Gerdau upgraded non ferrous plant to recover precious metals from ASR

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

December 11, 2015 02:33:55 AM

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The installation of a new sorting plant at Gerdau’s Whitby, Ontario non ferrous plant is likely to significantly expand the operations at the facility. The upgraded plant will lead to increased purity and volume of recovered metals. Also, the plant will be capable of recovering precious metals from automotive shredder residue (ASR).

According to newspaper reports, Gerdau has entered into a contract agreement with Italy-based Danieli Centro Recycling (DCR) towards installation of new DCR sorting plant at the facility. The agreement is part of Gerdau’s plans to implement a series of improvements as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. The mill had completed 50 years of operation in 2014.

Meantime, DCR stated that integration and automation of the new sorting equipment is expected to bring about radical change in plant performance. The contract with Gerdau will help DCR to expand its footprints in the North American region and also help to achieve its goal of becoming one of the leading players in recycling sector.

Gerdau is a leading producer of long steel in the Americas. The Whitby mill is one of three Gerdau mills operating in Canada and employs approximately 385 people. Since acquiring the steel mill from Lasco in 2002, Gerdau has made several capital investments to ensure the long-term viability of the mill including a new caster, a new finishing end and two new warehouses.

DRC claims to serve customers with competitive plant and process technology/automation to produce quality at the lowest depreciation and production cash costs and offer efficient after-sale service. Headquartered in Italy, the company has presence in various parts of the world including Brazil, china, Egypt, France, Germany, Russia, the USA, the UK and Vietnam. The US operations are headquartered in Bettendorf, Iowa.