BR102018017347A2 - EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR THE DRAINAGE AND COMPACTION OF SLUDGE, WASTE, PASTY MATERIALS AND SUSPENSIONS - Google Patents

Abstract

equipment and method for dewatering and compacting sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions. the present invention deals with equipment and method for the dewatering and compaction of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions, through a mechanical process of batch filtration, with compression made by piston, the equipment comprising: feed hopper (1) , supply duct (2), filtration chamber (3), filtration surface (4), compression plate (5) driven by compression piston (6), supply guillotine (7) for opening and closing the inlet of the filtration chamber (3) with the movement of the compression plate (5), closing plate (8) driven by the closing piston (9), collector fairing of filtered liquid (13), with the entire operation being automated and the pressure of filtration applied during the varied cycle according to the method of operation presented in the present invention.

Description

Descriptive Report of the Invention Patent: “EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR THE DISCHARGE AND COMPACTION OF SLUDGE, WASTE, PASTY MATERIALS AND SUSPENSIONS”.

Presentation:

001 - The present invention deals with mechanical equipment and method for dewatering and compacting sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions by batch filtration principle, with piston compression, with technology developed from the association of three concepts : i) basic mechanical concept of compacting equipment such as Piston Compaction Presses, which is equipment generally used only for compacting solids by means of pistons; ii) modern concept of conditioning and filtration of sludge and the like; and iii) fundamental and necessary innovative concepts of the present invention that include, among others, the control and programming of the optimum pressure conditions during the entire filtration process. Through the combination of these three factors in the present invention, an unprecedented and surprising result was obtained - an equipment with an extremely simple and compact mechanical design, with low investment and maintenance cost when compared to other existing technologies on the market, which is capable of emptying and compact materials with a high moisture content and with small granulometry solids, with high efficiency of solids concentration in the final compacted cake, which still guarantees a good quality filtered liquid stream with a minimum of entrained solids, thus being in perfect harmony with the main requirements of the current market for this type of equipment.

Application field:

002 - The present invention is inserted in the field of Mechanics, more specifically in the area of Filters. The equipment object of the present patent application can be used, for example, but not only, for the dewatering and compacting of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions, among them those coming from effluent treatment plants in the primary treatment stages, secondary and tertiary, such as sludge from floats, decanters, aerobic or anaerobic digesters, among others.

Market Demand:

003 - With the development of new technologies for the treatment of effluents and pressured by the growing demands of environmental control, the demand for equipment for the dewatering and compaction of sludge, tailings and pasty materials increased rapidly, with an emphasis on reducing costs and risks handling, transportation, storage or possible post-processing of this waste material. The current market for equipment aimed at dewatering and compacting sludge from wastewater treatment plants has some main requirements, as listed below, which are not satisfactorily met in their entirety by the existing technique:

• Well concentrated final pie - high concentration of solids and reduced humidity;

• Good quality filtered liquid stream - little drag / loss of solids next to the filtrate;

• Automated operation for an operation regime of up to 24 hours a day;

• Low investment and maintenance cost, compatible with the low added value of the processed product;

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 2/23 • Robust and simple design, suitable for heavy operation with low wear of parts, especially with regard to abrasion;

• High productivity and compactness - compact system with little area needed for installation, yet able to handle a large amount of product;

• Flexible technological conception for “scale up” and “scale down” - service with a large capacity range without significant impact on investment cost;

• Operational flexibility - suitable for handling products that show variations in their composition and / or physical characteristics, such as variations in composition, concentration and granulometry.

004 - For this market, it is essential that the processed sludge is well compacted, with the smallest volume and lightest weight possible, and that it does not show any liquid dripping when handled, minimizing risks of environmental contamination. The compaction of the material is obtained by expelling the liquid phase, retaining the solids - the higher the concentration of solids, the lower the humidity and, consequently, the drier the material appears at the end and the lower its transportation cost, handling in general, and possible post-processing, such as drying. For example, 100 kg of sludge with 98% moisture, when dewatered to a solids concentration of 40%, presents a final cake weight of 5 kg, which represents a 20-fold reduction in the initial weight.

005 - It is worth mentioning that the effort required to dewater a sludge does not depend only on the degree of final compaction desired for the cake, but also on the type of sludge processed. While some sludge is very consistent from 25% solids, others need to reach much higher solid concentrations, on the order of 50% or more, to be sufficiently consistent and dehydrated for handling. On the other hand, a cleaner extracted liquid stream, with less drag of solids, reduces the need for reprocessing and minimizes the possibility of possible environmental problems that may arise from its handling and disposal, in addition to facilitating its possible reuse.

006 - As will be seen below, most of the technologies currently available on the market for dewatering and compacting sludge show unsatisfactory results of final compaction, mainly due to the limitations caused by their respective original mechanical designs, such as reduced maximum pressure filtration, accentuated abrasion wear caused by high rotation speed and others. On the other hand, as is also commented on below, the present invention allows the use of high filtration pressures without the occurrence of significant abrasion wear, with excellent final compaction of the material.

Description of the State of the Art:

007 - Mechanical dewatering of very liquid sludges with very small granulometry has never been an easy task due to the low porosity and permeability that these sludges usually present, especially when this permeability drastically reduces as the solids are compacted. It is known for the technique that some of these sludges, such as sludge from the effluent biodigestion process, when pressed, form a compact and compressible layer next to the filter surface that has very low porosity, which tends to drastically reduce the filtration rate. To avoid this problem, alternatives were created, such as the addition of auxiliary filtration products to the material to be processed, either to coagulate and flocculate the small solid particles, or to give

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 3/23 greater rigidity to the material and making it incompressible, in order to preserve the material's porosity, even when compressed and concentrated. However, the addition of auxiliary filtration products, although it can minimize the filtration problems of materials of this type, increases the operational cost, as well as increases the amount of final cake produced by the addition of the products themselves, so that this procedure must be minimized and even avoided, this being one of the objectives of the present invention.

008 - In general, the separation of the solid and liquid sludge phases is done through: (a) sedimentation or flotation processes of the solids based on the difference in density between the two phases; (b) filtration processes, forcing the material to pass through a perforated or porous filter surface to retain the solids, usually with a smaller opening of the filter surface than the particle size of the solids to be retained; (c) or by combining both processes. Based on these general principles, several technologies were developed, each one giving rise to the development of many other technological variants, aiming to better serve the new sludge dewatering and compacting market, as previously described. In general, the most well-known and used technologies for this are: Filtration in Rotary Vacuum Filter, Belt Filter, Filter Press, Centrifugation and, more recently, Pressing in Screw Press, as presented briefly below for reference only. this patent application. For the purpose of comparison with the present invention, only mechanical dewatering technologies are considered here, electrical dewatering technologies not being considered. As will be seen below, all of these technologies are quite distinct from the present invention and have similarly different results.

