North America’s Waelz Sustainable Products (WSP) plans to start its zinc plant in January next year.
The company received its air permit from Indiana state’s environmental authority in June 2021 and construction is on schedule, according to media reports on Aug 19.
The company estimates that raw materials will arrive in Cass County, Indiana, where the unit is located, by November and the electric arc furnace (EAF) will become operational by December.
WSP has already begun the hiring process with 22 confirmed candidates. The project requires about 90 people.
The zinc producer plans to extract zinc from EAF dust that is sourced from steel scrap, which is considered hazardous by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
WSP is a joint venture established in 2018 between Mexico’s Zinc Nacional and North America’s Heritage Environmental Services, both privately owned entities.