Abstract: A horizontal vacuum belt filter having an endless filter cloth on which a residue filter cake is, in use, formed; a filter head roller; a rotatable discharge roller located some distance forward of the head roller, a portion of the filter cloth passing over a segment of the cylindrical surface of the discharge roller and being in engagement therewith; a plurality of longitudinally directed and circumferentially spaced apart passages being provided in the discharge roller which are each in communication with a different segment of the cylindrical surface of the discharge roller via suitable bores; a first valve for directing a discharge liquid to those passages which are in communication, at any particular time, with that segment of the cylindrical surface of the discharge roller engaged by the filter cloth; and a plurality of second valves for permitting flow of discharge liquid only from those passages that are in communication with the said segment through the bores associated with those passages to the sai

Abstract: The invention provides a discharge roller for a vacuum belt filter, over which a filter cloth of the filter passes, the roller having a channelling means in the form of a plurality of longitudinally directed and circumferentially spaced-apart passages which are each in communication with a different segment of the cylindrical surface of the roller via suitable radially directed bores and an end valve for directing a discharge fluid to those passages which are in communication, at any particular time, with that portion of the cylindrical surface engaged by the filter cloth, such that there is flow of the discharge fluid in a reverse direction through the cloth to separate residue cake therefrom.