Large-Scale Tubular Dewatering Bags

Zebratube®’s tubular dewatering bags are manufactured from an engineered woven geotextile that enables retention of solids within the tube whilst filtrate percolates through the geotextile.

The Zebratube® dewatering process is fully scalable and easily customised based on the relative size of your sludge handling requirements.

Larger projects typically utilise our tubular bags, which we offer in sizes ranging from 5 m circumference x 5 m length up to and exceeding 35 m circumference x 90 m length.

We can custom-design based on your specific requirements.

Process Flow
DEWATERING PROCESS
1 Feeding the tubes

Sediment is either dredged from a dam or pumped from a continuous process and fed to ZebraTube’s dewatering bags.

2 Addition of flocculant

In some cases the slurry has to be conditioned through the addition of a flocculating agent. Particles agglomerate, allowing for retention of fines and increased dewatering efficiency.

3 Settling and Dewatering

The particles settle inside the tube allowing the formation of a filter cake on the surface of the geotextile. The filter cake enhances filtration efficiency, allowing clear filtrate to percolate through the geotextile. Filtrate can be captured and re-used.

4 Removal of dry material

The solids dewater and consolidate inside the tube, allowing for the water content inside the tube to decrease. Once the tube is filled and allowed to drain completely, the contained material is dry enough to be handled with an excavator for easy disposal or re-use.

ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES OF USING ZEBRATUBE® DEWATERING TUBES​

Zebratube® geotextile dewatering tubes offer the following benefits in comparison with conventional dewatering equipment:

  • Rapid dewatering of large sludge volumes within a short period.
  • The ability to easily scale the dewatering process in line with production requirements.
  • Minimal skilled labour required, with low labour requirements overall.
  • Simple auxiliary equipment required, with minimal maintenance requirements and low energy usage.
  • The stackability of tubes enable efficient usage of the laydown area, reducing the overall footprint required.
  • Permanent containment of the dewatered material is possible, whilst removal and disposal of dewatered material is easy and cost-effective.
  • Filtrate can be captured, allowing for containment, recycling and re-use
APPLICATIONS

The production of sludge and its required dewatering for re-use or disposal represents a significant capital and operating cost to wide range of industries. Industrial and mining operations typically generate large volumes of sludge that require environmentally friendly containment and disposal. Furthermore, large quantities of wastewater and sewage sludge is produced globally.

In addition to the dewatering of slurries produced through continuous production processes, many industries are faced with silted-up dams that require dredging along with the dewatering and containment of the dredged material.

Conventionally dewatering is achieved through mechanical means, using dewatering equipment such as a filter press, horizontal belt filter or centrifuge. Where mechanical means are not used sludge can be disposed of in a containment dam, spoil area or evaporation dam, all of which require large footprints.

Zebratube®’s geotextile dewatering and containment solutions provide a fast, flexible, efficient and cost-effective alternative to conventional dewatering methods. Our dewatering bags offer high volume dewatering capacity whilst utilising a small footprint.

Our dewatering tubes have been successfully applied in a wide range of industries such as:

  • Mining
  • Water and wastewater
  • Coastal protection and marine construction
  • Food and beverage
  • Pulp and paper
  • Power generation

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Our in-house engineering team can assist you with custom sizing and design specific to you application

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