Circular Economy at Bradken Mont Joli

Over the years there has been an increased emphasis on substituting ferro-alloys units with alloy-steel scrap at Bradken. This has largely been achieved through an increase in recycling Bradken’s own worn mill liners, fostering a value-driven circular economy between our customers and us.

Purchasing recycled steel leads to cost savings and upstream carbon footprint reductions. Additionally, re-purchasing our own used product as scrap guarantees the metal quality, to help maintain our high standards in melting.

The majority of returned mill liners are re-cast and turned back into new mill liners, hence the ability to contribute to the circular economy in a meaningful way.

Between 2017 and 2024, Mont-Joli reduced its purchases of high-carbon ferrochrome alloys by 70%. While overall production volumes have shifted during this period, the demand for chrome has remained relatively steady due to the higher chrome content of the materials produced. This has resulted in reductions in carbon emissions and resource savings by using recycled materials.

The team has worked with their extensive supply chain and established four transloading yards in key regions close to our customers to utilize the rail network where possible and ensure scrap metal transportation is undertaken in an efficient, low carbon method.

Managing the increased flow of alloy scrap and implementing changes in utilization on site has posed challenges, demanding additional effort from everyone involved. One major technical obstacle was the integration of foreign scrap with diverse chemical compositions, requiring the development of suitable processing recipes by the melting team. Operationally, there were logistical challenges in scrap handling, transportation and storage, while working to optimize utilization and improve communication and visibility with suppliers and customers.

Bradken National Environment Business Partner Canada, Marie-Claude Delorme, is proud of the progress the site has made.

The entire Mont-Joli team is extremely proud of their achievements and will continue to refine the scrap recycling process and share their successes and learnings with other sites.