De-Zincing Operation Starts Up

After a prolonged research and start-up phase, a galvanized scrap “de-zincing” operation is up and running and ready to start a steady production schedule.

Both generators and consumers of ferrous scrap will be watching the progress of Meretec, East Chicago, Ind. The current owners of the company, which previously operated under the name Metals Recycling Technologies Inc. (MRTI), are ramping up production of their process, which will yield de-zinced “black scrap” that is preferred by iron foundries as well as a zinc flake product.

The company’s East Chicago facility is now accepting shipments of galvanized scrap trimmings from regional stamping plants and removing the galvanized zinc coating to produce a foundry-quality grade of steel scrap.

“Our initial target market is the automotive industry, where up to 30 percent of the galvanized steel supplied to stamping plants immediately becomes scrap in the form of off-cuts,” says Gunnar Skoog, president of Meretec.

“Our goal is to process the scrap galvanized steel from the stamping plants and to supply foundries with the resulting high-grade melt stock,” says Skoog. “The zinc that we recover is our very own product—highly reactive Meretec zinc, a premium product with a premium price.”

Skoog estimates that the de-zinced steel scrap could fetch up to $30 or $40 per ton more than it would as galvanized scrap. The Meretec zinc, “should sell at the LME price plus something, but we don’t know plus-what yet,” says Skoog.

At the Meretec facility, the scrap is conveyed to a rotary reactor containing a caustic solution that strips the galvanized coating off of the scrap. The resulting “clean scrap” is conveyed away from the reactor in a dry, clean state ready for shipment to foundries.

The solution, which now contains the removed zinc coating, goes through several steps, including an electrowinning process and a centrifugal spinner, that eventually produces the dry, zinc flakes that can be shipped to end users.

Meretec estimates that the average ton of galvanized scrap should yield about 40 pounds of zinc flake product for outbound shipment. The plant has the capacity to process up to 115,000 metric tons per year of scrap, and Meretec has the ability to expand the plant if necessary.

Sponsored Content

Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

Sponsored Content

Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

Sponsored Content

Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

Sponsored Content

Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.

Sponsored Content

Shredding tough materials with a small footprint

Discover how SSI’s innovative M120 EX Dual-Shear® shredder is revolutionizing recycling with its unique stacked chamber design and SmartFeed® technology—delivering powerful, space-efficient, and adaptive shredding for hard-to-process materials like plastics, metals, and fishing nets. Watch the video and read the full article to see this next-generation shredder in real-world operations.