Levitated Metals to open Texas heavy media plant

Scrap-processing startup Levitated Metals aims to open a heavy media flotation plant about 30 miles outside of Houston, Texas, with operations expected to begin in September.

The plant will buy nonferrous metals-rich zorba scrap from third-party automobile shredders and produce cast alloy feedstock twitch by separating the aluminum scrap fraction from other residual metals such as copper, zinc and magnesium.

Levitated Metals will not have a furnace and will market its products to smelters and processors in the US, Mexico and overseas.

"The capital cost, storm water management challenges, air quality impacts and extended construction timeline of a furnace or smelter operation is considerable," Levitated Metals chief executive Ronak Shah said.

"Texas, the southeast United States and northern Mexico are home to dozens of melt operations with the core competency needed to succeed in that stage of the supply chain. Levitated Metals is excited to be a valued supplier to them."

The company held a groundbreaking at the site 10-acre site in New Caney, Texas, yesterday.

Last week, Kentucky-based secondary aluminum smelter Audubon Metal announced that it will open a plant in Corsicana, Texas, 55 miles south of Dallas. Audubon is also a buyer of zorba, which it separates and melts on-site to produce cast aluminum alloys.

By John Betz