009 - Rotary Vacuum Filters (Documents: US3919088; US8137568; US6267889. Equipment that uses the principle of filtration - continuous system in which a rotating cylindrical drum perforated or covered with a filter mat and with vacuum produced internally to the drum generates a positive pressure difference from outside to inside the drum, which sucks the material through the filter medium. In this case, the maximum theoretical pressure that can be used for filtration is 1 (one) atmosphere (absolute vacuum), which is relatively low to guarantee an efficient dewatering of most sludges. To minimize the problems of this pressure limitation, the rotation speed of the drum must be very low to allow more time for the percolation of the liquid phase, while the thickness of the pie must be very thin to reduce the percolation path of the phase. net, which is reflected in low equipment productivity - large equipment with small capacity. Finally, to perfectly seal the filtering area subject to the vacuum, it is necessary to work only with diluted and non-pasty sludges, given the practical difficulty of homogeneously distributing a pasty material on the filtering surface, forcing, in many cases, to previously dilute the sludge , in an opposite direction to the objective of dewatering.

010 - Belt Press Filter - Documents: US5207907; US4276168; US4420402; US4459907; US3601039. Equipment that uses the principle of filtration - consists of a continuous system in which a moving filter belt receives the sludge very liquid and homogeneously and conducts it along the equipment, passing initially over a vacuum chamber, following the belt to the discard area or, in some models of this filter, passing through a compression section between rollers to complement the drain before discarding the cake. This filter has been replacing the Rotary Filter with advantages, however, apart from some geometric and mechanical differences, the first vacuum filtration stage follows the

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 4/23 same principle and has the same limitations as the Rotary Filter. In filters complemented with a compression step between rollers, the dewatering is greater, although it adds additional problems of control and periodic adjustment of the belt, as well as important additional wear of the belt and rollers due to the abrasion suffered in the compacting rollers. It requires a large amount of water for constant washing of the filter mat, increasing the amount of liquid effluents to be processed. They are sophisticated equipment, with many moving parts and several necessary operational adjustments, presenting high investment and maintenance costs, especially for the frequent replacement of the filter mat. As with the Rotary Filter, the belt speed must be low to allow the percolation of most of the liquid phase in the vacuum stage, and can only operate with liquid and non-sticky sludge to ensure the vacuum seal.

011 - Press Filter or Press Filter - Documents: US5051194; US3347383; US5855778; US4364827; US6387282. Equipment that uses the principle of filtration and operates discontinuously in batch cycles. Of the several existing types, the most used consists of a series of vertical plates supported by risers and assembled in such a way as to form several independent dewatering chambers with filtering plates of fabric or similar material of low granulometry, through which the liquid phase of the sludge is filtered. and drained, while the solid material is retained within the chambers. They are equipment that operate discontinuously, in cycles in which the sludge in liquid form is fed through pumps to the filtration chambers. When the filtrate flow through the filter is almost zero or the chambers are full of solids trapped between the filter plates, the sludge feed pumping is stopped. At the end of this phase, each filtration chamber is opened to allow the removal of the cake, which generally falls into a conveyor for later disposal. The operation of removing the filter cake is complex and requires the execution of several mechanical operations with great loss of time and effort, mainly of labor. Despite this great inconvenience, these filters are still widely used because they present some advantages such as robustness and, mainly, the possibility of operating with high pressures (up to 16 bar in extreme cases), producing a compacted cake generally 10 to 20% drier than that obtained by Rotary Vacuum Filters. Due to the large number of operations required to be performed at each filtration cycle, automation of this type of filter is possible, but it is complex and very expensive.

012 - Centrifuges (Centrifuges / Decanters) - Documents: US4202773; US4729830; US4335846; US2003 / 0228966; US6432299. Equipment that uses the principle of sedimentation of solids amplified by the application of centrifugal acceleration generated by the rotation of the material at high speed. There are several models of centrifuges available on the market. For sludge dewatering, mainly Decanter centrifuges are used, where the solids, which are generally denser, are forced onto the inner surface of a rotating drum while a helical thread internal and central to the drum rotates continuously scraping the deposited material until the discharge nozzle. With high rotation, the liquid, being less dense, is directed to the central liquid collector. The phase separation is efficient and, when well operated and regulated, a well compacted cake is obtained. The main limitations, however, are: high investment cost due to the mechanical complexity of the equipment; high maintenance cost due to the wear produced by the abrasion of the material at high speed / rotation; operational difficulties, since it requires a fine adjustment of the operating and conditioning conditions of the material to be processed (addition of a lot of flocculating filter aid) to increase the granulometry of the solids and guarantee the separation efficiency; Besides

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 5/23 little operational flexibility when the sludge fed constantly varies in composition and concentration.

013- Dewater Screw Press - Documents: US8596195; US5390592; US398434; EP0958023B1; ES2420580T3; US5357855; US4844799. Equipment that uses the principle of filtration and operates continuously. Dewatering takes place in a generally inclined drum that has a wire filter screen forming the cylinder wall and an internal helical screw conveyor. The sludge, already conditioned with a flocculating additive, is led to the press entrance and in the first section of the drum, free water drains. Gradually, the sludge suspension increases in solids content as it enters the pressure zone of the drum. Due to a back pressure created by a restriction at the outlet, more free water is released from the sludge cake as it progresses towards the outlet. To avoid clogging the filtering screen, it is periodically washed with water under pressure. It frequently presents problems of clogging of the filtering screen, causing mismatch of the final moisture of the cake with the leakage of liquid next to the discarded cake. The pressure applied to the material is determined by the degree of tightness of a valve at the cake outlet; the more closed, the greater the pressure in the compaction zone and, consequently, the greater the abrasion of the sludge against the filtering screen and the helical screw. This limits the maximum possible filtration pressure and hence the cake moisture is compromised - very moist final cake with low solids concentration. To reduce the problem it is necessary to add a large amount of flocculant additive to the sludge beforehand. Due to abrasion problems and the equipment's own geometry, the addition of structural aids for sludge like mineral additives (so-called “structural filtering aids”) is not appropriate. Added to this is the high investment required for its installation and maintenance.

