To know more...
About us    
The Recupac Project    
Our experimentation    
Wheelabrator Allevard is the world leader in the production and marketing of abrasive steel grit. This industrial abrasive is made up of small steel balls, and is used principally for the cleaning and surface preparation of metallic pieces as well as for the cutting of granite. Wheelabrator Allevard is an international group employing 1300 people, with 16 production sites, holding a 40% share of the world abrasive steel grit market. With headquarters at Le Cheylas, France, it has an industrial presence on each continent and sales in more than 80 countries. Turnover in 1999 was almost 250 million euros.

The Wheelabrator Allevard group produces more than 400,000 tonnes per year of high carbon steel via electric furnaces for subsequent transformation into steel abrasive. In line with it's environmental strategy towards the reduction and/or valorisation of the waste products from it's operations, the group, via it's French subsidiary Wheelabrator Allevard, and in collaboration with Recupyl, subsidiary of the holding company INPG SA created by the Institute National Polytechnique de Grenoble, has developed and patented the Recupac procedure for the treatment and valorisation of dusts from electric steelworks.
Recupyl SA researches the application and optimisation of hydrometallurgical techniques in industrial procedures, especially for the treatment of industrial products and wastes containing heavy metals. This competence is based on the know-how developed in the treatment of batteries. In fact, a local-government approved facility for the treatment/ recycling of batteries has been in operation at the Recupyl site in Domène, France, since 1995.

As well as it's own laboratoy and pilot facilities, Recupyl also has the possibility to call on other important scientific resources. A tripartite agreement between Recupyl, the "Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble" and the CNRS give Recupyl access to the entire network of scientific research laboratories in the Grenoble region, notably the laboratories of the School of Electrochemistry at the INPG.


Home EAF dust advantages