Steel Dust Recycling Facility Planned for Southern United States
06/28/2007 - Steel Dust Recycling, LLC announces plans to build a Waelz Kiln facility in northwestern Alabama capable of recycling 110,000 tons of EAF dust per year.
Steel Dust Recycling, LLC, (SDR) announced plans to build a Waelz Kiln facility in northwestern Alabama to recycle 110,000 tons per year of EAF dust.
The facility will be built on 66 acres in Millport, Ala., near the SeverCorr steel mill currently under construction in Lowndes County, Miss. SDR will recycle SeverCorr’s steel mill dust as well as dust from other EAF plants in the southern United States.
“Approximately 40% of the steel dust being generated annually in the U.S. – over 400,000 tons – is currently being placed in landfills, a problem that is especially acute in the South, where the steel industry is growing,” said Russ Robinson, President of SDR. “We’re filling a need for an effective alternative to sending steel dust to landfills, and the Waelz Kiln is recognized as the best available recycling technology”
Waelz Kiln technology will recover zinc from the dust. The zinc-rich Waelz oxide can then be provided to smelters in North America or elsewhere, and the remaining steel-based slag can be used by cement producers or for road aggregate.
“We are pleased SDR is offering recycling as a viable solution for disposing of steel dust,” said Wynn Calland, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs of SeverCorr, which has a multi-year contract with SDR. “They share SeverCorr’s regional focus and are bringing a much-needed service to the Southern steel industry.”
The Waelz plant will be constructed and operated under the guidance of Robinson, a 25-year veteran of the zinc industry, and Tom Knepper, a Waelz expert with over 30 years experience in kiln operations. Construction of the facility is expected to begin immediately with completion expected in under a year.