014 - Piston Compaction Presses - Piston Compaction Presses have been used for a long time to compact various solid materials, in general dry material of great granulometry, with the objective of reducing their volume, by compacting the empty spaces of the material. They are equipment that operate discontinuously for batch cycles - "batch process" - and that, through some force multiplier system, allows to exert a high pressure on the material to be compacted, usually through a rigid plate that presses the material against a surface, sometimes filtering, but in most cases of compaction of solids, a blind surface, this ability to exert high pressures being a fundamental characteristic for obtaining well compacted materials. However, compacting presses, according to their original mechanical design, are not suitable for dewatering iodine and liquid or pasty waste with small particle size solids, especially in terms of sealing and process automation, which is carried out in batch cycles. In the bibliography that makes up the state of the art there is little or almost no bibliography or patent documents on equipment of the type of Compacting Press that are proposed for the application of dewatering of diluted materials with minute solids. In the little documentation found for this type of equipment, several difficulties and unresolved design, process and operation issues can be observed, as discussed below:

015 - US4347137: equipment for compacting mineral solutions or pastes consisting of a cylindrical compacting chamber with side opening for feeding the material, which is then compacted through one or two pistons that move axially in counter-opposition within said chamber, the liquid being filtered through an elastic membrane perforated and fixed through a sandwich of screens to the working faces of the pistons. The equipment was developed to compact material

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 6/23 mineral like coal powder and copper powder in the form of pellets using very high pressures, in the order of 900 to 4,000 psi (61 to 272 bar). The document does not show how the gaps between the pistons and the compaction chamber should be sealed, nor does it present a practical alternative for removing the pressed material from the chamber, nor does it present a practical solution for the automatic feeding of the sludge to the chamber. In addition, the document recommends a rubberized or similar perforated elastic plate as a filter medium, which, when pressed, reduces the hole in the holes to a very small particle size (micrometers), which would be readily blocked if it operated with very thin iodines containing fibers and / or biological type - it is worth mentioning that the author himself makes the reservation in the referred document that said equipment is suitable for the compaction of minerals and not for fiber-based iodines. Thus, the referred equipment does not solve the deficiencies of the current technique for the dewatering and compacting of iodines from treatment plants for organic effluents, fibrous and other compressible type iodines, one of the main objectives of the present invention.

016 - US4214519: equipment for compacting fruits consisting of a compacting chamber with a square section, with an upper opening for feeding the material, which is then compacted by means of two pistons that move axially in counter-opposition within said chamber, being the liquid filtered through cracks in the sides of the chamber. The document does not show how the gaps between the pistons and the compaction chamber should be sealed, nor does it present a practical alternative for automating the feeding and unloading operations of the pressed cake. In order to avoid blockages in said filtration cracks, the author proposes the installation of a mechanical device to open the cracks after each fruit compaction operation, thus not being suitable for the filtration of finer solids. Thus, the referred equipment does not solve the deficiencies of the current technique for the dewatering and compacting of iodines from treatment plants for organic effluents, fibrous and other compressible type iodines, one of the main objectives of the present invention.

017 - US5961827: equipment for compaction of iodines consisting of an initial dewatering chamber by filtration through walls that have the shape of filter bellows, which are compressed by means of a piston. After being pre-dewatered, a valve is opened at the bottom of said chamber and the material goes to a second chamber, for compaction through a mechanical piston system that compresses the material dewatered in the first chamber. The document does not show how to seal the various clearances inherent to the piston compression system, nor does it mention how to solve possible problems of blocking the bellows-like filtration surface of the first chamber. The equipment has a complex mechanics to be automated, with several operations in sequence, which differs from one of the main objectives of the present invention, which is that of operational simplicity and maintenance with low investment cost.

018 - Other patents, such as US3540586, US5961827, WQ200811796 and WO1991008035, also deal with equipment for compacting Iodines by piston, but similarly to the objects of the aforementioned patents, all of these equipment fail to meet one or more of the objectives of this invention, which is a simple and compact mechanical design equipment, with low investment and maintenance cost, capable of emptying and compacting materials with a high moisture content and with small granulometry solids, with high efficiency of solids concentration in the final compacted cake , and still guaranteeing a good quality filtered liquid stream with a minimum of entrained solids.

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 7/23

019 - As previously mentioned, there is little or almost no technical bibliography or patents aimed at dewatering and compacting solutions and sludges containing tiny solids using devices that use pistons to carry out the compaction effort of the solids, and as shown in the documents previous, the equipment proposed in the technique presents several difficulties and unresolved design, process and operation issues to meet market requirements. Among the main deficiencies observed in these documents, the following can be listed: 1) difficulty in maintaining a good filtration rate when the screen (with small opening) is impregnated or when the sudden drop in the permeability of the material occurs, a common fact occurring during the compression of compressible sludge and small granulometry; 2) problems with how to clean the filter surface when impregnated, especially when using a surface with a small opening; 3) difficulty in sealing the gaps between the compression chamber and the piston of the compression piston, which greatly limits the maximum pressure that can be used; 4) definition of how to perform and control the operation of feeding the material to the compression chamber in a practical and economically viable way, especially in the case of liquid and / or sludge sludge;

5) how to carry out the operation of discarding the pie from the chamber after compaction in a practical and economically viable way; 6) difficulty in automating the various operations required for each cycle; 7) way of making possible the realization of equipment with a simple and compact design that guarantees equally simple operation and maintenance, associated with low investment cost. As will be seen below, the present invention presents simple and unprecedented solutions for solving and overcoming all these issues, thus creating a perfectly viable equipment for the dewatering of low-concentrated or pasty sludges with fine-grained solids.

020 - Also as previously mentioned, the market for dewatering tailings in general and sludge from effluent treatment stations requires, among others, that the processed material is compacted enough to prevent liquid leakage in its subsequent handling. In the vast majority of cases, this can only be achieved in mechanical filtration processes when pressures above 1 (one) atmosphere are used, which is not the case with vacuum filtration equipment, as is the case with the Rotary Filter and the most Track Filters, among others.

021 - It is worth noting that for the sludge dewatering equipment market for effluent treatment stations, in most cases, the final product of the process, which is compacted cake, has very low or no added value, and is therefore a material intended for disposal, still requiring an additional cost for this. Therefore, more sophisticated and expensive dewatering technologies originally developed for the processing of more noble materials, are hardly economically viable for the effluent treatment market, as is the case with centrifuges in general and other more sophisticated equipment.

Description of the Present Invention:

022 - The present invention deals with equipment and the respective method of operation for dewatering and compacting sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions, through a mechanical process of batch filtration, with compression made by piston, and was developed with based on the state of mechanical technique available in the literature and in industrial practice for dewatering and compacting sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions, with their respective advantages and

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 8/23 disadvantages, associated with current market requirements and requirements for this type of application, especially for the dewatering and compacting market for waste sludge from wastewater treatment plants, as shown in the summary presented above. Its development was based on the association of three main concepts: basic mechanical concept of compacting equipment such as Piston Compaction Presses; modern concept of conditioning and filtration of sludge and the like; and innovative concepts of the present invention developed by the authors, necessary and fundamental to meet the new market requirements.

