Theo Pouw:
Ground cleaning
Theo Pouw Group is a major player in civil engineering. The company provides transport, loading and transhipment, processing and cleaning of soil and recycling of construction and demolition rubble.
In addition to the Eemshaven office, Theo Pouw is also located in Utrecht (head office), Weert, Akkrum and Lelystad.
iPads in soil remediation plant management
The use of iPads in the control is part of the optimization drive that Van den Pol Industrial Automation realized together with engineering firm Domatrac from Oosterhuizen for this installation. The use of small, vulnerable-looking iPads in the approximately fifteen-meter high, complex soil cleaning installation looks strange at first sight. But at the same time it shows that ICT plays an essential role in the proper functioning of the installation. The people at Theo Pouw who work with it emphasize that the iPad is not an alternative to the total overview that the command center offers, but it does offer great advantages in daily practice. The immense soil cleaning installation of Theo Pouw at the Eemshaven is controlled from a command center with four large screens.
The process operators can also use their iPads to intervene directly in the event of malfunctions or minor adjustments. The iPads make the process operators more flexible, because it is no longer necessary for the command center to be manned 24 hours a day. The application also increases the safety and reliability of the entire installation. Quick intervention prevents malfunctions from causing consequential damage. And it saves the process operators a lot of climbing stairs. The installation cleans approximately 300,000 tons of heavily contaminated soil annually.
Theo Pouw works according to a process developed in-house, which involves heating the contaminated soil, causing the contamination to convert into a gas and be burned (thermal desorption). This method is suitable for mineral waste contaminated with organic components, such as soil from gas factories, refineries and other processes where heavier contaminants can be released.
