Bernhard gets started

• First of four new recycling furnaces in Grevenbroich and Töging
• 11 million euros for greater efficiency, improved occupational safety and H₂ readiness

Ceremonial words from Speira CEO Einar Glomnes, District Administrator Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke and Mayor Klaus Krützen, the red button is pressed, and Bernhard starts up with a small firework display. Bernhard – that is the first of four new recycling furnaces with which Speira is upgrading the plants in Grevenbroich and Töging, replacing ageing units with state-of-the-art systems. The furnace, which can hold up to 25 tonnes, is used in particular for the recycling of so-called “low grades”, i.e. heavily contaminated scrap and dross produced during the melting process. The name of the new tiltable rotary furnace was chosen from suggestions made by the staff of Speira business unit Recycling Services. This honours a colleague who died at an early age and who was already involved 1999 in the construction and commissioning of the furnace that has now been replaced.

“We take a holistic view of our contribution to a functioning circular economy. 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,” explains Einar Glomnes, CEO of the German-Norwegian aluminium company.

District Administrator Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke recognises the recycler’s commitment: “Speira’s major investments in the Rheinwerk in Neuss and the plant here in Grevenbroich are a strong signal for our business location. I am grateful to the company for demonstrating its commitment to the Rhine district of Neuss and to securing thousands of jobs and apprenticeships. These investments make it clear that the aluminium industry will continue to be a successful part of the economy at the Rhine and thr Erft in the future. And they make it clear that the circular economy and thus sustainable environmental protection will be further strengthened. When we talk about investing millions, we also have to talk about energy supply. One rule of thumb is irrefutable: electricity and energy must be secure, available 24/7, and affordable! Energy security at affordable prices is the basis for a successful future, and we will do everything we can to ensure this.“

“Speira’s investment is a strong commitment to Grevenbroich as a business location and a real signal for the future. The fact that recycling, innovation and environmental protection are so consistently combined here shows the contribution our industry can make to structural change and sustainable value creation,“ adds Mayor Klaus Krützen.

Speira is investing around eleven million euros in the four furnaces. This includes charging machines, suction hoods, thermal afterburners, piping and other infrastructure. State-of-the-art burner technology and automatic charging will enable a higher productivity. Work on the new units will be even easier and safer for employees: the individual components are easily accessible for maintenance, the molten metal can be tapped with the furnace doors closed, and wheel loader and forklift traffic in front of the furnaces is minimized thanks to the charging machines. Naturally, the selected model meets the highest environmental standards for new systems, the new suction and burner technology causes less CO₂ and is “H₂ ready”, i.e. the furnaces can also be operated with hydrogen in the future.

In terms of energy efficiency, the new furnaces are a threefold improvement. Firstly, because of the increased throughput: each tonne of recycled aluminum saves up to 95% of the energy required to produce one tonne of primary aluminum. Secondly, because of the modern burner and afterburner technology: these ensure optimum energy yield from the natural gas used. At the same time, the adhering impurities of the low-grade scraps are used as combustibles in the melting process, and the input spectrum for these grades in particular is even greater in the new furnaces. And thirdly, because of the optimized furnace design: even less heat is lost thanks to the automatic charging process and tapping with closed furnace doors.

The decision to invest in the four furnaces was made in July 2024. The overall project is on schedule for the first furnace in Töging to start production in October 2025, the second furnace in Grevenbroich in May 2026 and the second furnace in Töging in October 2026.