Beltran Precipitators Clean Up Acid Mist High in the Andes

Brooklyn, NY—December 12, 2008—Beltran Technologies, Inc. has announced that its latest generation of wet electrostatic precipitators (WESPs) has been successfully deployed in one of the largest and most complex  metallurgical installations in the world. The advanced emissions control equipment is being used to capture and process sulfuric acid mist at the vast La Oroya Metallurgical Complex, where owner/operator Doe Run Peru, Inc. has launched a major environmental upgrade after acquiring the facility from the Peruvian government.

The new, $50 million sulfuric acid plant is an integral part of the lead refining circuit at the multi-mineral complex. The line yields 375 tons per day of high-value, 98.5% sulfuric acid for the lucrative industrial market. The technical challenges of developing the plant included its remote location and 12,200-foot altitude, which affects gas pressures and plant performance. Yet, the plant was finished and functional in September, on time and on budget. An acid plant for the copper circuit is scheduled to open in October 2009.

Beltran’s WESPs achieve extraordinary levels of performance and reliability through a proprietary, multi-stage design developed over years of research and experimentation. Instead of conventional charged wires, Beltran WESPs use ionizing rods covered with star-shaped discharge points in a square or hexagonal configuration. This unique geometry can generate a corona field four-to-five times more intense than standard wet or dry ESPs. This higher field strength results in faster particle migration velocities, higher efficiency and throughput, smaller energy and space requirements and easier maintenance.

With their multi-stage operation and ability to generate strong electrical fields in low-temperature, 100% humidity conditions, Beltran precipitators are well suited to a variety of metallurgical processes, including zinc, lead, gold, molybdenum, nickel and copper, and sulfuric acid regeneration plants. They also are capable of controlling emissions down to the submicron level, including acid gas mists, particulates and condensed organics. Beltran has more than 1,000 installations worldwide in various industries.