023 - During the development of the present invention, the respective authors carried out extensive practical filtration tests in equipment such as the Piston Compaction Press, in which the problems and limitations inherent to this type of equipment for dewatering and compacting liquid sludge were raised. , pasty and with small particle size solids, such as: excessive sludge leakage through cracks and clearances between the compression piston and the filtration chamber; and, mainly, a drastic reduction in the filtration rate before reaching the desired solids concentration in the compacted cake.

024 - Throughout several subsequent experimental tests, it was possible to find unexpected and unprecedented results for the solution of the problems initially encountered, preserving the original objective of developing an equipment with extremely simple, compact and robust mechanical design, with low cost. investment and maintenance when compared to other existing technologies in the market, with excellent dewatering capacity and compacting of materials with high moisture content and solids with small granulometry, thus being in perfect harmony with the main requirements of the current market.

025 - FIGURE 1: in Figure 1 the set of the present invention is shown schematically in tubular form, this being one of its simplest preferred embodiments and which will be used here to understand the basic concept of construction, and should not be considered for limiting purposes , since other embodiments of the present invention are possible and interesting. The equipment comprises: feed hopper (1) with a minimum volume sufficient to accumulate the material to be processed in an operating cycle; feeding duct (2) coupled to said hopper for feeding the material to be processed; filtration chamber (3) of tubular shape and open at both ends; filtration surface (4) arranged over the entire useful area of the filtration chamber surface (3), where the filtration surface has an appropriate opening for each material to be processed, in addition to special geometry to prevent clogging; compression plate consisting of the compression plate (5) and the compression piston (6), said circular compression plate having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the filtration surface (4), with longitudinal displacement and centralized within the filtration (3), going from a position of maximum recoil at the entrance end of said chamber to a position of maximum advance at the exit end of said chamber; closing mechanism for sealing the outlet end of the filter chamber material (3), consisting of a closing plate (8) and a closing piston (9), said circular closing plate having a slightly larger diameter than said diameter chamber, in which said closing mechanism is installed outside said chamber centrally with the axis of said chamber, with forward and backward movement activated by said piston, being able to move from a maximum forward position coinciding with the face of the outlet end of the filtration chamber (3) to a maximum recoil position away from the outlet end of the filtration chamber (3) in order to allow the disposal of the processed material - the cake

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. Compacted 9/23 - from said chamber; feed guillotine (7) which opens or closes the feed duct outlet (2), consisting of a smooth and curved plate with a diameter equal to that of the compression plate (5), said guillotine being fixed on the upper part of said feeding plate compression, thus having a movement of recoil and advance solidary to the movement of said compression plate; filtrate collector fairing (13) installed outside the filtration chamber (3) to collect the filtered liquid through the filtration surface (4), said fairing having an outlet (14) for collecting all the filtered liquid in the process .

026 - FIGURES 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E: these figures show the different stages of a complete cycle of operation of the present invention according to one of its simplest preferred embodiments (Figure 1), to understand the basic concept of operation; however, other operating cycle alternatives are possible for the present invention: Figure 1A shows the Feed Stage with the material (10) stored in the hopper (1) being fed by gravity to the filtration chamber (3), while the compression (5) is kept all back and the closing plate (8) is kept all forward, closing the outlet of said chamber. During this entire stage, an initial dewatering of the material occurs (10), the liquid (12) being filtered by gravity flow on the lower surface of the filtration surface (4). In Figure 1B, after the filling of the filtration chamber (3) is completed, the compression plate (5) advances, which continues to accommodate the material (10) inside the filtration chamber (3), while the guillotine ( 7) continues to close the supply duct (2) of said chamber. During this stage, material dewatering continues to occur (10). In Figure 1C, the Material Compression Step (10) starts with the advance of the compression plate (5) and the complete closing of the passage of the supply duct (2) to the filtration chamber (3), made by the guillotine ( 7). During this stage, the filtration is carried out under pressure over the entire area of the filtration surface (4), while the material (11) to be processed in the next cycle continues to be accumulated in the hopper (1). In Figure 1D, the Compression Step is completed and the advance of the compression plate (5) is interrupted. Then the recoil of the closing plate (8) begins. In Figure 1E, the closing plate (8) is completely recessed, releasing the exit of the compacted material (10) which is expelled from the filtration chamber (3) through the advance of the compression plate (5), which pushes the pie ( 10) out of the filtration chamber (3). Then, the closing plate (8) advances closing the outlet of said chamber, and the compression plate (5) recedes until the guillotine is fully reopened, opening the feed passage of the filtration chamber (3), restarting the cycle as shown in Figure 1A. Depending on the characteristics of the material (11) fed to the press, for its better filtration, it may be desirable to perform a previous conditioning of the material by adding chemical filtering aids (flocculants, coagulants and the like) and / or structuring (diatomite-type minerals and the like, or fiber-type plants or wood sawdust and the like), which can be done using the usual techniques available in the current technique.

027 - As will be shown below, in order to obtain all the benefits and advantages of the present invention, the filtration pressure, in general, must be varied throughout the operating cycle. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment of the equipment, as shown in Figure 1 and described above, the forward and backward movements of the compression plate, as well as the actuation force and the consequent pressure exerted by said plate on the material being processed, must be well controlled throughout the operation and programmed according to a compression pressure x predefined application time curve according to the characteristics of each material to be processed.

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 10/23

028 - In the option of the compression plate to be activated by hydraulic piston, such control can be automated and programmed, for example, through the installation of electric flow and pressure control valves in the hydraulic oil circuit, with operation controlled by electronic timers programmed according to a predefined pressure x time curve according to the characteristics of each material to be processed. In case the compression plate is activated by an electric piston, this control can be automated and programmed, for example, through electronic devices for piston speed variation.

