Envirocon executed a contract to provide selective dismantlement, and investment recovery services at an aluminum smelter in Longview, Washington.  Aluminum reduction was performed at the facility from 1941 through the late 1990s and additional production lines were installed in the 1960s as an upgrade. The facility was owned and operated by Reynolds Metals Company through most of its history. Today, the above-ground assets are owned by one company, while the property is still owned by Reynolds Metals Company. Envirocon’s scope of work included dismantling of the 876 reduction cells that made up the potlines at the Longview site.  Each reduction cell or "pot" weighed 60 to 80 tons and contained as much as 35 tons of recoverable ferrous and non-ferrous metals.  More than 27,000 tons of various metals were recovered.  The facility itself or potrooms were large H/I beam, steel buildings totaling more than 600,000 square feet.
  
Tasks performed for this project included:

• Removing and demolishing 876 aluminum reduction cells;
• Removing, managing, and selling all recovered metal assets;
• Decontaminating, preparing, and sizing scrap;
• Facility decontamination; and     
• Disposing of waste.
• Streamlined efficiency in dismantling and processing the cells and materials contained within them were critical in the performance of this project. A comprehensive work plan developed by Envirocon maximized the use of existing facilities and minimized travel distances between the required process areas to enhance safety and efficiency while reducing environmental liability. Envirocon added value by focusing efforts on waste segregation and minimization, seeking to manage all generated materials as potential assets.
  
  Two examples include the bath material and the alumina which were found in the cathode components of the cells. These materials had resale value within the aluminum industry, which resulted in a significant cost savings to the client by avoiding disposal costs because the wastes were converted to an income-generating commodity.  The carbon in the anode blocks was another significant waste stream that garnered financial benefit as it was shipped off site and burned as a supplemental fuel.
  
  Envirocon also provided added value through aggressive characterization and segregation of spent potliner (K088) wastes. There were an estimated 35,000 tons of K088 waste at the Longview site. The cost savings rendered through diligent waste minimization and careful segregation was more than $2 million.
  
  Upon removal, each reduction cell was dismantled separating aluminum, copper, and steel components.  The copper was segregated by grade and packaged into pieces for shipment directly to a recycling consumer in Asia.  The aluminum was segregated by grade, packaged either into bundles or Gaylord containers, and shipped directly to an aluminum consumer in the United States.  Steel was cut and prepared on site to mill specifications and sold to consumers both in the export and domestic markets.  In total, over 25,000 tons of ferrous steel, 20,000,000 pounds of aluminum, and 7,000,000 pounds of copper were removed.  Ferrous and non-ferrous materials were processed, prepared, and packaged on site, then sold directly to a recycling consumer at an estimated value of $27,875,000.
  
  Items salvaged for steel recycling include:

• 5,000,000 pounds of copper bus bar;
• 14,000,000 pounds of EC 1100 grade aluminum bus bar;
• 2,000,000 pounds of assorted copper and aluminum flexes tabs, cross overs, and shunts;
• 24,000 tons of #1 heavy melt ferrous steel; and
• 1,000 tons of various 1/2 mix steel.
• Additional recycling measures were taken for alumina, cryolite bath, and anode carbon materials.

• Demolishing 876 reduction cells
• Segregating & disposing spent potliner (K088) waste containing cyanide
• Managing metal asset recovery
• More than $2 million savings to client