We have been able to deliver substantial environmental gains for our customers, as shown in the following example.
BlueScope Steel and Bis Industries reduce 1,200 tonnes hazardous waste per year
In 2007, the Australian Sustainability Industry Research Centre (ASIRC), Bis Industries and BlueScope Steel, worked together in a significant project to implement a large-scale diversion of hazardous waste from landfill.
BlueScope Steel Western Port had been trying to find a sustainable solution for some time for its largest prescribed waste, filtercake. Iron-bearing filtercake is a by-product of the on-site waste water treatment at BlueScope Steel, Western Port. Each year, approximately 1,200 tonnes of filtercake was being disposed of to landfill as hazardous waste.
Close work between ASRIC and Bis Industries resulted in a trial to re-use the filtercake in steel manufacturing by blending it with iron-bearing mill scale.
The trial proved that the re-use of filtercake blended with mill scale was technically and commercially feasible. After ASIRC and Bis Industries developed a blending and materials handling process, the first batch of blended product was loaded into containers in April 2008.
This project achieved two goals: the hazardous filtercake waste is no longer disposed off to landfill. The innovation also resulted in direct savings of at least $900,000 per year for BlueScope Steel.
For more details, download the filter cake re-use case study (350kb).
