Bettendorf steel plant helps rid police of evidence, firearms

A look inside Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a furnace into a ladle at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A look at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A worker inspects a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A worker uses compressed air on a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A worker processes a poured metal piece at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A look at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a furnace into a ladle at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A look at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers add additives to molten metal at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Workers pour molten metal from a furnace into a ladle at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Brent Hanquist, Metallurgist at Sivyer Steel, shows a completed rail road switch, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A look at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A worker inspects a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A worker stirs a ladle of molten metal at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Officer Rachel Giffhorn with the East Peoria Police Department started her day in an unusual spot — Sivyer Steel Castings LCC in Bettendorf.

She made the drive to Iowa with an SUV full of evidence to be destroyed. For the last decade, Sivyer has been offering free evidence destruction to police departments throughout the region.

Everything from drugs to firearms and even biohazardous material is hauled to Bettendorf. The metal is melted down to be recycled and everything else is heated at a high temperature in a special furnace.

"We'll wait until we have the furnace hot, then we load in all the material and apply electricity until it's up to about 3,000 degrees," said Sivyer metallurgist Brent Hanquist

Next, filters are set up to capture any ash created, and the leftover metal is recycled.

Giffhorn said the department used to have evidence destroyed at a steel plant in Peoria, but that service is no longer offered. Instead, the department looked at taking it to a plant near Indianapolis, but it came at a high cost. At Sivyer, evidence destruction is free for police departments .

"We consider this community outreach and being good citizens," Hanquist said.

Local police departments bring in materials about once a month, he said. Illinois and Iowa have different laws, regarding evidence destruction, but in the years since Sivyer has been offering the service, there has never been a problem.

"We've never heard of anybody that doesn't think melting it down to molten metal counts as destroyed," he said.

Recycling materials is a big part of the mission at Sivyer. In addition to evidence, the company takes in scrap metal, foundry returns and alloy elements. Outside the building is graveyard of scrap metal, waiting to be recycled. A crane uses a large magnet to pick up the materials, which then are transported into a drop-bottom container.

A look at scrap metal used at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

A separate machine take the container inside the plant. Its bottom opens and drops the steel pieces into a furnace, where they are heated at temperatures upwards of 2,700 F. The furnaces are capable of melting up to 40,000 gross tons of metal a year, according to Sivyer.

In any given week, workers melt anywhere from 500 to 1,000 tons of steel.

The inside of the plant gives off an almost-dystopian vibe. A thick layer of sand and ash covers the ground, and overhead lights cast a glow on the haze as workers zip around on fork trucks, taking parts from one part of the building to another.

A look at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

At the giant furnace in the middle of the plant, the metal melts until a whistle goes off about two-and-a-half hours later, alerting workers that it's reached the right temperature. An operator on a large overhead crane then brings in a steel kettle, called a ladle, and lowers it to the ground in front of the furnace.

"This big steel bucket is lined with ceramic about six inches thick, and we heat it up to about 1,500 F," he said.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Hanquist said the machines are so large, it was easier to dig into the concrete and sand floor than raise the roof of the building. Once the ladle is in place, the furnace turns and pours the molten metal inside.

The metal is poured out at a rate of 200 pounds a second until the furnace is empty. Workers then stir the molten metal and add in other elements that can be melted. An inspector comes by to test that the chemistry is just right.

A worker checks the temperature of a furnace at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

Once approved, the crane lifts the kettle over to a set of molds. The bottom of the ladle opens, the metal pours out and flames erupt. Workers stand nearby to ensure the ladle is emptied and once done, it is set on the ground in front of a set of fans to cool.

Workers pour molten metal from a ladle into a mold at Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

The molds Sivyer employees use are framed in wood and shaped with a mixture of sand and environmentally-friendly glue, Hanquist said. The sand is packed in and stamped to form a mold. The metal is poured directly into the sand and sits for two to three days, depending on the size of the piece.

The steel is so hot, flames rise out of the molds as the gasses escape. The flames extinguish on their own once they cool properly, Hanquist said.

A look inside Sivyer Steel, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Bettendorf.

According to the company's website, the molds hold anywhere from a few hundred pounds to up to 100,000 pounds of sand. Customers range from manufacturing giant Komatsu to rail yards to the Coast Guard and other military branches.

Once the parts are done cooling, the wood frame and sand are removed. The sand gets recycled and used for more projects. The part then goes through a vigorous process that includes burning, shot blasting, arc-air, grinding, and chipping, which takes three to four weeks for simple projects, but upwards of 14 weeks for more complex projects, Hanquist said.

The part then is taken to the machine shop, where it is heat treated, buffed and finished. In a separate warehouse, the products are packed and shipped.