Production of SHG Zinc From 100%
Recycled Materials
John F. Pusateri, J. R. de Wet and Brandon Tirpak
Abstract American Zinc Recycling Corp. operates five recycling plants with a
capacity of over 650,000 tons per year for EAF dusts and zinc-containing residues
and secondaries. AZR operates nine Waelz kilns at four plants: Chicago, IL, Rockwood, TN, Palmerton, PA and Barnwell, SC, and recovers nickel and zinc through
its INMETCO plant (RHF/SAF) near Pittsburgh. Continuous improvements to the
Waelzing process have increased productivity, decreased operating costs, enhanced
Waelz Oxide quality, and minimized environmental impacts: temperature monitoring, air blast/oxygen-enrichment, feed conditioning, and refractory systems. AZR
is reintroducing its Advanced Zinc Recovery (aka Flame Reactor) oxy-fuel flashsmelting technology to provide EAF steel producers with on-site dust processing that
eliminates the liability and costs associated with EAF dust transportation. Restart of
the Mooresboro, NC plant, based on Leach/SX/EW technology, will enable AZR
to produce SHG zinc from Waelz Oxide, plus other zinc secondaries, at the rate of
155,000 tons per year. Restart is scheduled for April 2020 (Fig. 1).
Keywords Zinc solvent extraction · Waelz Kiln process · EAF dust recycling ·
Zinc recycling · Zinc electrolysis · SHG Zinc
J. F. Pusateri (B) · B. Tirpak
American Zinc Recycling Corp, 3000 GSK Drive, Suite 201, Moon Township, PA 15108, USA
e-mail: jpusateri@azr.com
B. Tirpak
e-mail: btirpak@azr.com
J. R. de Wet
American Zinc Products, 484 Hicks Grove Rd., Mooresboro, NC 28114, USA
e-mail: kdewet@azr.com
© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2020
A. Siegmund et al. (eds.), PbZn 2020: 9th International Symposium
on Lead and Zinc Processing, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37070-1_7
75
Recycled Materials
John F. Pusateri, J. R. de Wet and Brandon Tirpak
Abstract American Zinc Recycling Corp. operates five recycling plants with a
capacity of over 650,000 tons per year for EAF dusts and zinc-containing residues
and secondaries. AZR operates nine Waelz kilns at four plants: Chicago, IL, Rockwood, TN, Palmerton, PA and Barnwell, SC, and recovers nickel and zinc through
its INMETCO plant (RHF/SAF) near Pittsburgh. Continuous improvements to the
Waelzing process have increased productivity, decreased operating costs, enhanced
Waelz Oxide quality, and minimized environmental impacts: temperature monitoring, air blast/oxygen-enrichment, feed conditioning, and refractory systems. AZR
is reintroducing its Advanced Zinc Recovery (aka Flame Reactor) oxy-fuel flashsmelting technology to provide EAF steel producers with on-site dust processing that
eliminates the liability and costs associated with EAF dust transportation. Restart of
the Mooresboro, NC plant, based on Leach/SX/EW technology, will enable AZR
to produce SHG zinc from Waelz Oxide, plus other zinc secondaries, at the rate of
155,000 tons per year. Restart is scheduled for April 2020 (Fig. 1).
Keywords Zinc solvent extraction · Waelz Kiln process · EAF dust recycling ·
Zinc recycling · Zinc electrolysis · SHG Zinc
J. F. Pusateri (B) · B. Tirpak
American Zinc Recycling Corp, 3000 GSK Drive, Suite 201, Moon Township, PA 15108, USA
e-mail: jpusateri@azr.com
B. Tirpak
e-mail: btirpak@azr.com
J. R. de Wet
American Zinc Products, 484 Hicks Grove Rd., Mooresboro, NC 28114, USA
e-mail: kdewet@azr.com
© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2020
A. Siegmund et al. (eds.), PbZn 2020: 9th International Symposium
on Lead and Zinc Processing, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37070-1_7
75