Solutions · Filter Aid Storage
Diatomaceous earth and other filter aids are extremely light and dusty – and they have to be dosed precisely. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos for filter aids with you – with the right discharge, dust collection, and dosing feed for your filtration process.
Filter Aid Storage at a Glance
A diatomaceous earth silo stores diatomaceous earth (kieselguhr) and other filter aids close to the filtration process – for beer, wine, juice, edible oil, sugar solutions, chemicals, or water treatment. It keeps the filter aid clean and dry and feeds it in a controlled way to dosing.
Filter aids have a very low bulk density, are very fine, and dust easily. Some flow poorly, others flood when aerated. Silo geometry, discharge, and dust collection are therefore designed together with you for your filter aid and your site.
Why Filter Aids Are Demanding
Low bulk density, fine dust, and precise dosing decide whether a filter aid silo runs reliably.
Diatomaceous earth has a very low bulk density. It behaves differently from most mineral powders in filling, venting, and discharge.
During pneumatic filling, light filter aid dust spreads quickly and settles on equipment.
Filter aids come into contact with beverages and food. Foreign particles must not end up in the product.
Depending on grade and aeration, filter aids can build bridges – or flow uncontrollably when fluidized.
In funnel flow, product can stay in the silo for a long time while fresh product passes through the center.
Filtration often uses several grades of filter aid that must not be mixed by accident.
Silo Materials
We build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel. Carbon steel is not an option for us: its coating is the only protection against corrosion – and flaking coating or rust can end up in your filter aid.
Which of our two materials fits your filter aid silo depends on the product, your process, your hygiene requirements, and your site. We select the material and the design with you.
Your Filter Aid Silo System
Silo, discharge, filtration, and monitoring are engineered as one system. That means fewer interfaces for your team and components that are designed to work together.
Storage
Concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones – as standard, site-assembled, indoor, or multi-compartment silos.
Learn moreBlending
Gravity blending and homogenizing with four technologies, including PW ConeBlend with a hopper that is quick to clean.
Learn moreDischarge
Air fluidization for uniform discharge of poorly flowing products – prevents bridging and can be retrofitted to existing silos.
Learn moreDischarge
Vibration from unbalanced motors breaks up cohesive forces, resolves caking, and keeps the outlet clear.
Learn moreFiltration
Dust separation during pneumatic filling and conveying – sized for fine powders.
Learn moreMonitoring
Level measurement for reliable monitoring of the silo content – so you know when to reorder.
Learn moreFilter Aids
Products marked “Tested in our lab” are on our list of bulk materials. The others we review with you based on your material data before designing the silo.
Tested in our lab
Diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr, diatomite, DE
Diatomaceous earth is on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab. Venting, discharge, and filtration are designed for its very low bulk density.
Tested in our lab
Bentonite, bentonite clay
Bentonite is on our tested list – for fining, clarification, and many other applications. Outlet and discharge aids are planned for its flow behavior.
Tested in our lab
Cellulose fibers, cellulose filter aid
Cellulose fibers used as filter aid are on our tested list. Fibrous products are considered in hopper and outlet design.
Tested in our lab
Activated carbon, powdered activated carbon
Activated carbon is on our tested list – for decolorization and purification. A closed system keeps black dust contained.
Review with us
Perlite, expanded perlite filter aid
Perlite is used as a filter aid and is very light. We review your product data with you before designing the silo.
Review with us
Filter aid blends, premixed filter aids
Blends behave differently depending on their recipe. We review the right storage with you.
Also tested in our lab:
Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Filter Aid Check
Type in your filter aid or any other bulk material to see whether it has already been tested in our lab. The list covers 287 bulk materials.
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Service in the U.S.
With more than 40 years of experience in silo engineering, we support your filter aid silo project from the first design discussion to commissioning. We deliver to every U.S. state and install with our own qualified personnel.
FAQ
Answers to the questions plant managers, engineers, and buyers ask most often about storing diatomaceous earth and filter aids in silos.
Dry filter aids can be stored in a properly designed silo. These products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Perlite, filter aid blends, and other filter aids we review with you based on your material data.
Diatomaceous earth has a very low bulk density and is very fine. It dusts easily, can build bridges, and can flow uncontrollably when aerated. Hopper geometry, venting, discharge aids, and dust collection are designed with you for your grade.
Integrated filters and PW FilterLine dust collectors separate dust during pneumatic filling and conveying. Filter size and venting are matched to your filling rate and your product.
We build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel – never in coated carbon steel, so no flaking coating or rust can contaminate your filter aid. Which of our two materials fits depends on the product, your hygiene requirements, and your site. We select it with you.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your filter aids leaves the silo in the order it came in (first in, first out), and no product is left behind in dead zones. Our PW StoreLine silos are designed for concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones.
Yes. We recommend a dedicated silo per grade – or PW StoreLine multi-compartment silos that keep several products separate in one silo.
The right size depends on your daily consumption, delivery intervals, the number of products, and the space available at your site. PW StoreLine silos are available in a wide range of sizes and diameters, and silos too large for road transport are assembled on site. We size the system with you – without oversized investment.
Yes. We deliver to every U.S. state and support your project with silo transport, field assembly, silo installation and supervision, and site relocation of existing systems.
Very likely. Our silo systems are designed for nearly all free-flowing, granular, and powdered bulk solids. Send us your material details – particle size, bulk density, moisture, and how the product is filled and discharged – and we will review the right storage solution with you.
Tell us about your products, required storage capacity, how the silo is filled and discharged, and your site conditions. Based on this, we work out the material, silo type, and configuration with you and send you a detailed quote.
