distribute slurry water uniformly on the filter media belt. The frame supports a filter bed, with a slurry receiving area having a perforated panel at its base, for receiving, pre-filtering and moving the slurry through the separator, and a filter bed collection tub with an exit aperture for collecting and delivering filtrate to a water holding tank. The filter media belt traverses the plurality of rollers, through and about the filter bed, supported along a portion of its path by the perforated panel. Both a residue cake bin and a clean water holding tank may be provided with the system to collect residue and filtrate water, respectively, for re-use or disposal. The present invention also regards a method for separating filtrate water and cake residue from slurry, using the water/solids separator herein described, by continuously providing slurry through the inlet water manifold, while powering the gear motor to cause rotation of the drive roll, resulting in rotation of the filter media about the plurality of rollers. By this method and the disclosed technology, a portion of the water from the slurry is removed, through the filter media belt and the perforated panel.

The disclosed technology regards a water/solids separator for filtering slurry into residue cakes and filtrate water. The separator includes a frame supporting a plurality of rollers supporting a filter media belt, a plurality of blades and wipers for cleaning the rollers and removing excess filtrate water and cake material, and an inlet water manifold to distribute slurry water uniformly on the filter media belt. The frame supports a filter bed, with a slurry receiving area having a perforated panel at its base, for receiving, pre-filtering and moving the slurry through the separator, and a filter bed collection tub with an exit aperture for collecting and delivering filtrate to a water holding tank. The filter media belt traverses the plurality of rollers, through and about the filter bed, supported along a portion of its path by the perforated panel. Both a residue cake bin and a clean water holding tank may be provided with the system to collect residue and filtrate water, respectively, for re-use or disposal. The present invention also regards a method for separating filtrate water and cake residue from slurry, using the water/solids separator herein described, by continuously providing slurry through the inlet water manifold, while powering the gear motor to cause rotation of the drive roll, resulting in rotation of the filter media about the plurality of rollers. By this method and the disclosed technology, a portion of the water from the slurry is removed, through the filter media belt and the perforated panel.

Disclosed herein are disc filters for dewatering a fiber suspension. According to a first aspect, the disc filter includes a vessel comprising an inlet positioned in a wall of the vessel, the inlet introducing a fiber suspension into the vessel. The disc filter further includes a rotor shaft comprising a shaft axis of rotation positioned in a shaft plane, wherein the shaft plane is a horizontal plane. At least one filter element may be coupled to the rotor shaft. At least one injector may be positioned in the wall of the vessel, the at least one injector introducing a secondary flow of liquid into the vessel. The at least one injector may be located in the wall of the vessel at an injector elevation angle .sub.I that is greater than 44 degrees and less than or equal to +22 degrees relative to the shaft plane.

Disclosed herein are disc filters for dewatering a fiber suspension. According to a first aspect, the disc filter includes a vessel comprising an inlet positioned in a wall of the vessel, the inlet introducing a fiber suspension into the vessel. The disc filter further includes a rotor shaft comprising a shaft axis of rotation positioned in a shaft plane, wherein the shaft plane is a horizontal plane. At least one filter element may be coupled to the rotor shaft. At least one injector may be positioned in the wall of the vessel, the at least one injector introducing a secondary flow of liquid into the vessel. The at least one injector may be located in the wall of the vessel at an injector elevation angle .sub.I that is greater than 44 degrees and less than or equal to +22 degrees relative to the shaft plane.

A microparticle filter, textile treatment apparatus, use and method is disclosed. The microparticle filter comprises i) a filter chamber, the filter chamber comprising: an inlet for supplying effluent into the filter chamber and an outlet for filtered effluent to leave the filter chamber; a first set of chamber walls and a second set of chamber walls, wherein the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls in a first configuration are sealed together so that effluent cannot pass between the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls, and wherein the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls in a second configuration provide an opening; ii) a filter cage contained within the filter chamber, wherein the filter cage comprises one or more than one filter medium, the filter medium to filter microparticles from the effluent, and wherein the filter cage is rotatable around an axis, and wherein the filter cage defines an interior volume, and wherein the inlet is arranged to provide effluent to the interior volume of the filter cage and the outlet is arranged to receive filtered effluent from the filter cage; iii) a transfer member rotatable around the axis; iv) an actuator connected to the first set of chamber walls, and one of the filter cage or the transfer member and operable to move between the first configuration and the second configuration; v) a drive unit arranged to rotate the transfer member in at least the second configuration; wherein in the first configuration, the transfer member is located in the interior volume of the filter cage; and wherein in a second configuration, the transfer member is removed from the interior volume of the filter cage along the axis and the transfer member is rotatable to throw transferred filter residue off the transfer member through the opening, and wherein the transfer member comprises a filter residue collector to remove filter residue from the filter medium when the filter is changed from the first configuration from the second configuration.

A microparticle filter, textile treatment apparatus, use and method is disclosed. The microparticle filter comprises i) a filter chamber, the filter chamber comprising: an inlet for supplying effluent into the filter chamber and an outlet for filtered effluent to leave the filter chamber; a first set of chamber walls and a second set of chamber walls, wherein the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls in a first configuration are sealed together so that effluent cannot pass between the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls, and wherein the first set of chamber walls and the second set of chamber walls in a second configuration provide an opening; ii) a filter cage contained within the filter chamber, wherein the filter cage comprises one or more than one filter medium, the filter medium to filter microparticles from the effluent, and wherein the filter cage is rotatable around an axis, and wherein the filter cage defines an interior volume, and wherein the inlet is arranged to provide effluent to the interior volume of the filter cage and the outlet is arranged to receive filtered effluent from the filter cage; iii) a transfer member rotatable around the axis; iv) an actuator connected to the first set of chamber walls, and one of the filter cage or the transfer member and operable to move between the first configuration and the second configuration; v) a drive unit arranged to rotate the transfer member in at least the second configuration; wherein in the first configuration, the transfer member is located in the interior volume of the filter cage; and wherein in a second configuration, the transfer member is removed from the interior volume of the filter cage along the axis and the transfer member is rotatable to throw transferred filter residue off the transfer member through the opening, and wherein the transfer member comprises a filter residue collector to remove filter residue from the filter medium when the filter is changed from the first configuration from the second configuration.