EXHIBIT 99.1

Harsco Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2010 Results From Continuing Operations

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worldwide industrial services and engineered products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) reported second quarter 2010 results from continuing operations.

Second Quarter 2010 Highlights

Second quarter 2010 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $0.40, compared with $0.52 in the second quarter of last year. As expected, results in the quarter were negatively impacted by continuing poor end-market conditions in the Company's Harsco Infrastructure business segment. Income from continuing operations was $34.3 million, compared with $43.0 million last year. Sales in the second quarter of 2010 increased to $787 million, compared with $777 million in the second quarter of last year. Foreign currency translation decreased sales by approximately $15 million in the quarter, but did not have a material effect on income. In the second quarter of 2010, a higher income tax rate reduced income from continuing operations by $2.3 million, or $0.03 per share.

Sales for the first six months of 2010 were approximately $1.53 billion, an increase of almost 4 percent from approximately $1.47 billion in the same period a year ago. However, income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share were below last year's results. Again, this was essentially due to the negative results incurred in the Company's Harsco Infrastructure business segment due to poor end-market conditions. Income from continuing operations was $44.0 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, compared with $64.0 million, or $0.77 per diluted share in the first six months of 2009. Foreign currency translation increased sales in the first six months by approximately $26 million and income before taxes by approximately $2.4 million. For the first six months of 2010, a higher income tax rate reduced income from continuing operations by $5.2 million, or $0.06 per share.

Comment

Commenting on the Company's results, Harsco Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Salvatore D. Fazzolari said, "While earnings for the second quarter were within our guidance, they were again negatively and significantly impacted by continuing losses from our Harsco Infrastructure business, where poor market conditions more than offset strong year-over-year results from our Harsco Metals and Harsco Minerals businesses. We were also pleased with another strong quarterly performance from our Harsco Rail business, which closely matched last year's excellent operating income results, but exceeded last year's operating margins by 170 basis points. Our Harsco Industrial group turned in a respectable quarter, with sales and earnings slightly below last year, but 180 basis points in higher margins.

"While we expect all operations to remain profitable in the second half of the year, with the exception of our Harsco Infrastructure business, certain headwinds remain. While there has been a significant recovery in global steel production, mill capacity utilization rates seem to have leveled off. Likewise, certain commodity prices, which have an effect on our Harsco Minerals business, while still above last year have declined from recent highs. At our Harsco Rail business, a significant pull forward in the timing of unit deliveries in the first half of this year, as requested by a major customer, will cause second half results to be substantially lower. Lastly, while overall profitability of our Harsco Industrial group remains solid, unfavorable LIFO cost will be evident in second half results.

"Clearly our Harsco Infrastructure business continues to be significantly and adversely affected by the late-cycle nature of its end markets and the severity and duration of the bottom of this current industry cycle. Increased project deferrals, postponements and cancellations, as well as pricing pressures have significantly diminished our outlook for 2010. While we expect this business to show some sequential improvement in the third and fourth quarters, it will again incur a loss in the third quarter, expected to be in the range of $10 million to $13 million. Fourth quarter results are expected to show further sequential improvement, but will still be at a loss.

"With our new senior management team in the Harsco Infrastructure Segment now fully on-board, we will further evaluate our cost structure and strategy to address both current and long-term market conditions.

"As a result of the foregoing factors, we are reducing our full year guidance for diluted EPS to $0.80 to $0.90, from previous guidance of $1.55 to $1.65. This excludes any significant restructuring actions that may be required once the new CEO of Harsco Infrastructure has fully assessed the business.  While greatly disappointed in the expected full-year 2010 results, we believe that Harsco is establishing a solid foundation to return to growth in 2011. We will provide greater detail in this regard at our Annual Analysts Conference in December."

Second Quarter Review

Harsco Infrastructure

Sales in the second quarter decreased 15 percent to $263 million from $309 million last year. An operating loss of $13.6 million was incurred in the quarter, compared with operating income in last year's second quarter of $24.9 million. Foreign currency translation decreased sales by approximately $12 million in the quarter and decreased operating income by approximately $1 million.

Extremely difficult end-market conditions for this operating segment are now expected to continue for both the third and fourth quarters, with operating losses expected in both, albeit at somewhat reduced levels from the first and second quarters of 2010. A lack of any meaningful new non-residential construction activity, project deferrals and pricing pressures all continue to negatively impact results and the Company's near-term outlook.  Visibility in this business remains limited and very difficult due to economic uncertainty, the high level of project deferrals and ongoing pricing pressures.

