They are generally placed before filter presses, belt presses and centrifuges to achieve higher sludge concentration before final dewatering. Sludge thickeners are also used to increase the sludge concentration before biogas reactors, thus enabling the use of smaller biogas reactors.
Other applications are to reduce the volume of sludge before being pumped into drying beds. This equipment can also be used to remove coarse material such as fibers in the textile Industry.