Zinc Plant Expansion

Big River Zinc Corporation, Sauget, IL

Services

Construction included installation of tanks, new concrete cells and mechanical equipment.

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This 16 month project was in integral part of expanding the plant’s capacity by 25%. Throughout renovation, the plant remained fully operational.

Challenges

• Working with design engineer Fru-Con of Ballwin, Missouri, our group was hired to expand three sections of the zinc plant. The largest portion of the job required the team to expand the electrolytic cell house, which included the use of new techniques and materials, such as new polymer concrete cells
• In addition, in another part of the plant where gypsum is removed from the electrolytic solution during the manufacturing process, the group installed cooling towers, miscellaneous tanks and a 60-foot diameter thickener.
• In the third area, where leach processing takes place, tanks and instrumentation controls were installed to ensure a consistent flow of electrolytic materials.

All objectives had to be achieved while the plant was fully operational.

Achievements

Complexity or uniqueness of project
A unique aspect of the project was the stringent zinc-cadmium safety requirements which required workers to wear protective clothing and respiratory devices at all times.

Planning for success
This was a fast-track project, so design and construction were done simultaneously. The team had the added responsibility of keeping the plant fully functional throughout the project. Educating our team on the client’s manufacturing process enabled us to work around their maintenance and production schedules to avoid disrupting their operation.

Safety
Because of stringent safety requirements, a full-time safety professional remained at the plant and conducted safety training for all personnel. In addition, entrance and exit blood tests were performed to monitor possible exposure to heavy metals at the facility. In the end, all tests were negative.

Results

Thanks to this expansion, production rose from 88,000 tons of zinc per year to 110,000 tons. This plant is also the largest U.S. supplier of zinc byproducts sulfuric acid and cadmium.

_{Projects completed prior to 2005 were performed by McCarthy.}