Project Background
A well-known technical university located in central Europe has an environmental engineering laboratory that has long been engaged in research projects on pretreatment of local municipal sludge for dewatering. Previously, the laboratory relied on traditional vacuum filtration devices for small-scale dewatering experiments. This not only made each experiment time-consuming, but also resulted in significant fluctuations in filter cake moisture content data. Moreover, it was unable to simulate the actual operating conditions of industrial plate-and-frame filter presses, leading to repeated parameter mismatches during subsequent process scale-up and severely hampering project progress.
The laboratory had previously purchased small filtration equipment from other brands. These devices commonly suffered from poor sealing of filter plates and corrosion of material contact parts when exposed to weak acids and alkalis. After only a few experiments, leakage and rusting occurred, making them unsuitable for long-term, repeated use. The laboratory director urgently needed a compact, easy-to-operate plate-and-frame filter press with stable data recording capabilities to replace the outdated experimental equipment.
Implementation Plan
After comparing technical parameters and user reviews of multiple global filtration equipment brands, the laboratory ultimately selected our 0.5㎡ benchtop small plate-and-frame filter press. Upon equipment arrival, our technical support team conducted a one-hour operational training session for three laboratory researchers via remote video connection. The training covered the entire workflow, including filter plate assembly, filter cloth replacement, pressure adjustment, and routine cleaning and maintenance. The entire process required no on-site professional installation personnel, and the equipment was fully commissioned and put into use within just half a day.
In response to the laboratory’s sludge dewatering requirements, we additionally provided three different grades of precision polypropylene filter cloths. We also supplied custom-made 304 stainless steel liquid-contact tanks, which were fully compatible with their existing benchtop dimensions and required no modifications to the laboratory space.
Application Results
Three months after the equipment was put into use, the laboratory provided us with clear performance data:
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Efficiency: The dehydration experiment, which originally took 2 hours per run, now takes only 20 minutes—a 6‑fold increase in experimental efficiency.
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Precision: Filter cake moisture content control accuracy improved from ±5% to ±1.5%, with minimal data deviation across 20 consecutive parallel experiments, fully meeting the project’s stringent requirements for data reproducibility.
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Durability: The fully 304 stainless steel contact components showed no signs of corrosion or leakage after dozens of experiments involving weak acid and alkali sludge samples.
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Usability: The manual hydraulic pressing mechanism is simple to operate; even laboratory students can independently complete all procedures without the need for a technician to be present throughout.
The experimental data generated by this equipment has now been successfully applied to a sludge dewatering process upgrade project at a local small municipal wastewater treatment plant, helping the facility reduce sludge disposal costs by approximately 12%.
Customer Feedback
The laboratory’s project leader stated during a subsequent follow-up visit:
“This small plate-and-frame filter press has far exceeded our expectations. Its compact benchtop design perfectly fits our limited laboratory space. The stable pressure control has enabled us to obtain reliable data that can be directly used for industrial scale-up. It has become an indispensable core piece of experimental equipment in our environmental engineering research project.”
Post time: Aug-04-2026