029 - As previously mentioned, the present invention comprises several innovations that were incorporated into the original concept of the Piston Compaction Press, which, together, originated a new equipment for the filtration of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions with great advantages in relation to the available technique. Next, the main innovations included in the present invention are presented with a brief description of their advantages, always having as reference the embodiment presented in Figures 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E, however taking into account that other embodiments are possible:

030 - (a) Automatic feeding and compatible with the availability of material to be processed: the operation of feeding the material (11) to be processed in the filtration chamber (3) is performed directly with the movement of recoil and advance of the plate. compression (5) driven by the piston (6), through the guillotine (7) which is integral to said plate (Figures 1A, 1B and 1C) and which due to this constructive form makes it unnecessary to incorporate any other moving part for the stage of supply that is not the solidary set formed by said plate and said guillotine, such as valves and others, being, therefore, a simple, cheap and very simple solution to be automated and programmed. As an additional advantage of the present invention, the press can optionally be designed and programmed to interrupt its operation during the feeding stage, waiting for the filtration chamber (3) to be completely filled and only then to restart the operating cycle. This can be done by installing a level sensor / controller in the supply duct (2) which, when said chamber is full and the sludge level reaches the level of said sensor, automatically restarts the equipment operation. In this way, the operation is automatically adjusted to meet the demand flow, even if this flow is not continuous, as in most cases, with frequent interruptions or reductions in the flow of material to be processed, significantly reducing wear and consumption of energy, since the equipment only operates when there is enough material to fill said chamber. It is worth mentioning that even while the equipment remains stationary during the feeding stage, there is an important initial dewatering of the material (10) by gravity flow. These advantages of the present invention can hardly be extended to continuous systems such as the Rotary Filter, the Belt Filter, the Centrifuge and the Screw Press.

031 - According to the above, the present invention is characterized, among others, by the facts that:

• The starting and closing of the material feed to the filtration chamber (3) are carried out by opening and closing the guillotine (7), fixed and attached to the compression plate (5 and 6), without the direct assistance of other moving parts ;

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 11/23 • During the material feeding stage to the filtration chamber (3) the material is initially dewatered by gravity flow;

• During the material feeding stage to the filtration chamber (3) the compression set formed by the compression plate (5) and the guillotine (7), and (6) remains stopped and can be programmed to start its movement towards the compression and filtration of the material only when the filtration chamber (3) is full of material to be processed.

032 - (b) Automatic disposal of the compacted cake and cleaning of the filtering surface: the expulsion of the compacted cake (Figure 1E) from the filtration chamber (3) is carried out directly by advancing the compression set (compression plate (5) and guillotine (7)), after opening the chamber outlet (indentation of the closing plate (8)). Thus, it is not necessary to incorporate any other moving part to expel the pie other than the said compression set itself, making the operation very simple to be automated and programmed. As an additional advantage of this operational way of disposing of the final compacted cake, it has to be said that during its expulsion, the said cake, already well compacted, is dragged along the internal surface of the filtration surface (4) of the filtration chamber (3 ) with a movement transverse to the axes of the filter holes of said filter surface (4), thus causing a surprising and positive effect of mechanical cleaning of said holes. The wear of this operation is very low thanks to the low displacement speed of the compression piston, a characteristic inherent in the design of the equipment object of the present invention. In spite of this, the system allows a filtering system washing system (4) to be added simply by installing water sprays that can be located externally to said filtering surface (4) and which can be activated after the expulsion of the cake and before restarting the feeding of the material (11) in the filtration chamber (3), when it is empty of material, or perimeter in the back of the compression plate (5), moving jointly with said plate as it moves, cleaning the filter surface (4) from the inside out.

033 - According to the above, the present invention is characterized, among others, by the fact that the expulsion of the compacted cake from the filtration chamber (3) is made by advancing the compression set (plate (5) and guillotine ( 7)) promoting the mechanical cleaning of the filtration surface (4).

034 - (c) Pressure and filtration time varied and programmed throughout the filtration process: through extensive research and filtration experiments, it was found that due to the variation of the filtration pressure applied on the material to be dewatered, as well as well as by controlling the time of application of this pressure throughout the process, it is possible to overcome several limitations and problems observed in other filtration technologies when used to dewater liquid sludge and with small particle size solids.

035 - More specifically, it was found that at the beginning of the filtration, by controlling the pressure and the filtration time, it is possible to create a thick natural filter pre-layer (pre-layer), consisting of solids from the material itself that is being filtered, in the places where the dewatered liquid begins to leave the filtration chamber (3) - that is, next to the filter surface (4) and on the gap between the compression plate and the internal surface of said filter surface (4). As this natural filter pre-coat has a very small porosity, similar to that of the solids of the material being filtered, it is able to retain

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 12/23 fine sludge solids, thus avoiding the leakage of solid material at the start of pressurization (sludge leakage), even when the material is still very liquid. Surprisingly, it was also observed that said pre-layer forms quickly, even when filtering surfaces (4) with opening granulometry much higher than the granulometry of solids in the material being filtered are used, provided the filtration pressure initially applied is very low and its increase is done gradually and smoothly.

036 - When starting the filtration with lower pressure, the natural filter pre-layer starts to be created in a still very tenuous way, and as the said pre-layer is reinforced, the pressure can be gradually increased, noting that the limit pressure at which said pre-layer can be breached is exceeded. After a certain moment, the formed natural filtration pre-layer acquires sufficient strength to withstand the maximum pressure desired. From that moment on, the maximum pressure can be kept fixed, while the cake continues to dry.

037 - It is worth mentioning that with the formation of the natural filtration pre-layer, the liquid starts to be filtered in said pre-layer, preserving the filter surface (4), which has a greater opening, from possible clogging, while the filtrate tends to be clear due to the small granulometry of the filtering channels that are present in said pre-layer.

038 - Although this effect is similar to that observed in the technique with the use of pre-coatings made with structuring filter aid and with the use of small opening filter surfaces (fabrics and the like as used in Filter Presses), in the case in question, the effect occurs even without the addition of any filtration aid and with the use of much more open screens, which is only possible by applying a varied and controlled filtration pressure as recommended in the present invention to prevent the rupture of said pre- cover. As an explanation for this phenomenon, it can be assumed that the natural filter cap is formed by the spontaneous creation of arch-shaped support bridges, such as those used in the construction of ancient Roman stone bridges, in which large spans were overcome through the successive support of several small pieces - see also the dripping construction technology of wet sand castles used by children on the beach.

039 - Just to illustrate, without limiting purposes, the procedure for forming the natural filter prepaid recommended in the present invention, a method of operation according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 is briefly described below:

• After closing the filtration chamber (3) (Figure 1B), advance the compression plate (5) under a very low operating pressure, enough so that the formation of the natural filter precoat on the filtration surface begins ( 4) and along the entire periphery of the compression plate (5), sealing the gap between that plate and the filtration surface (4), observing that the said pre-layer does not rupture with consequent sludge leakage along with the filtrate stream;

• Continue advancing the compression plate (5) (Figure 1C) while the pressure is gradually increased over a period of time necessary for the formation of a thick and sufficiently resistant natural filter pre-cover to withstand, without breaking, the greatest pressures which will be applied in sequence;

• Keep the compression plate advancing (5) and increase the pressure gradually, but much faster than in the previous phase, until reaching the

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 13/23 maximum desired pressure, the duration of this phase being defined according to the characteristics of the processed material. At this point, if the filtration rate drops dramatically before the desired pie compaction is achieved, it will be an indication that the permeability of the compacted material has significantly decreased, which commonly occurs during sludge processing with compressible solids, as mentioned earlier. If this occurs, it may be necessary to include a new filtration phase to recover part of the filtration rate, as described below.

