Companies seeking to use parts of the shuttered International Paper Co. mill near Franklin are coming out of the woodwork.

An investment firm based in Gaithersburg, Md., announced Thursday that it was evaluating the possibility of using part of the mill to recycle waste paper into tissue for napkins and towels.

The company, Tak Investments, would invest $60 million to $70 million and hire 80 workers initially, said Sahil Tak, a spokesman. Its plans call for starting operations by the third quarter of 2012 and producing as much as 70,000 tons of tissue a year, he said.

In April, Franklin Pellets LLC, a firm backed by former gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, said it was in talks with International Paper to use the mill to make wood pellets, which are burned for energy or heat.

Tak said Tak Investments was attracted to the closed plant partly because of the condition of its machinery; the quality of people who once worked there; and the availability of nearby resources, including water.

The announcement from Tak Investments came two days after International Paper disclosed plans to transform one-third of its mill to produce an absorbent material for use in baby diapers and wipes. The giant paper manufacturer said it expected to spend $83 million converting its million to production of “fluff pulp” and planned to hire 213 workers by mid-2012.

International Paper produced several types of paper at the facility before closing it last year. The company, which announced the shutdown in October 2009, let go of more than 1,000 workers.