Construction of the facility near the municipality of Forest City is expected to be completed as early as the third quarter of 2013.
The plant will utilize a lower-cost solvent extraction and electrowinning technology to selectively remove and refine valuable metals from electric arc furnace-based feed and other recycled materials into special high-grade zinc and other metal concentrates containing silver, copper and lead.
The facility will be capable of producing special high-grade zinc and continuous-galvanizing grade in addition to the Prime Western grade that the company currently produces.
Horsehead said it estimates the new plant’s nominal operating level to be in excess of 150,000 tons of zinc per year.
The new zinc plant will eventually replace the existing 140,000 tons per year smelter in Monaca, Pennsylvania, and will be fed with waelz oxide from the company’s EAF dust recycling plants and galvanizer skimmings.