040 - As additional advantages of using more open filtration surfaces and less narrow mechanical clearances, there is a lower risk of blockage and an easier cleaning of the filtration surface (4) - more open mesh - with lower investment cost and component maintenance (filtration surface and sealing systems), in addition to an overall increase in the filtration rate.

041 - As explained above, the present invention is characterized, among others, by the fact that, during the initial filtration process, when the material is still very wet, it is possible to form a resistant natural filter pre-layer on the surface filter (4) and on the mechanical clearances of the filtration chamber (3), said pre-layer constituted by the same solids present in the material being filtered, even in the case where the granulometry of the opening openings of the filter surface and the clearances are much greater than the solids of the material being filtered, thus constituting an extremely efficient natural filter pre-layer for obtaining a good quality filtered stream with a low amount of entrained solids.

042 - It is worth mentioning that, due to the respective mechanical conceptions, while the aforementioned procedure is extremely simple and easy to be fully automated and programmed in the equipment object of the present invention, this procedure is at the same time impractical to be operated in continuous operation equipment. Rotary Vacuum Filter, Conveyor Filter, Centrifuge and Screw Press.

043 - (d) Recovery of the filtration rate: as previously mentioned, when processing more complex sludge, with small granulometry solids and with undesirable compressibility characteristics, it is common to progressively accommodate the smaller solids in the liquid flow channels of the cake, quickly reducing its porosity and permeability with consequent significant reduction in the filtration rate. Through extensive filtration experiments, it was surprisingly observed that, in these cases, when the filtration rate dropped dramatically, it was possible to recover it, in part, through a very simple procedure of rapid decompression of the pie, with return in followed by compression, thus continuing the filtration process.

044 - As a probable explanation for this surprising phenomenon observed in the experiments, it can be assumed that, with the sudden decompression and due to its compressibility characteristic, the cake expands quickly and freely inside the compaction chamber, creating numerous internal cracks that break the balance and the previous arrangement between the solid particles, and that with the return of the compression of the cake, a new structural rearrangement occurs, creating new passage channels for the liquid and a consequent recovery of part of the lost filtration rate. In addition, at the time of decompression, the cake must act as a sponge, drawing in external air through the filtering surface towards

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 14/23 contrary to the filtration, forcing a detachment and breaking of the layer of solids disposed next to the filtering surface (natural filter pre-layer) which, due to the excessive compaction, was the main responsible for the reduction in the filtration rate. It is worth noting that this operation is done when the cake already has a good solid consistency, especially close to the filtering surface, hence the desired effect is much more significant than if the cake was still liquid. In addition, since the cake is very dry at the moment on the surface of the filtration surface (4), there is no need for the formation of a new natural filter pre-layer, and the filtration can be restarted immediately at maximum pressure, without risk of sludge escape.

045 - Just to illustrate the procedure recommended in the present invention for recovering the filtration rate, a method of operation according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 is briefly described below:

• When the filtration rate drops too much, stop the advance of the compression plate (5);

• Retreat the plate (5) a little to decompress and expand the compacted cake, keeping a gap of sufficient empty space to allow the said pre-cover of the filtration surface (4) to detach;

• Resume the advance of the compression plate (5), proceeding with the filtration process.

046 - It is worth mentioning that, due to the respective mechanical conceptions, while the procedure mentioned above is extremely simple and easy to be fully automated and programmed in the equipment object of the present invention, as described above, this procedure is at the same time impractical to be operated in continuous operation equipment such as Rotary Vacuum Filter, Belt Filter, Centrifuge and Screw Press, or discontinuous equipment such as Press Filter (Plate Filter), which uses the pumping of liquid sludge to exert the filtration pressure , not offering practical possibilities to decompress the cake during the process in a dry environment that is not at the time of disposal.

047 - According to the above, the present invention is characterized, among others, by the fact that part of the filtration rate lost with the reduction of the permeability of the material being processed, which occurs throughout the filtration process, can be recovered by means of a rapid decompression procedure of the compacted material with its subsequent recompression.

048 - (e) Sealing System: the sealing system of the present invention was developed in order to guarantee maximum efficiency with minimum wear. The sludge from effluent treatment stations often contains a large amount of sand, earth and other abrasive solids. As a result, the service life of the sealing components tends to be low and the maintenance cost high, especially in equipment that employs higher speeds, since wear due to friction is proportional to the square of the relative sliding speed between the materials. . This abrasion greatly reduces the productivity of equipment such as Vacuum Filter, Belt Filter and Screw Press by limiting the equipment's operating speed. In addition, equipment such as centrifuges is very expensive, which needs to use special materials highly resistant to abrasion. The mechanical design employed in the present invention enables the

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 15/23 using very low speeds while preserving good productivity, in addition to presenting some unprecedented and efficient sealing characteristics with low maintenance cost.

049 - Considering the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, the sealing system developed to prevent the leakage of sludge (material (10)) from inside the compression chamber (3) during the process comprises two subsystems of seal. The first system guarantees the seal between the outer edges of the compression plate (5) and the inner face of the filtration surface (4). Figures 2A, 2B and 2C show a preferred embodiment for said sealing system in which two flat pieces of low friction material, resistant to abrasion and with less hardness than the material of the filtration surface (4) are cut in the form of two semicircles (15) (Figure 2A) and fixed to the compression plate (5) using screws (17) in oblong grooves (16) (Figure 2B and 2C) so that they can be readjusted to the external perimeter of said plate compression (5) as they wear out on their outer edge, sliding each one in the opposite direction to the other, thus adjusting the desired clearance between the semicircles and the filtration surface (4) as desired. Optionally, different ways of cutting the sealing pieces can be chosen, for example, by cutting a circle into three equal pieces, like pizza slices.

050 - The second sealing system guarantees the sealing between the guillotine (7) and the internal face of the filtration chamber (3) which, according to one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, can be done by installing a simple gasket-type device ( 18) with a gland packing device (19) to press said gasket (18) against said guillotine (7), the sealing device being fixed at the entrance of the filtration chamber (3) and adjusted in order to block the gap between the guillotine (7) and the inner face of said chamber (Figure 2D). During the displacement of the compression plate (5), the gasket (18), adjusted so that it only touches without pressure on the upper external surface of the guillotine (7) during all its forward and backward movement, prevents the escape of the contained sludge in the hopper (1). It is worth mentioning that the sludge pressure to be sealed at this point is very low, equivalent only to the pressure of the sludge column existing in the hopper (1). Thus, the design of the sealing system is simple and of low investment and maintenance cost, sufficient to meet the necessary sealing, in view of the other favorable characteristics of construction and operation of this equipment.

