Anthracite producer Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) has commissioned a new 25-ton-an-hour filter press, worth R14.5-million, at its Emakhalathini  coal washing plant, in KwaZulu-Natal, following a coal slurry spill at the end of 2021.

The filter press plant is designed to remove slurry from the water used during the coal washing process. Construction of the plant started in 2022.

“The slurry from the wash plant is then pumped into the filtration chamber of the filter press, where the water is separated from the ultrafine material.

“The filter press has an automated function to release the solid load at the end of the process,” explains ZAC engineering senior foreman Howard Atkinson.

Atkinson adds that, once the water has been separated from the ultrafine material, it can be reused in the beneficiation process ensuring a more efficient use of  water on site.

He adds that ZAC has a dedicated environmental team to conduct the constant monitoring of the environment as a means of ensuring that there is no overuse of freshwater for operations, and to help protect local resources from contamination.

In this regard, Atkinson also notes that ZAC uses environment-friendly dust-suppression chemicals to assist in reducing water used for dust suppression.

“The principal aim of ZAC’s sustainable water management policy is to minimise and reduce freshwater consumption in all our operations. “The conservation, protection and management of water is a top priority for ZAC,” states ZAC assistant GM Wiets Beukes.