180 t/h
of washed aggregate
Quarries & Aggregates
Natural aggregates
Germany
Steinwerke Anton Eireiner GmbH
New water clarification and sludge treatment plant.
400 m³/h
water flow rate
20 t/h
of solids to the filter press
Steinwerke Anton Eireiner GmbH, based in Wemding, Bavaria, is a company specialising in the extraction and processing of natural stone and aggregates for the construction and civil engineering sector. The company operates its own quarries, from which it produces raw materials for road construction and concrete production. It integrates material recovery and recycling processes to reduce the amount of material sent to landfill, and invests in technologies for dust control and wash-water treatment.
The project challenges
Timing
The work had to be carried out alongside the construction of the aggregate-washing plant, with installation to be completed in under two months.
Limited footprint
The plant had to fit within a limited footprint and be installed on uneven ground next to the washing plant.
High water flow rate and clay-rich sludge
A flow rate of up to 400 m³/h of highly turbid water had to be treated, together with clay-rich sludge containing more than 30% fines below 2 µm.
Tecnoidea’s process-engineering approach
Modular turnkey plant design
To meet the time and space constraints, the plant was supplied on heavy-duty modular steelwork (designed for transport on standard articulated trucks), combined with a containerised plant room — pre-assembled, air-conditioned and thermally insulated.
Dedicated filter press with enclosure
A filter press (model FPTA 1620L/120/30) configured specifically for clay-rich sludge was installed inside an enclosure assembled on site and lifted into position in a single operation.
Chemically assisted dewatering
To handle the high clay content (consistently above 30% of the total weight of fines), mechanical dewatering was supported by chemical conditioning, with a 64 m³ sludge tank and an automatic continuous-recirculation system for preparing and dosing milk of lime.
Results
Closed loop in a small footprint
In an area of just 20 × 25 metres, a fully automatic plant was commissioned, capable of treating up to 400 m³/h of water and processing up to 20 t/h of dry solids.
Fast installation
Thanks to the heavy-duty modular steelwork (designed for transport on standard articulated trucks) and the pre-assembled containerised plant room, the turnkey plant was assembled within the required timeframe of under two months.
Effective dewatering of clay-rich sludge
The dedicated filter press, combined with an automatic continuous-recirculation system for milk-of-lime dosing, consistently produced spadeable filter cakes with no visible free-water release.
Continuous operation
The correct sizing of the filter press made it possible to handle the sludge produced on a continuous basis, exceeding 4,500 operating cycles (figure updated to July 2023). Part of the dewatered sludge could be recovered for reuse as a secondary raw material.