The first thing we saw on the tour was where the trucks are weighed and checked for radiation. We then were told that the whole yard is covered by a seal that captures any waste water that may seep into the ground. The water then drains to their water treatment plant. One of the operations at Padnos is the briquetter. The briquetter takes borings and heats them until they are malleable then presses the metal into briquettes.
Water is sprayed on the briquettes to assist in cooling.
The car shredder was another operation that we saw on the tour. It was not in use since it is being replaced with new equipment. The metal from the car shredder is classified as number 2 frag. Ford is the only automobile company that will use the number 2 frag in new cars. The other automobile companies will use number 1 frag which comes from material such as galvanized steel.