051 - According to the above, the present invention is characterized, among others, by the facts of:

• the sealing of the gap between the compression plate (5) and the filtration surface (4) must be made through pieces made of abrasion resistant material (15) that are assembled forming a single piece with the shape of the cross section of the filtration chamber (3), with an area slightly smaller than the internal area of said filtration surface (4), which are mounted on the compression plate (5) in order to allow the desired adjustment for the sealing gap;

• the sealing between the guillotine (7) and the internal face of the filtration chamber (3) is made by installing simple gasket and gasket-type devices (18 and 19) or similar fixed in the said chamber and adjusted in a way to block the gap between the parts.

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 16/23

052 - In the embodiment of the present invention described above and presented in Figure 1, the filtration chamber (3) is positioned with the axis horizontal, but in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, the chamber filtration system (3) is positioned with its axis vertically, maintaining its principles, essential characteristics and operating method described above.

053 - In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filtration chamber (3) is closed by means of a guillotine-type mechanism installed on the outlet face of said chamber, with actuation transverse to the axis of said chamber, as shown in Figure 4A (filtration chamber (3) closed) and in Figure 4B (filtration chamber (3) open), maintaining its principles, essential characteristics and operational methods previously described. Optionally, this filtration chamber closure system (3) can also be used with the press option positioned with the axis of the filtration chamber vertically, as previously described.

054 - In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the closure of the outlet of the filtration chamber (3) is done through a mechanism consisting of a closing plate (8) with rotational movement, positioned next to the outlet face of said chamber in the closed position and rotated along an axis perpendicular to the axis of said chamber in the open position, as shown in Figure 5A (filtration chamber (3) closed) and in Figure 5B (filtration chamber (3) open), maintaining its principles, characteristics essential and operational methods described above. Optionally, this filtration chamber closure system (3) can also be used with the press option positioned with the axis of the filtration chamber vertically, as previously described.

055 - In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, filtration is also performed or only through filtration surfaces (20) installed on the faces of the compression (5) and closing (8) plates, as shown in Figure 6, the filtered current collected by the collectors (21) attached to the plates (5) and (8), respectively. The installation of the filtration surfaces (20) can be done together with the filtration surface (4) installed along the filtration chamber (3), in order to increase the total available filtration area, maintaining its principles, essential characteristics and operational methods described earlier.

056 - It is important to note that the present invention can be realized in other configurations, maintaining its essential principles and characteristics. The embodiments described here should be considered for illustrative and not limiting purposes only, the scope of the invention being represented by the appended claims and not by the previous description. Any and all changes in the embodiments presented here that have an equivalent meaning according to the attached claims are included within their scope.

Graphics:

057 - Description of the figures that make up the Descriptive Report.

• FIGURE 1: equipment according to one of the simplest preferred embodiments for understanding the basic concept of construction, comprising: hopper (1); supply duct (2) filtration chamber (3); filtration surface (4); compression plate (5); compression piston (6); feeding guillotine (7): closing plate (8); closing piston (9); filtrate collection fairing (13) and; filtrate outlet (14);

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Petition 870190009101, of 01/28/2019, p. 17/23 • FIGURE 1A: sludge feeding stage (10 and 11) to be processed and filtrate outlet (12);

• FIGURE 1B: step of closing the sludge inlet to be processed;

• FIGURE 1C: start of the sludge compression step;

• FIGURE 1D: end of the sludge compaction step;

• FIGURE 1E: step of discarding the compacted sludge cake;

• FIGURE 2A: sealing system of the compression plate (5) showing the two semicircular sealing plates (15) with the oblong holes (16) for fixation on the said compression plate and adjustment;

• FIGURE 2B: front view of the sealing plates (15) installed on the compression plate (5) showing the fixing screws (17);

• FIGURE 2C: side view of the sealing system installed on the compression plate (5), inside the filtration chamber (3);

• FIGURE 2D: guillotine sealing system (7) installed in the filtration chamber (3), showing the gasket (18) and the gasket press (19);

• FIGURE 3; one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with the filter chamber installed vertically;

• FIGURE 4A: one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with the closing system of the filtration chamber (3) realized through a sliding guillotine (8), in the closed position;

• FIGURE 4B: closing system by sliding guillotine in the open position;

• FIGURE 5A: one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with the closure system of the filtration chamber (3) realized through a tilting plate (8), in the closed position;

• FIGURE 5B: tilting closing system (8) in the open position;

• FIGURE 6: filtration surfaces (20) installed on the faces of the compression (5) and closing (8) plates, showing the filtrate collectors behind the said compression and closing plates with the respective filtrate outlets (21) .

Claims (13)

