US: Harsco Corporation has reported that revenue from its Metals & Minerals division dropped by 19% year-on-year to US$1.11bn in 2015 from US$1.78bn in 2014. Overall company sales revenue across all businesses fell by 17% to US$1.72bn from US$2.07bn. The fall in sales was attributed to a decline primarily in the Metals & Minerals and Industrial divisions due to falling steels and related commodities demand, site exits and currency effects.

The company expects that the market will further deteriorate for its Metals & Minerals division in 2016 due to lower steel production, site exits and weaker commodities demand. To fight this trend the company is continuing to implement ‘Project Orion,’ it’s Metals & Minerals improvement plan.

South Korea: Yoo Gyeong CM has ordered a Loesche mill to grind granulated blast furnace slag at its KyungNam terminal. It will use a LM 41.2+2 CS type Loesche mill with a capacity of 90t/hr at 4500 Blaine. The gearbox of this mill will have a power output of 2800kW.

The scope of supply for this order includes the filter, the fan and the hot gas generator. All of the equipment is to be delivered in 6 - 9 months' time and the mill is to be put into operation as early as October 2016.

Yoo Gyeong CM owns gravel works which it has equipped with its own cement mixing and loading terminals. It currently purchases ground slag to operate its plants.

India: Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has promoted the use of ‘waste’ materials such as slag cement for the construction of roads. He said that the ministry has decided to build concrete highways in the place of traditional bitumen roads, in comments to local press at a ‘Make In India’ campaign event. He added that slag cement costs up to four times as less as normal cement making it a ‘game changer’. At present a few test roads made with slag cement have been built in the north of the country.

China: Harsco has signed a US$125m contract for onsite mill services at the Tangshan plate mill facility of China's largest steelmaker, Hebei Iron & Steel (HBIS) Group. The plate mill is one of two subsidiaries of Hebei's Tangshan Iron and Steel Group, known as TangSteel, served by Harsco.

Since 2011, Harsco has supported the plate mill with a range of slag handling and metal recovery services through a Harsco-led joint venture relationship. This latest contract builds on this. Harsco will significantly expand its role to encompass a new metal recovery plant, BOF briquetting operation and a new, innovative steam-box slag cooling process, as the plate mill consolidates and expands its production capacity to 4Mt/yr. The mill produces premium-grade plates and sections used in various structural applications and shipbuilding.

"We are particularly proud to add to our strong relationship with HBIS and its flagship TangSteel operations. Over the past decade, we have worked side-by-side as a technology and service partner to deliver efficiency improvements and enhanced environmental performance to these major operations. Our aims and those of HBIS and TangSteel are firmly aligned on these objectives," said Harsco President and CEO Nick Grasberger.