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Lamella clarifiers can be used in a range of industries, including mining and metal finishing, as well as to treat groundwater, industrial process water and backwash from sand filters.[1] Lamella clarifiers are ideal for applications where the solids loading is variable and the solids sizing is fine.[2] They are more common than conventional clarifiers at many industrial sites, due to their smaller footprint.[3]

One specific application is pre-treatment for effluent entering membrane filters. Lamella clarifiers are considered one of the best options for pre-treatment ahead of ultrafiltration.[4] Their all-steel design minimizes the chances that part of the inclined plate will chip off and be carried over into the membrane, especially compared to tube settlers, which are made of plastic. Further, lamella clarifiers may maintain the required water quality to the membrane with or without the use of chemicals. This is a cost-saving measure, both in purchasing chemicals and limiting damage to the membrane, as membranes do not work well with the large particles contained in flocculants and coagulants.

Lamella clarifiers are also used in the municipal wastewater treatment processes.[5] The most common wastewater application for lamella clarifiers is as part of the tertiary treatment stage. Lamella clarifiers can be integrated into the treatment process or stand-alone units can be used to increase the flow through existing water treatment plants.[6] One option for integrating lamella clarifiers into existing plants is for conventional or sludge blanket clarifiers to be upgraded by attaching a bundle of inclined plates or tubes before the overflow in the so-called "clear water zone". This can increase the settling area by two-fold resulting in a decrease in the solids loading in the overflow