Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
"Our investments and developments are primarily aimed at making existing techniques more sustainable. And we are already quite far advanced in this," reveals Kim de Groot of B&P Soil Injection. She gives us a hint.
Soil injection can be used for both constructive and water retaining purposes. "The concentration of the mixture determines whether we give the sand package a constructive value or, on the contrary, a water-inhibiting function," explains De Groot. "In the first case, the sand package is reinforced so that you can excavate it straight, for example, to create a basement right next to an existing object. On the other hand, we can also use injection techniques to fix leaks, such as sheet piling leaks, leaks in concrete or the sealing of voids. In no time, the injected mixture enters into a reaction, creating a gel-like mass and stopping the leak."
B&P Soil Injection, according to De Groot, is currently in full swing realizing soil sealing in large construction pits. "There is a lot of construction and buildings are going up further and further. One of the requirements to be met is the creation of sufficient parking space. This is predominantly done underground in the form of a single or multi-story parking basement. Soil injection techniques are an interesting alternative to traditional underwater concrete. Underwater concrete often has only a temporary function, but has a huge impact. By applying soil injection techniques, the building pit can be excavated dry and the basement then built up. Moreover, the waterproofing layer is temporary, as it begins to dissolve after a year or two. It saves an awful lot of time, money and avoids a lot of inconvenience."
Last year, the second generation took the helm at the family business. "My brother and I have taken over from my father," says De Groot. "Our ambition is to continue to grow the company and focus even more on making injection techniques more sustainable. For example, we have already developed in-house an environmentally friendly variant of the existing soil injection techniques in which we are the only ones to apply organic liquids that are naturally occurring. The process has been patented. We are also researching the use of a sustainable alternative for applying the injections. And so there are a number of other developments underway. All with the goal of minimizing environmental impact and being able to deploy the right technology in the right place."
