Steel Giant Chooses FriGeo

Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB is currently employing the freeze dredging and dewatering services of FriGeo AB for a project at its steel plant in Luleå. Having used mechanical methods to empty their 2300 m³ sludge pool in the past, SSAB wanted a new solution which was effective and odourless and completely in compliance with the company’s sustainability policy. After evaluating several options SSAB chose FriGeo to undertake the cleanup project using the FriGeo Freeze dredging and dewatering technique.

Compared with conventional methods of dewatering, the FriGeo freeze method creates more varied options for remediation and recycling. The high dry weight content achieved through freeze dewatering has both economic and environmental benefits; the quantity of sludge which requires handling is reduced by 50-80 %, keeping transport and remediation costs to a minimum. After dewatering the sludge can be used as biofuel, providing a valuable energy gain.

The ongoing dewatering project at SSAB in Luleå is an excellent example of how FriGeo can turn a waste problem into a resource.