Nucor Corporation and The Heritage Group announced plans to invest $29 million in a newly created company, PIZO Operating Company LLC, to be located in Blytheville, Ark. The company, which will employ 43 people, will process electric arc furnace dust from the Nucor Hickman and Nucor Yamato steel plants in Mississippi County, converting it into marketable products used primarily in the metals industry. The new facility will be located across from the Nucor Yamato Facility in Blytheville.
Governor Mike Beebe joined local, state and company leaders at the announcement.
“This investment by Nucor and The Heritage Group is good news on two fronts,” Governor Beebe said. “The creation of PIZO means more high-quality jobs for Northeast Arkansas, and also production of usable materials from waste, helping us better utilize our resources. This is a great example of employing environmentally friendly ideas as an engine for economic development.”
PIZO will process 50,000 tons of electric arc furnace dust per year. The technology of the facility will be based on the PIZO process, which was developed by Heritage Environmental Services LLC, a member of The Heritage Group. The patented PIZO process is the only one step continuous process available to process electric arc furnace dust into crude zinc oxide, pig iron and slag.
“We are delighted to announce that the first PIZO facility will be built in Blytheville Arkansas. This venture has been made possible due to an excellent joint effort between Heritage, Nucor, State and local officials,” said PIZO president Nigel Morrison.
The PIZO technology was demonstrated to be technologically and economically viable during operation as a demonstration plant for several months in 2006 at a foundry in South Bend, Ind. Nucor has also invested in the company that holds the rights to the PIZO Technology in North America.
The State of Arkansas and Mississippi County have agreed to offer assistance in terms of grants and tax incentives to locate the facility in Mississippi County, in close proximity to the two Nucor steel plants. The new facility will begin production by late 2008.