Trimet Aluminium SE officially opened its new facility for processing and sorting aluminum scrap in Hamm, Germany. The investment expands the company’s recycling capabilities and brings key stages of the circular economy in-house.
“A competitive industry in Europe needs a secure supply of raw materials and efficient circular systems. Aluminum has a particular advantage in this regard because it can be recycled again and again,” said Philipp Schlüter, chairman of the executive board of Trimet. “With the new site in Hamm, we are expanding our capacity to process aluminum scrap for high-quality applications. This strengthens our raw material base and creates an important foundation for continuing to supply our customers reliably with aluminum materials containing high levels of recycled content.”
Previously, aluminum scrap sorting and processing was carried out by external partner. The new Hamm Site brings these processes in-house through the installation of advanced sorting systems. At the heart of the plant is a modern sorting system that uses laser-based LIBS technology to analyze aluminum scrap and automatically assign it to different material fractions. The system can spectroscopically analyze up to 150 pieces per second and detect even low concentrations of alloying elements (such as silicon, copper, iron, and magnesium). The scrap is then separated using air jets. A scrap baler compacts the sorted material into bales suitable for transport and melting.
The site is designed to process up to 40,000 tonnes of aluminum scrap per year. More precise sorting enables Trimet to allocate recycled raw materials more specifically to different alloys. Integrating the plant into the production planning of the company’s aluminum smelters, casthouses, and recycling plants increases flexibility in raw material supply and helps reduce the use of primary raw materials.
According to Trimet, close cooperation with the responsible authorities was a key factor in the rapid completion of the new plant, moving from planning to operation in just over a year. “Completing a site of this scale in just over a year is anything but a given,” said Schlüter. “I would therefore like to extend my particular thanks to the City of Hamm and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Their constructive cooperation and swift permitting procedures made a significant contribution to the rapid implementation of our plans. This sends a strong signal that industrial investment in Germany is possible when companies, public authorities, and policymakers work together toward a common goal.”
With the commissioning of the Hamm site, Trimet is continuing to expand its recycling activities. The precise processing of different types of aluminum scrap improves the quality of the available recycling streams and increases the potential to manufacture high-quality aluminum materials with rising levels of recycled content. At the same time, the materials specialist is strengthening resource efficiency and security of supply at its production sites.
“The successful transformation of our industry also depends on our ability to keep valuable raw materials in circulation. Aluminum is ideally suited to this because it can be used again and again,” said Mona Neubaur, minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. “Recycling makes us more independent, conserves resources, and strengthens North Rhine-Westphalia as an industrial hub.”