U.S. Minerals, headquartered in Tinley Park, Illinois, is a recycler and processor of coal slag, a non-hazardous by-product of coal-fired boilers and power plants, and copper slag, a non-hazardous by-product of the metal smelting process. The company’s seven facilities, located in Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, Texas, Montana and Wisconsin, process slag into two beneficial re-use products: roofing granules and surface-blasting abrasives. Roofing customers utilize slag to produce asphalt shingles for roof repair and renovation as well as new construction. Abrasives customers, including industrial, petrochemical, oil, shipping, and railroad companies, use coal slag to remove particles, like rust and paint, from metal and wood surfaces.

Merit invested both subordinated debt and equity to support the majority recapitalization of U.S. Minerals in partnership with management.