1 - Equipment for the dewatering and compaction of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions by batch filtration process, characterized by the fact that the equipment comprises: (a) filtration chamber open at both ends with a filtration surface arranged along its useful surface, where the material is processed; (b) filtration surface fixed over the entire useful surface of said filtration chamber; (c) hopper for the storage of the material to be processed, coupled to the upper part of said filtration chamber through a supply duct, installed near the end of said filtration chamber opposite the outlet end of the material; (d) plate for compression of the material during processing, with a transverse dimension slightly less than the dimension of said chamber, said plate being installed inside said chamber centrally with the axis of said chamber, with forward and backward movement driven by a piston, being able to move from the inlet end of the material to be processed - maximum recoil - to the outlet of processed material from said chamber - maximum advance; (e) mechanism for closing the outlet end of processed material from said chamber, consisting of a closing plate with a transverse dimension slightly larger than the dimension of said chamber and a closing piston, said plate being installed outside said chamber centrally with the axis of said chamber, with forward and backward movement activated by said piston, being able to move from the exit end of processed material from said chamber to a distance from said exit sufficient to allow the disposal of the processed material; (f) guillotine for opening and closing the supply duct of the filtration chamber through which the material stored in the feed hopper passes to said chamber, consisting of a smooth sheet and in the shape of the cross section of the filtration chamber, with sufficient dimension for the complete sealing of the supply duct, fixed to said compression plate in its upper and rear part, having said guillotine movements of recoil and advance in solidarity with the movements of said plate; (g) filtrate collection fairing, installed outside the filtration chamber for the collection of the filtered liquid on the filtration surface, said fairing having an outlet for the collection of all the filtered liquid in the process; (h) automatic control system for programming the intensity of the filtration pressure exerted on the material being processed during the operation cycle and the time of application of said pressure; (i) automatic control system for programming the advance, recoil and stop times of said compression plate and the closing mechanism of the filtration chamber during the operation cycle; 1/5 Petition 870180074438, of 23/08/2018, p. 21/33 2 - Equipment for the dewatering and compaction of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions by batch filtration process, characterized by the fact that the equipment comprises: (a) filtration chamber open at both ends with a filtering surface arranged along its useful surface, where the material is processed; (b) filtration surface fixed over the entire useful surface of said filtration chamber; (c) hopper for the storage of the material to be processed, coupled from above to said filtration chamber through a supply duct, installed close to the end of said filtration chamber opposite the outlet end of the material; (d) plunger for compressing the material during processing, consisting of a compression plate with a transverse dimension slightly less than the size of said chamber and a compression piston, said plunger being installed inside said chamber centrally with the axis of the said chamber, with forward and backward movement activated by said piston, being able to move from the inlet end of the material to be processed - maximum recoil - to the outlet of processed material from said chamber - maximum advance; (e) closing the material outlet end of said filtration chamber through a plate-guillotine mechanism, installed on the outlet face of said chamber, with movement transverse to the axis of said chamber, being able to move so as to allow opening and completely closing the processed material outlet end of said chamber to allow the disposal of the processed material; (f) guillotine for opening and closing the supply duct of the filtration chamber through which the material stored in the feed hopper passes to said chamber, consisting of a smooth sheet and in the shape of the cross section of the filtration chamber, with sufficient dimension for the complete sealing of the supply duct, fixed to the compression piston in its upper and rear part, having said guillotine movements of recoil and advance in solidarity with the movements of said piston; (g) filtrate collection fairing, installed outside the filtration chamber for the collection of the filtered liquid on the filtration surface, said fairing having an outlet for the collection of all the filtered liquid in the process; (h) automatic control system for programming the variation of the filtration pressure exerted on the material being processed during the operation cycle and the time of application of said pressure; (i) automatic control system for programming the advance, recoil and stop times of the compression piston and the closing mechanism of the filtration chamber during the operation cycle; 3 - Equipment for the dewatering and compaction of sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspensions by batch filtration process, characterized by the fact that the equipment comprises: (a) filtration chamber open at both ends with a filtering surface arranged along its useful surface, where the material is processed; 2/5 Petition 870180074438, of 23/08/2018, p. 22/33 (b) filtration surface fixed over the entire useful surface of said filtration chamber; (c) hopper for the storage of the material to be processed, coupled from above to said filtration chamber through a supply duct, installed close to the end of said filtration chamber opposite the outlet end of the material; (d) plunger for compressing the material during processing, consisting of a compression plate with a transverse dimension slightly less than the size of said chamber and a compression piston, said plunger being installed inside said chamber centrally with the axis of the said chamber, with forward and backward movement activated by said piston, being able to move from the inlet end of the material to be processed - maximum recoil - to the outlet of processed material from said chamber - maximum advance; (e) mechanism for closing the exit end of processed material from said filtration chamber consisting of a plate with rotational movement, positioned close to the exit face of the filtration chamber in the closed position and rotated along an axis perpendicular to the axis of said chamber in the open position, being able to move in order to allow the complete opening and closing of the processed material outlet end of said chamber to allow the disposal of the processed material; (f) guillotine for opening and closing the supply duct of the filtration chamber through which the material stored in the feed hopper passes to said chamber, consisting of a smooth sheet and in the shape of the cross section of the filtration chamber, with sufficient dimension for the complete sealing of the supply duct, fixed to the compression piston in its upper and rear part, having said guillotine movements of recoil and advance in solidarity with the movements of said piston; (g) filtrate collection fairing, installed outside the filtration chamber for the collection of the filtered liquid on the filtration surface, said fairing having an outlet for the collection of all the filtered liquid in the process; (h) automatic control system for programming the variation of the filtration pressure exerted on the material being processed during the operation cycle and the time of application of said pressure; (i) automatic control system for programming the advance, recoil and stop times of the compression piston and the closing mechanism of the filtration chamber during the operation cycle; 4 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the filtration chamber is positioned with its axis horizontal; 5 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the filtration chamber is positioned with its axis vertically; 6 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the filtration chamber is tubular, with circular cross section; 3/5 Petition 870180074438, of 23/08/2018, p. 23/33 7 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the activation of said compression plate is done through a hydraulic system; 8 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the activation of said compression plate is done through a pneumatic system; 9 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the activation of said compression plate is done through an electrical system; 10 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the filtration surface constitutes the filtration chamber itself; 11 - Equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that said compression plate and / or the closing plate comprise a filtration surface with a specific filtrate collector attached to the respective plunger or closing plate; 12 - Operating method for dewatering and compacting sludge, tailings, pasty materials and suspension in equipment of the type of the present invention according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that it comprises the following process operations: (a) backing up and stopping said compression plate at the feed end of the filtration chamber to start feeding said chamber with the material to be processed in the next filtration cycle, while, simultaneously with this feeding step, the initial dewatering of said material through its gravity filtration on the bottom surface of the filtration surface, the filtered liquid being collected in the filtrate collection fairing; (b) when the filtration chamber has a sufficient amount of material, initiate the advance of said compression plate, closing the passage of the supply duct to said chamber through the supply guillotine; (c) when the passage of the supply duct is completely closed, said compression plate advancing against the material and adjusting the compression pressure to a pre-defined value, low enough not to break the tenuous natural filter pre-cover of the material being processed, which is being formed close to the filter surface and on the gaps between said compression plate and said filter surface, while the liquid being filtered on said filter surface is collected in the filtrate collecting fairing; (d) maintain the advance of said compression plate, gradually increasing the filtration pressure until reaching the maximum operating pressure according to the pre-programmed parameters, so that the said natural filter pre-coat becomes increasingly resistant , without breaking the said pre-layer; (e) when the filtration stage reaches its end, stop the advance of said compression plate, open the closing mechanism, and advance said compression plate again to the outlet end of the filtration chamber, expelling the compacted material out of said chamber; (f) after expelling the compacted material, advance the closing mechanism until the outlet end of the filtration chamber closes and the said 4/5 Petition 870180074438, of 23/08/2018, p. 24/33 compression to its initial maximum recoil position, while the feed stage of said chamber is restarted with the opening of the feed duct through the feed guillotine, restarting a new filtration cycle; 13 - Method according to claim 12, characterized by the fact that the filtration step is complemented with an operation to recover the filtration rate, by means of the recoil followed by advancement of said compression plate, for rapid decompression of the compacted material, with subsequent restart of the process filtration.