New Company Seeks to Build Plant in Alabama

Steel Dust Recycling, LLC, founded last year, has announced plans to build a Waelz Kiln facility in Alabama that will be capable of recycling 110,000 tons of steel mill dust a year. The facility is slated to be built on 66 acres in Millport, Ala., close to the new SeverCorr steel mill being built.

The decision to build the facility in Alabama comes after the company originally had planned on building the project in Mississippi. However, the company changed locations recently before completing the public hearings that were to take place.

A preliminary report by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has made a determination that the limitations and controls proposed by  Steel Dust Recycling, LLC will properly limit emissions.

SDR is expected to recycle the steel mill dust generated at SeverCorr, as well as a number of other electric arc furnaces in the Southeast.

Russ Robinson, president of SDR, notes that more than 400,000 tons of steel mill dust generated in the U.S. is landfilled. "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."

The technology is capable of recovering zinc from the dust, and provide zinc-rich Waelz oxide to smelters. The remaining slag could then 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, VP 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 plant will be constructed and operated by Robinson, a 25-year veteran of the zinc industry, and Tom Knepper, a Waelz expert with more than 30 years of experience in kiln operations. Construction of the facility is expected to begin immediately with completion in less than a year.