The facility will be built from scratch on the site of the company’s nonferrous metals factory, which has considerably reduced activity after its most polluting production line was shut down in 2009.
The investment would lead to recycling of the landfill slag accumulated during 70 years of exploitation, obtaining two sellable products: Waelz oxides (zinc oxides) and clinker Waelz.
The company invested $3 million into scientific research and concluded it is possible and economically feasible to process landfill slag and turn it into products to be sold domestically and abroad. The company plans to start operations in 2019, said general manager Christos Efstathiadis.
Sometra estimates the existing landfill slag will be recycled in approximately 13 years of production. It currently has 25 employees and plans to hire 50 more once the facility is operations.
Sometra had a turnover of RON12 million in 2017, down nearly 40% on the year, and its losses widened to RON17.5 million from RON3.3 million in 2016.