Aurubis inaugurates recycling plant in Olen, Belgium

Aurubis has launched its hydrometallurgical bleed treatment plant, or BOB (Bleed treatment Olen Beerse), which recovers valuable metals, including nickel and copper, from the electrolyte streams generated in the tankhouses it operates in the Belgian cities of Beerse and Olen.

With this project, which the company first announced in early 2022, Aurubis says it is keeping more strategically relevant metals in the loop within Europe and maximizing synergies within its international smelter network.

In addition to blister copper, the Olen plant processes up to 135,000 tons of multimetal recycling materials annually and produces copper cathodes via electro refinery and Aurubis rod, foxrod and bars and profiles. The Beerse plant processes more than 250,000 tons of complex recyclables and operates a copper tank house. The company says BOB is an important addition to the Belgian production cluster to extract nickel and copper from material flows and to remove impurities from the bleed.

“BOB clearly demonstrates our commitment to innovation and a circular economy,” Aurubis Group Chief Operations Officer (COO), Multimetal Recycling, Inge Hofkens says. “With this facility, we are taking recycling to the next level as it allows us to optimally process the valuable metals from dynamic and continuously changing input materials and recycling markets. We are committed to expanding our leading role in sustainability in line with our Tomorrow Metals promise, and we continuously strive to use resources even more responsibly. With BOB, we are strengthening our core business and further contributing to the European circular economy."

The new recycling facility represents an overall investment of roughly 85 million euros, or $90.5 million, according to the company, which also has created 30 new jobs with this project.

“Today marks a significant point in our company's history: The new recycling plant now enables us to cover the full production cycle in-house—a true milestone for the Olen plant," Managing Director of Aurubis Olen Hans Van de Water says. "This is the result of the collective efforts of our entire team. It makes me proud to see that everyone played their part, from the design and construction phase to commissioning.”

Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele lauds the investment and innovation efforts of Aurubis in Flanders.

“Projects like BOB are strategically very important for Flanders," Diependaele says. "The innovative and sustainable character and the additional employment that this high-tech installation entails, indicate our burning ambition for Flemish industry.

“We are known far beyond our national borders for daring and ambition. This investment shows how Flanders is positioning itself on the world stage as an attractive investment region with a focus on entrepreneurship and sustainability.”

Together with the other Belgian Aurubis site in Beerse, Aurubis Olen has been named the “2024 Most Sustainable Company” in the Circular Economy category by the Trends Impact Awards at the end of October.

The new recycling plant in Olen is the company’s second investment project in Belgium. At the beginning of September, Aurubis opened its new ASPA (Advanced Sludge Processing by Aurubis) facility at its Beerse plant.