SMELTER TURNS WASTE INTO VALUABLE MATERIALS

The waste produced by furnaces presents a disposal problem of worldwide concern. Normally, less than half of all white slag is recycled and all black slag is deposited in a heap, from where harmful substances can find their way into drinking water. This problem has been addressed by Jesse Brough Metals, a U.K. company that smelts the aluminum waste for a second time.

A recipient in 1999 of the Queen’s Award for Environmental Achievement, the company claims to be the only secondary aluminum smelter in the world to be able to recycle 100% of furnace waste in a financially economical way, and recently has announced the successful casting of the first melt of aluminum recovered from black dross.

The secondary process not only means less waste, but also reduces the need for raw materials. Economic efficiency is said to have increased by 125% and the risk of leakage of chemical products is much reduced. In addition to recovering aluminum metal from the black dross, the company also separates the residual waste into valuable byproducts for a number of industrial uses.

JBM is looking to share the technology with secondary aluminum smelters world wide by selling the plant under licence. For more information, contact Jesse Brough Metals Group, Kingsilver Refinery, Hixon, Staffordshire, U.K., ST18 0PY; tel. 011-44-1889-271491, fax 011-44-1889-271191; e-mail: jbmyard@aol.com.