Despite the operating losses for the first half of 2010, the Harsco Infrastructure business posted positive free cash flow during this period. It is also expected to show positive free cash flow for the entire year.

Harsco Metals

Sales in the second quarter increased some 22 percent to $316 million from $259 million in last year's comparable quarter. Operating income in the quarter was $24.9 million, an almost six-fold increase over operating income of $4.2 million last year. Importantly, operating margins in the quarter rose to 7.9 percent, from 1.6 percent in last year's second quarter. Foreign currency translation decreased sales in the quarter by $2.5 million, but did not have a material effect on operating income.

Improvements in the quarter were led by increased steel production by Harsco's customers, the Company's cost saving initiatives, and the benefit of new contract signings. Looking ahead, expectations are for global steel production to level off, but this segment should continue to perform well, with results in the second half of the year somewhat exceeding the first half.

Longer-term, as mill capacity utilization rates return to more historical levels of production, this will result in higher operating margins for this business segment, due to its operating leverage. Management is initiating further cost reductions which will lead to even lower breakeven points, also helping to lift margins. New contract bidding remains active and several new contract awards are expected in coming quarters.

Harsco Rail

As expected, sales in the second quarter decreased approximately 8 percent to $86 million from last year's $94 million. Operating income of $21.6 million was essentially flat compared with operating income of $22.0 million in last year's second quarter. However, operating margins of 25.0 percent in this year's second quarter were 170 basis points higher than the 23.3 percent last year. Foreign currency translation did not have a material impact on results for the quarter.

As has previously been reported, quarterly results of Harsco Rail are affected by the timing of unit deliveries as they are completed. In the first half of 2010, there was a strong pull-forward effect at the request of a major customer. This will cause second half results to be lower on a sequential basis, but full year results are still expected to closely approximate 2009's record performance, even after factoring in higher LIFO costs in comparison with last year.

Looking ahead, overall annual revenues for Harsco Rail are expected to continue to grow in future years. Revenues from deliveries to China in 2011 are estimated to be equal to those in the prior two years. A sound revenue base will continue from contract services, as well as parts sales. In addition, new equipment orders are expected from active bidding across the globe. Further, the Company is looking to augment growth in this segment by future bolt-on acquisitions.

Harsco Minerals & Harsco Industrial ("All Other" Category)

Sales in the second quarter increased by approximately 6 percent to $121 million from last year's $114 million. Operating income experienced a strong 43 percent increase to $29.6 million, from last year's $20.7 million. The performance was led by a year-over-year profitability increase in the quarter by the Harsco Minerals business. Significantly, the Group's operating margins grew to 24.4 percent in the quarter, compared with 18.1 percent in the comparable period last year. Foreign currency translation did not have a material impact on results in the quarter.

All business units within this group remained solidly profitable in the quarter, with all having double-digit operating margins, led by significantly improved year-over-year performance from Harsco Minerals. However, two headwinds will negatively impact this Group's results in the second half of 2010. First, lower metals prices will have a negative sequential effect on the Harsco Minerals business, and secondly, higher LIFO costs in comparison with last year will have a negative impact on the Harsco Industrial business group.

Longer-term, as global economies slowly grow, the Harsco Minerals business will benefit from higher metals production and in turn, increases in related commodity prices. Further, new contract bidding activity across the globe remains strong here as well.

Liquidity, Capital Resources and Other Matters

Net cash provided by operating activities for the first half of 2010 was $125.7 million, compared with $156.3 million for the prior year. Net cash used by investing activities was $84.2 million, compared with $75.1 million in the first half of 2009. The increase was the result of the timing of the cash settlement of an acquisition that was announced in the fourth quarter of last year, but for which the cash transfer occurred in this year's first quarter. The Company continued to exercise good control over its capital expenditures for equipment, as this was further reduced by some 10 percent year-over-year. Free cash flow (cash flow from operations less total capital expenditures) was $51.1 million for the first six months of 2010, compared with $73.7 million in the comparable period last year. The year-over year decline was principally the result of lower income for the Harsco Infrastructure business in the first six months of 2010.

In regard to free cash flow for 2010, due to the substantial lower earnings expectation for the full year, the Company now expects free cash flow to be in the area of $200 million from an earlier target of $250 million.

