A coagulant plant is a chain: reaction, settling, dewatering, drying, scrubbing, bagging. Every stage constrains the next, and the cheapest plants we see are the ones where somebody optimised one stage and starved another.
Stage by stage, with the design parameter that actually matters and the mistake we most often find in existing plants.
Hydrochloric acid and an alumina-bearing raw material at 85–105 °C, held for two to six hours, then basified and polymerised. The design parameter is heat input per cubic metre, not vessel volume. The usual mistake is a jacket sized for heat-up but not for the endotherm during dissolution, which stretches every batch by an hour.
Insoluble matter leaves the liquor in long runway basins at 8–12 hours retention. The parameter is horizontal velocity, kept below 0.005 m/s. The usual mistake is a basin that is too short: it works in commissioning and fails at full rate.
Filter presses take the underflow to a cake at 30–35% solids. The parameter is cycle time, not press area. The usual mistake is a press sized on area alone, with no allowance for cloth blinding over a shift.
Steam-heated drum flakers turn clear liquor into 2–4 mm flake at under 3% moisture. The parameter is film thickness — everything else follows. The usual mistake is wet steam at 0.4 MPa feeding a drum specified for 0.7 MPa.
Three-stage absorption takes the HCl in the dryer vapour below 10 mg/m³. The parameter is mist removal, not gas absorption. The usual mistake is a good tower connected to leaking hoods, which fails the stack test regardless.
Net-weigh filling into 25 kg bags at 6–8 t/h, or 1 t jumbo. The parameter is the feeder's two-speed control. The usual mistake is a single-speed screw, which converts a 0.2% accuracy target into 0.8% giveaway.
Capacity is finished product per year on a two-shift basis. Every configuration is re-rated to your raw material and your market.
Reaction, settling and storage — no drying step. The lowest capital cost per tonne, and the right answer when your customers are within trucking distance.
Adds filtration, drum drying, scrubbing and bagging to the liquid stage. Product ships dry, so freight per tonne of active ingredient drops sharply.
One reaction train, two product outlets. You sell liquid locally and dry the rest for export — and shift the split as the market moves.
We re-rate vessels, add scrubbing and automation, and rebuild the bagging line — usually without stopping production for more than a week.
The decision is usually commercial before it is technical. These are the numbers that settle it.
| Criterion | CFG-01 Liquid | CFG-02 Solid | CFG-03 Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital cost per annual tonne | Lowest | ≈2.5× liquid | ≈1.8× liquid |
| Energy per tonne of product | Low | High (steam for drying) | Medium |
| Freight per tonne of active ingredient | High (water is shipped) | Low | Depends on split |
| Shelf life | 6–12 months | 24 months | Both |
| Market reach | Regional, by tanker | Export, bagged | Regional + export |
| Operating complexity | Simple | Moderate | Highest |
| Typical payback | 2–3 years | 3–5 years | 3–4 years |
Cost multiples are order-of-magnitude and assume the same site and utilities. Freight dominates the choice whenever the market is more than 500 km away.
Our advice in most first projects: build the liquid train, design the plot plan and the steam header for the drying stage, and add the dryer when the order book justifies it. That is CFG-01 today and CFG-03 in two years, for the price of a little extra space and a larger boiler house.
From design-basis approval to first saleable product, assuming a site that is ready and a client who returns comments on time.
| Phase | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Design (concept to IFC) | 12–16 weeks | Critical path is client data, not drafting |
| Procurement & fabrication | 16–24 weeks | Overlaps design from week 8 |
| Sea freight | 3–6 weeks | Depends on destination and vessel schedule |
| Civil works on site | 8–12 weeks | Runs in parallel with fabrication |
| Erection | 6–10 weeks | Depends on local labour and crane availability |
| Commissioning & trial run | 3–6 weeks | Includes operator training |
| Total, design to product | 12–16 months | Turnkey scope, one line |
A single vessel or tank is 45–70 days from drawing approval. Figures exclude permitting, which is the client's responsibility and varies widely by country.
Written down at quotation stage, because scope arguments cost more than scope.
| Work package | GARUN | Client | Local contractor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process & detailed design | ● | ||
| Equipment fabrication & inspection | ● | ||
| Packing, freight & insurance | ● | ||
| Civil works & foundations | Supervision | ● | ● |
| Structural steel erection | Supervision | ● | |
| Equipment installation | ● | ● | |
| Piping & electrical installation | Supervision | ● | |
| Commissioning & trial run | ● | Operators | |
| Operator training | ● | Attendees | |
| Permitting & authority approvals | Documentation | ● | |
| Utilities to battery limit | ● | ● |