Aurubis has begun production at its Complex Recycling Hamburg facility following approximately two and a half years of construction, adding new capacity for processing complex recycling feedstocks and smelter intermediates within its European operations.
The German copper producer invested €190 million in the plant, which is expected to process more than 30,000 additional tonnes of recycling material annually, alongside larger volumes of intermediates already produced within Aurubis’s smelting network.
Integrated plant processes complex metal feedstocks
The facility combines several metallurgical operations in a single unit and is designed to handle materials containing copper, lead and sulphur. Its specially developed converter processes batches of approximately 45 tonnes at temperatures of up to 1,400°C. The operation separates the contained metals while producing recoverable copper, lead, precious metals and sulphuric acid.
Environmental controls represent a substantial part of the investment. Approximately one-third of the project’s total spending, or more than €60 million, was allocated to air-pollution control equipment.
Recycling capacity expands feedstock flexibility
The facility is designed to process mixed recycling materials whose variable composition and contaminant content can restrict the number of suitable smelters. Aurubis’s integrated production network allows the company to process these materials while recovering contained metals and generating treatment margins. The economic performance will depend on feedstock procurement, treatment charges and the value of recovered metals. The project received EU support and financing backed by the European Investment Bank’s raw-materials strategy.
Hamburg facility enters production phase
With Complex Recycling Hamburg now operating, the project has progressed from development and pilot work to physical industrial production. The immediate focus is the ramp-up of the new facility. Performance will depend on converter availability, metal recovery rates, energy consumption, feedstock supply and the relationship between treatment charges and recovered-metal values.
