Royal Eijkelkamp

Natural resources

Worldwide there is much debate about natural resource allocations. This is partly due to increasing scarcity (depletion of resources) but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis for many economies. How can we benefit from our natural resources without exhausting the earth? How can we make activities as mining, petroleum extraction, fishing and forestry more environmental-friendly?

Projects

  • Refresco Group monitors water level via Smart Sensoring

    Client - Refresco Group

    Country - The Netherlands

    Background

    • Refresco Group is Europe’s largest manufacturer of soft drinks and fruit juices 
    • 'We are obviously very protective of our springs. After all, water is the very foundation of our business.'
    • Officially recognised springs must be protected from above, below and from the side against extraneous water intrusion.
    • For this reason Refresco constantly monitors the water level in the spring and analyse the water quality. 
    • ‘Ultimately, our goal is to extract as little water as possible from the ground.'

    Services provided

    • Refresco now monitors the groundwater and spring water levels via Smart Sensoring developed by Eijkelkamp Soil & Water
    • 'Every 10 minutes, we receive the groundwater data we need via telemetry. This is essential for us, because we want to minimise the water factor.’

    Sub theme: Groundwater management | Aquifer recharge

  • From 6 Belgian knights to groundwater monitoring

    Client - Affligem Brewery

    Country - Belgium

    Background

    • Law requires Affligem Brewery to perform one water level measurement of our water wells per day.
    • This was done manually and required a large investment in time.
    • Affligem Brewery first purchased one diver to log the water level of one well at the time.
    • Affligem Brewery saw the immediate advantage and outfitted all active wells with divers and modems.
    • Now Affligem Brewery only have to log on to the Eijkelkamp web portal and export the report to meet the legal obligation of monitoring their water wells.
    • In addition Affligem Brewery also gained a lot more insight into their processes,

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Groundwater management | Aquifer recharge

  • Baseline measurement Natura 2000 site Binnenveld

    Client - Vallei en Veluwe Water Board

    Country - The Netherlands

    Background

    • For the preservation and improvement of the special Natura 2000 site, it is necessary to establish a baseline-situation.
    • This comprises of recording the current water levels.
    • The installation of a number of monitoring wells therefore is required.
    • A detailed statements about the groundwater levels and the changes will be made.
    • The baseline measurement will take approximately a year.

    Services provided

    • Eijkelkamp Soil & Water supplied and installed ten telemetric high-frequency groundwater monitoring systems in the Natura 2000 site, consisting of: Diver water level loggers, Global Data Transmitters and the Eijkelkamp Web Portal, including data validation.

    Sub theme: Groundwater management | Aquifer recharge

  • CHAIN - Agriculture in cooperation with nature

    Client - Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (Croatian Agricultural Land Agency)

    Countries - Republic of Serbia and Republic of Croatia

    Background

    • The Danube region is a major international hydrological basin and ecological corridor.
    • Development of intensive agricultural production occurred in the examined area.
    • The examined area is extremely sensitive to intensive agricultural production as the diffuse pollution source.
    • Given the existence of two opposite interests in one area, maintaining balance between the nature and human activity is essential.
    • Cross-border cooperation contributes to development and environment protection.
    • The aim of this project was to establish a system for continuous monitoring of the soil and groundwater quality.

    Services provided

    • Eijkelkamp Soil & Water’s partner in the Republic of Serbia, Megra, supplied the Eijkelkamp Soil & Water equipment, training and assisted the CHAIN project team.

    Results of the research

    The CHAIN project members concluded: ‘With respect to the obtained results, soil quality monitoring is our obligation to the future generations, thus the continuation of soil monitoring is necessary in order to identify the patterns of soil quality changes and establish control over soil contamination.’

    Sub theme: Soil improvement | Biodiversity

  • Site investigation on a beach area with copper tailings

    Country - Chili
    Carried out by -     all MAREC partners

    Description

    • A drilling campaign of 3 weeks on a beach site in Chile with 30 holes up to 15 m depth. 
    • Whilst drilling, undisturbed samples have been taken for laboratory testing and in-situ SPT testing has been performed every 1.5 m. 
    • For a good core recovery and minimizing disturbance of the samples, drilling has been done by Eijkelkamp SonicSampDrill.
    • Post drilling, monitoring wells have been installed. PVC liner with a sand screen at the bottom and digital Diver water level logger measurements are done automatically.
    • Geotechnical and hydrogeological study has been made by the combined forces of the MAREC Consortium of the outcome of the above mentioned drilling campaign.

