Speira successfully started up operation of a new tiltable rotary furnace, dubbed “Bernhard.” This is the first of four recycling furnaces being installed at the company’s plants in Grevenbroich and Töging, Germany. The start up ceremony was attended by Einar Glomnes, CEO of Speira; District Administrator Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke; and Mayor Klaus Krützen.
“We take a holistic view of our contribution to a functioning circular economy,” said Einar Glomnes, CEO of Speira. “That’s why we don’t just look at the pure, easy-to-recycle scraps, but also at the more difficult lower grades and by-products. Wherever aluminum is in it, we want to get the maximum out of it and put it back into the cycle. With this latest, most efficient and environmentally friendly technology, we can now recover even the smallest quantities that were previously lost for recycling.”
Speira is investing around €11 million in the four new furnaces, which are replacing aging units. The upgrade includes the installation of new charging machines, suction hoods, thermal afterburners, piping, and other infrastructure. In addition, state-of-the-art burner technology and automatic charging will enable a higher productivity.
In terms of energy efficiency, the new furnaces will provide a threefold improvement. First, it provides increased throughput. Second, the furnace ensures optimal energy yield from the natural gas used thanks to its modern burner and afterburner technology, as well as its ability to use the impurities of the low-grade scraps as combustibles in the melting process. This also allows for the recycling of a larger spectrum of low-grade scraps. Third, the optimized furnace design ensures that even less heat is lost thanks to the automatic charging process and tapping with closed furnace doors.
Naturally, the selected model meets the highest environmental standards for new systems. The new suction and burner technology causes less carbon emissions. It is also “H2 ready,” meaning that the furnaces can also be operated with hydrogen in the future.
In addition, the new furnaces makes it easier and safer to work around and on the furnaces. Because the individual components are easily accessible for maintenance, the molten metal can be tapped with the furnace doors closed. Wheel loader and forklift traffic in front of the furnaces is minimized thanks to the charging machines.
The first furnace, Bernhard, has a capacity of up to 25 tonnes and is currently used to recycle low-grade scrap, including heavily contaminated materials and dross generated during the melting process. The name was selected from suggestions submitted by employees of Speira’s Recycling Services business unit, in tribute to a colleague who passed away at a young age. He had played a key role in the original construction and commissioning of the predecessor furnace back in 1999.
“These investments make it clear that the aluminum industry will continue to be a successful part of the economy at the Rhine and the Erft in the future,” said District Administrator Hans-Jürgen Petrauschk. “And they make it clear that the circular economy and thus sustainable environmental protection will be further strengthened.”
The decision to invest in the four furnaces was made in July 2024. With Bernhard completed and started up, the overall project is on schedule for the next furnace to start production in Töging in October 2025, the third furnace in Grevenbroich in May 2026, and the fourth furnace in Töging in October 2026.