Recycler of metal byproducts handled 25 percent more furnace dust last year compared with 2020.
Luxembourg-based Befesa S.A., a provider of byproducts handling and recycling services to producers of steel and aluminum, says its recent growth is allowing it to reduce the landfilling of metals-containing dusts and residues by recycling more than 2 million metric tons of material annually.
In the company’s Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Report for 2021 it says its operations in Europe and North America are recycling furnace dust from electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills and byproducts from secondary aluminum producers into marketable zinc and aluminum. The North American operations were formerly known as American Zinc Recycling but are now known as Befesa Zinc US Inc.
Its business model, says Befesa, entails “decreasing the cost of production by utilizing secondary materials, and reducing the environmental impact of metals production by reducing the amount of mining that is necessary.” Adds the firm, “From the climate change point of view, Befesa has a positive impact on the environment, saving an estimated 2.4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents from entering the environment each year.
In part thanks to its Befesa Zinc US holdings, Befesa increased its furnace dust tonnage processed and recycled by 25.6 percent in 2021 compared with the prior year. Its total global output of recycled-content metals (predominantly zinc, iron oxide and aluminum) rose by 12.8 percent to 1.44 million metric tons in 2021 from about 1.28 million in 2020.
Writes the company in the recycling portion of its ESG report, “Befesa has a high efficiency in turning hazardous waste into valuable materials. Today, this efficiency is 88 percent. Befesa’s R&D team [is] focused on improving the recovery yield by finding alternative uses to the byproducts, hence, reducing the portion that goes to landfill.”
Regarding its outlook, Befesa predicts it “will benefit from global trends towards the shift to EAF steel production, waste reduction, and increasing focus on environmental impact, which will provide long-term growth to Befesa in the future years.”
The company’s chief financial officer Wolf Lehmann, interviewed by Recycling Today this May, said the firm’s business model involves collecting hazardous waste service charges, ensuring one source of stable revenue, while using zinc price hedging practices to help ensure its earnings power on the product sales side is “locked-in” rather than being subject to base metals price volatility.
Aluminum producer says it will idle one of three smelting lines in Warrick, Indiana.
Pittsburgh-based aluminum producer Alcoa Corp. says it is in the process of curtailing output from one of three operating smelting lines, or potlines, at its Warrick Operations facility in Indiana. The company cites “operational challenges.”
John Slaven, Alcoa chief operations officer, says, “Our teams will be focused on ensuring that we bring down this capacity safely while protecting production at the two other operating lines."
In its 2020 sustainability report, covering activity in the prior year, Alcoa described its “ongoing focus on increasing the recycled content in the flat-rolled aluminum produced at our Warrick Operations.”
That effort meant that in the 2019 in the United States, Alcoa was able to use 34.5 percent recycled content to make its aluminum compared with 30.4 percent in 2018. “We again anticipate increasing this amount due to equipment upgrades and other initiatives that will continue through 2020,” adds the company.
Each of the three smelting lines at Warrick have approximately 54,000 metric tons per year of capacity, according to Alcoa. The potline selected for shut down was expected to be fully curtailed by the end of the day Friday, July 1.
U.S.-based firm says Herbold Meckesheim will complement its existing plastics recycling brands.
Indiana-based Hillenbrand Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Herbold Meckesheim for an enterprise value of approximately 79 million euros, or $81 million. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
Based in Meckesheim, Germany, Herbold is a leader in plastic recycling systems, specializing in key process steps such as washing, separating, drying, shredding and grinding.
"I am very excited to announce the acquisition of Herbold, which reinforces our commitment to growing as a world-class industrial company, executing our strategy to deliver long-term shareholder value, and accelerating our efforts to support a more sustainable future," Hillenbrand President CEO Kim Ryan says. "Herbold expands our position in the recycling end market, which has attractive, long-term growth prospects due to macro demand drivers for durable plastics and the desire for more sustainable solutions. Herbold will have a strong strategic fit with our Coperion brand, and together, we will be able to offer complete recycling solutions to our customers. Finally, we expect to enhance Herbold's performance through the deployment of the Hillenbrand Operating Model and utilization of our global sales and service capabilities."
With annual revenue of more than 50 million euros, or $51.3 million, Herbold complements the equipment and solutions offered under Hillenbrand’s Coperion brand and will accelerate Hillenbrand's growth opportunities in the recycling end market, the company says.
At the completion of this transaction, Herbold will join the Coperion and Rotex brands as part of Hillenbrand's Advanced Process Solutions (APS) segment. The APS segment is focused on engineered industrial processing solutions and aftermarket parts and services for a variety of end markets and applications.
Hillenbrand says it expects to use cash on hand and cash available under its revolving credit facility to fund this acquisition.
Glass recycler submits application to adopt pollution control plan for facility in Portland.
Ohio-based glass producer and recycler O-I Glass, Inc. has notified the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) it intends to install pollution controls at its Owens-Brockway Plant #21, located in Portland, Oregon.
The DEQ placed a June 30, 2022, deadline on the notification when it began issuing fines and notices to O-I and its Owens-Brockway Glass Container business unit last year. O-I seemingly met the deadline on the last day possible.
Under a signed agreement between the facility and DEQ, O-I has “submitted a Notice of Approval application, permit modification and associated materials,” says DEQ in a website notice posted on June 30.
The company’s application proposes the installation of a catalytic ceramic filter designed to control particulate matter. The filter also is intended to control emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.
DEQ says it is currently reviewing the application “for completeness and compliance” with the earlier agreement.
Once the application is approved, O-I has 18 months to complete the installation, with interim deadlines to ensure progress is made in a timely manner, says the agency.
The company looks to expand its footprint in Minnesota and Iowa with the acquisition of Interstate Packaging Corp.
Green Bay Packaging Inc. (GBP), headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has announced it has acquired Minnesota-based custom corrugated packaging producer Interstate Packaging Corp., effective June 30.
GBP cites Interstate Packaging's "Midwest roots" and the opportunity to grow its business in Minnesota and Iowa as key factors in the acquisition, and says Interstate Packaging's facility in Albert Lea, Minnesota, provides service to what it calls a "focused footprint" of approximately 150 miles, including south central Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, Iowa and eastern South Dakota.
"The acquisition of Interstate Packaging is a great fit for Green Bay Packaging," GBP Chairman and CEO Will Kress says. "Interstate Packaging has the perfect culture, workforce and strong leadership that fit the GBP model and we look forward to expanding their business and facilities."
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Interstate Packaging was founded in 2009 and currently operates a 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and works with a team of more than 85 employees, and company President Steve Tripp says, "We work hand in hand with our customers to provide innovative packaging solutions and have a nearly 100 percent on-time delivery rate."
He adds, "Green Bay Packaging complements our business philosophy, provides us access to additional tools and gives us the opportunity to service our customers' needs on a much larger scales."
Tripp says he will stay on as president of Interstate Packaging.
The move is GBP's first acquisition since it acquired Third Dimension Inc. in October 2020. Third Dimension focuses on corrugated packaging innovation, molded foam packaging and four-color digital printing, and GBP said at the time of the acquisition that the move allowed the company to expand its market presence in Ohio.