Patent ID: 7943031

Claim:
An apparatus for reducing the liquid content of a material comprising a mixture of solid particles and liquid, the apparatus comprising: containment means to contain the material, and means to apply pressure to the contained material therein; the containment means being partly defined by at least one first sheet member comprising a first filtration membrane permeable to the liquid but impermeable to at least some of the solid particles contained within the material, wherein the first filtration membrane comprises a woven textile having at least one conductive element woven into at least a part thereof to form a first electrode; and the containment means being further partly defined by at least one second sheet member comprising a second filtration membrane permeable to the liquid but impermeable to at least some of the solid particles contained within the material, wherein the second filtration membrane comprises a woven textile having at least one conductive element woven into at least a part thereof to form a second electrode; wherein, in use, the first and second electrodes are spaced from each other and in contact with the material to allow application of a potential difference across the material; wherein said at least one conductive element of the first and/or second filtration membrane comprises a plurality of conductive weft elements; and wherein the first and/or second filtration membrane further comprises at least one conductive warp element, in electrical contact with the conductive weft elements of the respective first/second filtration membrane, but woven in such manner as to be partly exposed on the surface of the respective first/second filtration membrane.