The Use of Geotextile Tube for Copper Slurry Dewatering, Chile

In the mining sector, sludge dewatering and water recovery are significant challenges. Limited water resources and insufficient tailing pond storage capacity severely impact mining operations.

To address this issue, approximately 100 geotextile tubes measuring 17.2m in circumference and 24-30.5m in length were employed. The treatment involved processing total of approx. 40,000m3 of copper slurry with a water content rate of approximately 80% and a specific gravity of 3.0.

With aim to avoid the wastewater infiltrated into the soil, first a geomembrane was placed on the ground and a channel was dig all around to collect the water. Due to the limited working area, the giant ACETube^® geotextile tubes were stacked in three layers to accelerate the drainage and solve the problem of insufficient site area. After dewatering, the water was being drained out and then pumped into the pool. The collected water will be reused after treatment processing. Once the geotextile tube is placed for a month after dewatering and exposure procedure, the moisture content can be quickly reduced to 20% or less before the solid wastes will be refined to utilization.

The ACETube^® geotextile tube's high permittivity offers advantages over traditional methods, which typically take several years for dewatering and consolidation in tailing ponds. In this project, copper slurry dewatering was achieved within 4 to 5 months. The recycling of clear water resources during this process reduced the need for new tailings dams. Additionally, mining waste can be repurposed, transforming it into valuable resources.