DrM's FUNDABAC® candle filter operates as a fully enclosed pressure vessel where the lean amine slip stream, typically 10 to 20% of total circulation, taken ahead of the absorber, passes through vertical filter elements, removing suspended solids including fine iron sulfide particulate to 1 micron absolute. That rating is sufficient to capture the particles responsible for foam stabilization. Demonstrated performance shows suspended solids reduced from feed concentrations of 16 to 42 mg/L to below 1 mg/L in the filtrate after 15 hours of operation.

When differential pressure reaches the set threshold, an automated gas blow-back cycle is initiated. A pressurized gas pulse reverses flow, lifting the filter media from the candle support structure and releasing the accumulated cake, which discharges through the bottom valve as a dry, handleable solid. The vessel is never opened during normal operation. There is no operator exposure to H2S-laden amine solution and no generation of liquid hazardous waste. The dry cake contains approximately 30 to 40% residual moisture and exits as a non-dusting solid suitable for direct landfill or incineration, with no secondary treatment required. Filter cloth replacement occurs every two to five years during scheduled shutdowns, compared to the frequent manual changeouts required by cartridge systems at comparable throughputs.

The full amine clean-up package integrates the FUNDABAC® candle filter for iron sulfide and insoluble solids, a granular activated carbon adsorber for dissolved hydrocarbons and surface-active compounds, and a polishing cartridge filter to capture any carbon fines, all skid-mounted and compatible with PLC or DCS integration for fully automatic operation.

For installations where slurry discharge is preferred over dry cake, the CONTIBAC® semi-continuous thickener provides the same candle filter architecture with back-flush operation and continuous slurry transfer to a downstream treatment step. Both configurations eliminate the manual handling and hazardous waste volumes associated with cartridge replacement.

DrM has supplied candle filter systems into amine gas sweetening service for nearly four decades, with installations across the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe, covering plant scales from mid-size gas processing units to world-scale facilities processing combined lean amine flows up to 1,000 m3/hr across parallel filter units. The same filtration requirements apply directly to amine-based post-combustion carbon capture, where solvent quality is a project economics decision.