In recent years there has been a noticeable increase in the demand for sustainable dewatering solutions. Find out how the use of TenCate Geotube® systems can help make dewatering more environmentally friendly.
Solutions and applications that make a positive contribution to the environment have become a must and are an important element in a company’s corporate social responsibility. With over 50 years of experience, TenCate Geosynthetics is passionate about its quest to provide solutions that make dewatering operations both more efficient and more ecologically friendly. TenCate Geotube®, in particular, has stimulated new ways of thinking with regard to many aspects of sustainable dewatering applications.
Geotube® dewatering technology in a nutshell
Originally based on the Geotube® system, tubes produced from specially developed synthetic fabrics, TenCate Geosynthetics’ dewatering solutions comprise complete concepts which take all aspects of sustainable dewatering into consideration. The textile helps to confine the fine solids inside the container while allowing water to permeate through the engineered fabric. Geotube® systems are used for dewatering and containing contaminated sediments from industrial dewatering, lagoon clean-outs, water and wastewater treatment and the remediation of hazardous and non-hazardous sites.
Geotube® systems are available in a variety of volumes, ranging from 1m³ to over 2,100m³ per tube, depending on the customer’s time and space requirements. The dewatering containers can be placed in between other structures and removed once dewatering is complete.
The TenCate Geotube® system is one of the most versatile and effective dewatering technologies available.
Mink ter Harmsel, Marketing Manager Water & Environment EMEA
Sustainable dewatering in more ways than one
TenCate Geosynthetics produces customized tubes under the brand TenCate Geotube®. After a process of consultation, every single tube is configured and produced from scratch, including the filaments and weaves. Working with the client, TenCate Geotube® selects the best fabric, the most effective tube dimensions and the best site configuration. The ecological advantages that seem inherent to the tube dewatering solution can only be met if the system is fully optimised.
TenCate Geotube® dewatering containers are designed to achieve the highest retention of solids and the highest effluent discharge rate and quality, making them a highly efficient and environmentally friendly solution for various sludge dewatering applications. The positive ecological impact is derived from several aspects of the dewatering operations.
Energy savings
One prime example where TenCate Geotube® solutions have inspired a change in thinking is in energy savings. Solutions with a lower energy consumption than traditional methods are attractive alternatives for dewatering operations. Compared to mechanical dewatering units, TenCate Geotube® systems require substantially less energy, which also constitutes a decisive advantage when it comes to reducing the environmental footprint.
Tube dewatering as such should not require energy as the decantation takes place by itself. However, all of the tubes do not dewater in the same efficient way. The wrong selection of fabric, the tube dimension or tube configuration may lead to extensive expenditure and schedule and cost overruns. With a holistic view, the TenCate Geosynthetics specialists fine-tune the efficiency of each TenCate Geotube® dewatering project.
Cleaning polluted waters
This aspect is of special importance in remediation work. Like many of our customers, TenCate Geosynthetics strives for a cleaner world and aims to contribute towards cleaning up historically polluted rivers or lakes. By filtering out even the smallest particles, pollutants like heavy metals or, for instance, aromatic hydrocarbons or TBT are also filtered and retained in TenCate Geotube® units.
Therefore, the TenCate Geosynthetics wet lab is located right next to the geotextiles laboratory. In the wet lab, the customer’s slurry samples are matched to the best fabric, to create the enduring permeability and unparalleled solids’ recovery rate, which is the key to the TenCate Geotube® contribution to any successful project.
Reduced transportation costs and CO2 emissions
The fabrics TenCate Geosynthetics develops and the tests that are conducted on-site or in our laboratories aim to achieve the highest volume reduction in the shortest possible time. On a dredging site, this means that the speed of the dewatering should keep up with the speed of the dredging. TenCate Geotube® systems reduce volume footprint, which makes removal and disposal easy. The reduction of volume by the dewatering process results in reduced transportation costs and less tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Solutions for every project
TenCate Geotube® dewatering technology provides effective, safe, and sustainable dewatering solutions for a wide variety of applications. By assessing the demands of each project as a unique case, TenCate Geosynthetics can offer project-specific Geotube® solutions for every project. With its sustainable approach, TenCate Geotube® technology helps tackle the challenges that modern life poses to nature and the environment.
Content provided by:
Mink ter Harmsel, Marketing Manager Water & Environment EMEA
Gerben van den Berg, Manager Environmental Remediation EMEA