    Services provided

    The MAREC group offered the client a total solution for the site investigation on short term and with a high standard site study with all the expertise from all MAREC companies

    Sub theme: Minerals, metals, rare earth metals

  • Diver training in the largest diamond mine in the world

    Client - Debswana (Botswana)

    Background

    • The Orapa mine is managed by Debswana. Debswana is a partnership between diamond company De Beers and the Botswana government
    • Debswana uses Diver water level loggers to monitor groundwater levels and so gain insight into the amount of available water used to rinse the soil during the search for diamonds
    • Groundwater levels are also monitored in the adjacent tailings to investigate the influence of adding and extracting water in the tailings

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Alluvial Mining

  • Water resources management in Turkey

    Client - DSI (Turkey)

    Background

    • DSI is the primary executive state agency of Turkey for Nations overall water resources planning, managing, execution and operation.
    • The main objective of DSI is to develop all water and land resources in Turkey. It aims at all the wisest use of the principal natural resources.

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Fresh water availability | Water quality

  • Bauxite sampling, the Lelydorp I project

    Client - Boskalis
    Period - 2013

    Description / Background

    • Provide Boskalis with valuable information through Bauxite sampling in a fast an cost-efficient way

    Products provided

    Sub theme: Alluvial mining

  • Gold sampling along the River Nechi

    Client -  Minatura (Colombia)
    Period - May 2010

    Description / Background

    • Along the River Nechi in Colombia mining waste was dumped in the nineteen-fifties. Minatura estimates that, at the time, only 50% was extracted
    • Thousands of samples, 30 metres a day, were taken to map the area of 717 hectares properly and develop an efficient mining plan

    Products provided

    Sub theme: Minerals, metals, rare earth metals

  • Nickel sampling for the Weda Bay Nickel project

    Client  Eramet (Indonesia)

    Description / Background

    • Eramet needed a map of the soil before exploiting the largest nickel reserve in the world
    • Provide a ‘grade control grid’ which composes a clear soil map of the area

    Products provided

    Sub theme: Minerals, metals, rare earth metals

  • MARS Project

    Clients - Consortium of Dutch and Romanian parties
    Period - 2012

    Background

    • MARS stands for Management of Aquifer Recharge and Storage
    • The MARS project aims to reduce the risks and dangers of drought and flood, and to contribute to a more efficient water management and water delivery method in Romania 

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Drought | Flooding

    Downloads MARS projects - Romania.pdf

  • Groundwater monitoring for German water works company

    Client - Zweckverband Wasserwerk Wacken (Germany)
    Period - 2008 – May 2009

    Description / Background

    • The water works company runs various water extraction points, which must be managed in such a way that the water level in the connected aquifer does not sink below predetermined values
    • Decisions would then be taken concerning the management of the drinking water wells based on the data retrieved

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Fresh Water Availability

  • Water management on Cyprus

    Client Geological Survey Department (Cyprus)

    Backgrounds

    • Cyprus is battling the subterranean penetration of salt water and long periods of drought, which cause water shortages.
    • The Geological Survey Department has been charged with the performance of hydro-geological research into new groundwater bodies.

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Drought

    Downloads Water management on Cyprus - Cyprus.pdf

  • Groundwater monitoring network for power plant

    Client - Electrabel Tihange (Belgium)

    Description / Background

    • In 2012, the power plant had to deal with a lowering of the phreatic groundwater level
    • An excessive reduction of groundwater may have enormous implications for the development of nature in the area
    • The power plant has to meet ISO14000 and ISO14001 standards

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Groundwater Management

  • Groundwater monitoring network for stone pit

    Client - Les Carrières du fond des Vaulx (Belgium)
    Period - 2012 - now

    Description / Background

    • The stone pit is surrounded by natural areas. Therefore the stone pit has to satisfy strict environmental legislation

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Groundwater Management

  • Conservation of Baltic raised bogs project

    Client - Naturalists Club, Pomerania Voivodship Office, Polish State Forest (Poland)

    Description / Background

    • The continued existence of Baltic raised bogs is being threatened by human activity, with degradation as the result.
    • Boggy soil is decomposing and conifers and birches are starting to grow, which causes evaporation of the bog water. Plant species such as cloudberry, sundew and sphagnum are also disappearing.

    Services provided

    More info

    Go to www.kp.org.pl

    Sub theme: Biodiversity

    Downloads Baltic raised bogs project - Poland.pdf

  • Groundwater research in Spanish conservation area

    Client - Acuamed and the Spanish Government (Spain)
    Period - 2011

    Background

    • The 204-hectare conservation area near Sebes has seen a strikingly high death rate amongst certain floodplain forest plants 
    • A reduction in the fluctuation of the water levels is thought to be the major cause of this loss of plant life 
    • Flooding also raises the groundwater level so that the soil is insufficiently washed and becomes increasingly saline

    Services provided

    Sub theme: Soil salinisation

    Downloads Groundwater research - Spain.pdf

  • Australian research about past environmental changes

    Client - James Cook University, Centre for Tropical Environmental & Sustainability Sciences (Australia)
    Period - 2013

    Background project

    • Research to answer fundamental questions about past environmental change, mega faunal extinction and early human occupation of tropical Australia

    Services provided