SCS says the addition strengthens representation of expandable styrenics.

Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS), a Brussles-based joint value chain initiative, has welcomed Styropek, an expandable polystyrene producer with U.S. headquarters in Houston.  

Styropek is the largest expandable styrenics (EPS) producer in the Americas for use in construction, thermal insulation, industrial and food packaging and automotive applications, with manufacturing sites in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, SCS says. 

Jens Kathmann, secretary-general of SCS, says, “We warmly welcome Styropek. Their active involvement extends our geographic reach beyond Europe and further boosts the representation of the EPS industry within our alliance. EPS is an important contributor to the significant role styrenics will play in the circular economy. We look forward to uniting forces with Styropek on our shared goals, from improved collection and sorting to scaling up our recycling technologies.” 

Andreas Plettner, president of Styropek, says, “We are delighted to join SCS. We are fully committed to realizing the intrinsic circularity of styrenics as shown by our commitment to increase recycled content in selected products to at least 30 percent by 2030. We believe accelerating the transition to the circular economy requires the entire styrenics value chain working closely together across geographies, and so we welcome the opportunity to be part of SCS.” 

Company also reports first quarter year-on-year increases in net income and revenue.

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based Algoma Steel Group Inc. has announced results for the first quarter of its 2023 fiscal year, showing growth in net income and revenue compared with one year earlier.

Algoma says in its 2023 first quarter, which ended June 30, 2022, its net income of CAD$301.4 million ($234.6 million) represents a 48 percent increase from the CAD$203.6 million ($158.5 million) earned one year earlier. Its revenue in the most recent quarter of CAD$934.1 million ($727.2 million) is up 18.4 percent from the CAD$789.1 million ($614.3 million) earned in the comparable quarter one year ago.

In notes accompanying its results, Algoma Steel says its project to replace its existing blast furnace and basic oxygen steelmaking operations with two new electric arc furnaces (EAFs) “remains on schedule and on budget.”

The project, approved last November 2021, has been estimated to carry a CAD$700 million ($545 million) price tag. “Following the transformation to EAF steelmaking, Algoma’s facility is anticipated to have an annual raw steel production capacity of approximately 3.7 million tons, matching its downstream finishing capacity, and reducing the company’s annual carbon emissions by approximately 70 percent,” states the firm.

Michael Garcia, CEO of Algoma Steel, says, “The momentum we established in fiscal 2022 continued with another quarter of strong results in what has been a volatile operational environment. Our results continue to reflect our differentiated execution, along with the hard work and dedication of the entire Algoma team.”

He continues, “This summer has been a busy time for Algoma. The construction of our transformative electric arc furnace project continues on budget and on time towards a targeted startup in 2024. Our discussions with United Steelworkers Local 2251 regarding a new labor agreement are ongoing, and the recent 15-day extension of those talks demonstrates the willingness and desire of both sides to reach a fair and equitable agreement. We are operating the facilities normally while these talks continue and look forward to working together as we advance our collective strategy of becoming one of North America’s leading producers of green steel.”

September event in Louisville, Kentucky, lets attendees work the controls of some of the equipment on display.

The Recycling Today Media Group says scrap recyclers, demolition contractors and auto dismantlers who attend Scrap Expo next month will have the chance to operate some of the equipment on display.

At the event, taking place at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 13-14, attendees shopping for equipment will, in some cases, be able to try out machinery before buying it.

Unprocessed scrap metal is being brought onto the site so prospective buyers of material handlers, loaders, shears, loggers and end-of-life vehicle depollution equipment can see and feel exactly how the equipment operates.

The live demo area at Scrap Expo will feature many makes and models of scrap machinery that can be tested out by potential buyers, according to Recycling Today.

The list of exhibiting companies, which stands at 37 as of early August, can be found on this web page.

The two-day event also features equipment maintenance and scrap commodity informational sessions, and live recordings of industry podcasts. The schedule for those activities can be found on this web page.

Those seeking information on registering for the event can visit this web page.

Recycler of foils and flexible packaging has recycled more than 50,000 tons of aluminum-containing material.

