Aperam's project manages to transform the thick sludge from the AOD-L converter, waste from the gas washing system of this equipment, into a briquette rich in recovered metal content that can be used again as a raw material in steel production. The technology is innovative and fully integrated into the circular economy concept, as it avoids disposing of this waste in the environment and allows it to be reused in the steelmaking production process. The briquette has been given the name BAP Steel and its chemical composition allows it to be reused in the production process at Aperam's steelworks, generating cost savings in the production process and making a noble contribution to the company's ESG objectives. With the development and consumption of the new product, more expensive sources of alloys in the process have been replaced by BAP Steel, which is one of the cheapest sources of Fe, Ni and Cr in the steelworks, thus reducing costs.

The project led to the reduction of 15% of all the waste deposited in Aperam's waste yard, and 22% of all the waste generated by the melt shop, helping to achieve Aperam's waste recycling target of 97% by 2030.