Aurubis has officially opened its new Complex Recycling Hamburg (CRH) plant at its Hamburg headquarters. The copper producer and multimetal recycler invested €190m in the facility, which will enable it to process larger volumes of more complex recycling materials and smelter intermediates within its own smelter network. Aurubis officially commissioned the plant last Friday following around two-and-a-half years of construction, with COO Tim Kurth joined by representatives of the German federal government and the City of Hamburg.
The new facility combines several smelting processes and is the first to integrate the processing of raw materials containing copper, lead and sulphur in a single unit. Once fully ramped up, CRH will enable the company to treat more than 30,000 tonnes of additional recycling material a year, as well as significantly higher volumes of high-value smelter intermediates. The plant will recover copper, lead and precious metals and produce sulphuric acid. Aurubis said the aim is to retain more materials and value within its smelter network, improve the utilisation of existing assets, and strengthen the resilience of its production operations.
"Global demand for critical raw materials like copper is growing rapidly. So we need better access to recycling materials and more innovation in complex material processing," said Mr Kurth. "With Complex Recycling Hamburg, we're expanding our multimetal expertise and showing how metals can be sustainably and reliably processed in Germany."
The core component of the new plant is a specially engineered converter that separates the individual elements. The unit processed batches of around 45 tonnes each at temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius.
According to Aurubis, the CRH facility sets a new benchmark in efficient, environmentally friendly multimetal production. Around a third of the project investment was allocated to air pollution control measures. The facility was also designed to be highly automated, enabling very efficient staffing levels, the non-ferrous metals group said.