The total debt to capital ratio at June 30, 2010 was 40.0 percent, a slight improvement over the 40.1 percent at March 31, 2010 and 50 basis points higher than the 39.5 percent at the end of 2009. The 39.5 percent amount at December 31, 2009 was the lowest at year-end since 1998. Total debt outstanding stood at $969 million at June 30, 2010, compared with $985 million at the end of the year, a reduction of $16 million.

Economic Value Added (EVA^®) declined in the second quarter and first half of 2010 over the comparable 2009 periods due to the poor performance of the Harsco Infrastructure business.

The Company's $301 million, 7.25 percent British pound sterling-denominated notes become due on October 27, 2010. The Company plans to pay these notes by some combination of cash and new medium-term notes, resulting in overall lower interest expense in 2011.

The Company's income tax rate is expected to be in the area of 26% for 2010 compared with 11.6% for 2009.

Outlook

Harsco Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Stephen J. Schnoor said, "We remain pleased with the overall progress we have seen this year in the performance of our Harsco Metals, Harsco Rail, Harsco Minerals and Harsco Industrial businesses. Unfortunately, all the combined progress that has been achieved by these businesses has been offset by the negative performance in the first half of 2010 by our Harsco Infrastructure Segment.

"As Mr. Fazzolari has indicated, due principally to the continued difficult operating conditions within our Harsco Infrastructure business end-markets, the Company is forecasting earnings from continuing operations in the range of $0.15 to $0.20 per share for the third quarter of 2010, compared with $0.40 in last year's third quarter. We are further revising our full year 2010 EPS guidance from continuing operations to $0.80 to $0.90 per share from $1.55 to $1.65 per share."

Discontinued Operations

The second quarter of 2010 includes a loss after tax of $2.8 million, or $0.04 per diluted share from discontinued operations.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures and financial results are forward-looking statements. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "may," "could," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," "projects," "indicates," and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Harsco, particularly its latest annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those stated. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the worldwide business environment in which the Company operates, including general economic conditions; changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, commodity and fuel costs and capital costs; changes in the performance of the equity and debt markets that could affect, among other things, the valuation of the assets in the Company's pension plans and the accounting for pension assets, liabilities and expenses; changes in governmental laws and regulations, including environmental, tax and import tariff standards; market and competitive changes, including pricing pressures, market demand and acceptance for new products, services, and technologies; unforeseen business disruptions in one or more of the many countries in which the Company operates due to political instability, civil disobedience, armed hostilities, public health issues or other calamities; the seasonal nature of the Company's business; our ability to successfully enter into new contracts and complete new acquisitions or joint ventures in the timeframe contemplated or at all; the ongoing global financial and credit crisis, which could result in our customers curtailing development projects, construction, production and capital expenditures, which, in turn, could reduce the demand for our products and services and, accordingly, our sales, margins and profitability; the financial condition of the Company's customers, including the ability of customers (especially those that may be highly leveraged and those with inadequate liquidity) to maintain their credit availability; the successful integration of the Company's strategic acquisitions; the amount and timing of repurchases of the Company's common stock, if any; our ability to successfully implement cost-reduction initiatives; and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. The Company undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

Conference Call

As previously announced, the Company will hold a conference call today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its results and respond to questions from the investment community. The conference call will be broadcast live through the Harsco Corporation website at www.harsco.com. The call can also be accessed by telephone by dialing (800) 611-4920, or (973) 200-3957 for international callers. Enter Conference ID number 86986614. Listeners are advised to dial in at least five minutes prior to the call. Replays will be available via the Harsco website, or by telephone beginning at approximately 11:00 am ET today through Tuesday, August 3, 2010. The telephone replay dial-in number is (800) 642-1687, or (706) 645‑9291 for international callers. Enter Conference ID number 86986614.

About Harsco

Harsco Corporation is one of the world's leading diversified industrial services and engineered products companies, serving key industries that play a fundamental role in worldwide economic growth. Harsco's common stock is a component of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 1000 Index. Additional information can be found at www.harsco.com.

The Harsco Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=361

Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure.  The Company's Management believes that this measure is meaningful to investors because management reviews cash flows generated from operations after taking into consideration capital expenditures due to the fact that these expenditures are considered necessary to maintain and expand the Company's asset base and are expected to generate future cash flows from operations.  It is important to note that Free Cash Flow does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures since other non-discretionary expenditures, such as mandatory debt service requirements, are not deducted from the measure.

CONTACT:  Harsco Corporation
          Investor Contact
          Eugene M. Truett
            717.975.5677
            etruett@harsco.com
          Media Contact
          Kenneth D. Julian
            717.730.3683
            kjulian@harsco.com