Recently, the 28th China Mining Conference and Exhibition 2026 was held at Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center. Supumps Environmental Technology (Changzhou) Co., Ltd. presented its Geotube®‑based tailings dewatering and dredging solutions as well as a series of environmental‑protection equipment at the exhibition, demonstrating new pathways for tailings volume reduction, harmless treatment and resource recovery for the mining industry.
According to official conference information, themed “Win‑Win Cooperation, Green and Intelligent”, this event is guided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the People’s Government of Tianjin Municipality, and hosted by the China Mining Federation. Representatives from 60 countries and international organizations worldwide together with 31,000 industry professionals attended the conference. The combined indoor and outdoor exhibition area reached 65,000 square meters, hitting an all‑time high.
01 Zero‑net‑growth Requirement for Tailings Storage Facilities: Dewatering & Dredging Becomes a Mandatory Task for Mines
Tailings safety and resource utilization stood out as hot‑button topics during the conference. In compliance with the Work Plan for Preventing and Resolving Safety Risks of Tailings Storage Facilities, the total number of tailings storage facilities in China shall in principle see zero net‑growth starting from 2020. Strict rules are imposed to control new facilities and reduce existing stockpiles, and no new “hazardous overhead tailings ponds” are permitted. According to industry estimates released in conference reports, China’s cumulative stockpiled tailings have exceeded 60 billion tons, occupying approximately 37,000 square kilometers of land.
For mining enterprises, challenges including insufficient storage capacity, beach surface consolidation, dredging‑driven capacity expansion and closure governance have shifted from optional projects to mandatory requirements. How to realize tailings dewatering, release storage capacity and recycle water resources under cost‑effective conditions ranks among the top concerns of mine operators on‑site.
02 High On‑site Consultation and Negotiation Volume at Booth 7509
During the exhibition, Supumps’ Booth 7509 drew numerous visitors including mining enterprises, design institutes and industry experts for in‑depth exchanges. Apart from the Geotube® tailings dewatering solution, the company also displayed high‑dryness sludge on‑line dewatering systems and other equipment applicable to diversified scenarios such as river‑lake dredging, engineering slurry disposal and volume reduction of accumulated sludge.
A constant stream of enterprise representatives and design experts visited the booth. Centering on practical working conditions such as storage‑capacity liberation and dry stacking of tailings, they enquired into technical details of the Geotube® tailings dewatering technology.
Our on‑site engineers elaborated on tube bag selection criteria, dewatering efficiency and construction organization arrangements tailored to different ore types and site constraints.
03 Geotube® Technology: Enabling In‑situ Tailings Dewatering and Resource Utilization
As a national high‑tech enterprise and Jiangsu Province‑level specialized and sophisticated enterprise, Supumps holds more than 100 national patents and software copyrights, and has led or participated in compiling 12 national, industrial and association standards. The flagship Geotube® tailings dewatering technology exhibited stems from in‑depth cooperation with Solmax, a global leading geosynthetic‑material manufacturer.
Geotube® implements purely physical dewatering. Tailings slurry is pumped into high‑strength, permeable industrial geotextile tube bags to achieve rapid solid‑liquid separation under pressure. Water filters out through fabric pores and can be directly reused for mineral processing; solid residues are trapped inside the tubes. Following three steps of filling, dewatering and consolidation, the material can achieve up to 85 % volume reduction with maximum solid content reaching 65 %.
Compared with conventional processes such as filter pressing and thickening, Geotube® eliminates the need for large‑scale plant buildings and bulky filter‑press equipment. Tube dimensions can be customized to fit site constraints, realizing in‑situ dewatering and solidification of tailings. Dewatered tailings can be directly reused for dam construction, cofferdam building and other resource‑oriented applications, or safely stockpiled for pond closure. The discharged water meets quality standards without secondary pollution. Characterized by lower overall capital cost and shorter construction cycles, this technology is particularly suitable for scenarios with limited pond capacity, restricted site space and emergency response needs. Supported by in‑house professional design and construction capabilities, Supumps delivers end‑to‑end services covering solution design, custom‑made tube bags, on‑site construction and operation & maintenance.
Against the backdrop of advancing green‑mine development and comprehensive tailings‑pond governance, Supumps will further leverage its combined technical portfolio of “Geotube® dewatering plus high‑dryness on‑line treatment”. The company provides integrated solutions for tailings dewatering‑dredging, storage‑capacity liberation and water resource recycling, facilitating the green transformation of the mining sector.