Ansonia, Connecticut-based Connecticut Metal Industries says it has now recycled more than 100 million pounds (50,000 tons) of flexible packaging materials at its Ansonia facility.

This plant, which opened in 2010, was set up to recover foil, paper and polymer laminates used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

“Our company began 38 years ago by recycling rigid containers,” says Mary Vulcano, a vice president with the firm. “As flexible packaging made rapid inroads into these markets, we decided to also recycle flexible materials.”

Initially, Connecticut Metal focused on aluminum foil laminates. The company says it developed a proprietary process that separates aluminum from the paper and plastic substrates. Connecticut Metal soon became what it calls “a major consumer of foil lidding, laminate pouch materials as well as printed and uncoated aluminum foil scrap.”

In the previous 10 years, Connecticut Metal has expanded to encompass the processing of printed and unprinted paper, plastic laminates and tapes. Metal containers from the beverage and aerosol can industries still comprise a major part of its recyclable feedstock, adds the firm.

Connecticut Metal says it remains committed to working with the rapidly developing flexible packaging industry. States the firm to prospective customers on its website, “By recycling your aluminum foil laminate scrap we can help you attain a zero waste footprint for your manufacturing facility.”

Steelmaker to add 600,000-ton-per-year melt shop in Kingman, Arizona.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based steelmaker Nucor Corp. has announced it will add a new melt shop at its bar mill in Kingman, Arizona. The anticipated $100 million melt shop will have the capacity to produce 600,000 tons of raw steel annually. Construction of the melt shop is expected to take two years, pending permit and regulatory approvals.

“This investment in a new melt shop at our Arizona bar mill is part of our strategy to grow our core steelmaking business and will help us maintain our market leadership position in steel bar production,” says Leon Topalian, president and CEO of Nucor. “Adding new melt shop capacity will help meet the growing demand for steel bar products in the Western region, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States.”

Steel production in the West lags behind that of other regions, according to figures kept by the Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). In the week ending this July 30, for example, just 64,000 tons of steel were made in the AISI Western region. That lags behind 728,000 tons in its Southern region; 562,000 in the Great Lakes region; 207,000 in the Midwest region; and 166,000 in the AISI North East region.

One of the last mills in California, an electric arc furnace (EAF) mill in Rancho Cucamonga last operated by Commercial Metals Co. (CMC), was idled in late 2020, with the land sold off last year. CMC has attempted to shift some of that capacity by expanding its EAF output in Mesa, Arizona. Nucor will now try to boost Western U.S. output with the Kingman project.

In September 2021, Nucor announced its intention to build a new melt shop at one of its existing bar mills in the Western United States. Nucor Steel Kingman is the ideal location for this project because it is a rolling mill that converts steel billets into coiled wire rod and rebar but lacks a melt shop. The Kingman mill currently employs approximately 80 teammates.

Wire rod and rebar made downstream of the melt shop in Kingman are used primarily in concrete reinforcement for the construction of roads, buildings, bridges and other structures. Nucor will use scrap-fed EAF technology and refers to itself as “one of the most sustainable steel producers in the world.” Nucor says its steel bar products last year averaged 98.5 percent recycled content.

“Nucor’s new sustainable steel production facility will strengthen Arizona’s vibrant manufacturing ecosystem,” says Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Nucor’s new facility will produce quality steel and steel products while maintaining the highest safety and sustainability standards. We are grateful for Nucor’s commitment to Kingman, creating high-wage jobs while driving further economic growth in the area.”

Nucor has 15 bar mills in the U.S., with four of them focusing on special bar quality (SBQ) and wire rod products. Nucor estimates its current bar steel production capacity at approximately 9.56 million tons per year.

In addition to its EAF steelmaking operations, Nucor makes steel racking; steel piling; steel joists and joist girders; steel deck; fabricated concrete reinforcing steel; cold finished steel; precision castings; steel fasteners; metal building systems; insulated metal panels; overhead doors; steel grating; and wire and wire mesh. Through its Cincinnati-based David J. Joseph Co. business unit, it processes and brokers ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal.