450 m³/h
water flow rate
Quarries & Aggregates
Natural aggregates
Czech Republic
Eurovia
Wash-water and sludge treatment plant for the Czech Republic's largest quarry.
30 t/h
of solids to the filter press
24 h/day
continuous operation
Eurovia (part of the VINCI Group) operates the Czech Republic’s largest quarry at Kamenolom Jakubčovice, one of the largest quarrying sites in Europe, with annual aggregate production exceeding one million tonnes. The site focuses on large-scale production of aggregates for major road-infrastructure projects. For wash-water treatment and recovery, Eurovia engaged CAB Minerals, an engineering company specialising in wet-processing plants, which worked with Tecnoidea to deliver a turnkey solution. Together, they developed a plant capable of handling the site’s high water-treatment load while controlling operating costs, reducing freshwater abstraction and supporting compliance with applicable environmental requirements.
The project challenges
Volumes to be treated
The scale of the quarry required the treatment of very large volumes of solids and wash water, comparable with those encountered in mining operations.
Space constraints
The plant had to meet environmental and engineering constraints that required a low overall structure height.
Performance
The site required continuous 24-hour operation under demanding conditions associated with high-throughput production.
Tecnoidea / CAB Minerals process-engineering approach
Dynamic clarifier
To keep the overall plant height within the required limits, a dynamic clarifier was selected and installed entirely above ground on a steel support structure.
Homogenisation tank with buffer
A sludge tank fitted with twin-turbine agitators was installed to stabilise filter-press operation and provide buffer capacity to absorb peaks in sludge production.
Cycle automation
The system was designed for fully automatic operation, reducing the need for operator intervention.
Results
Closed-loop water recovery
The system treats and recovers 450 m³/h of water in a closed loop, supporting the site’s high-throughput operation.
Dewatered sludge
At full capacity, the filter press produces more than 100,000 m³/year of dewatered, spadeable filter cakes.
Operational continuity
Automation supports continuous 24-hour operation while limiting operator intervention mainly to routine maintenance.
Environmental compliance
The water-treatment system supports compliance with applicable environmental requirements and formed part of the process required to obtain the relevant certifications.