Trimet in aluminium recycling expansion
Trimet is set to open a recycling site in Hamm, Germany, for the processing and sorting of aluminium scrap.
The new site is intended to strengthen the supply of foundries and remelting plants with high-quality recycled raw materials.
The requirements for resource efficiency and climate protection have increased the demand for recycled aluminium in the processing industry and have put pressure on the international scrap markets.
Since available scrap has very different compositions, its processing for recycling places high demand on sorting and analysis.
This task will be performed by the new Trimet site in Hamm.
It includes a modern sorting system to analyse aluminium scrap which uses LIBS laser technology to automatically assign the material to different fractions.
The system evaluates up to 150 parts per second spectroscopically and identifies even small proportions of alloying elements such as silicon, copper, iron or magnesium.
The scrap is then automatically assigned to the respective material fractions with the help of targeted air pulses.
A scrap press then compresses the material into packages that can be transported and melted.
The site is designed for a capacity of 40,000 metric tons per year and will start operations next month (October).
In doing so, the company will integrate work steps that have so far mainly been carried out by external partners.
By integrating these processes into the production planning of the aluminium smelters and recycling plants, Trimet said it can control the supply of alloys more flexibly, reduce dependence on primary raw materials and at the same time improve the CO₂ balance of its materials.
More precise sorting increases the quality of recycling streams, increases resource efficiency and supports the development of high-quality aluminium materials with increasing recycled percentages.
Philipp Schlüter, CEO of Trimet Aluminium, said: "The transformation of industry requires efficient and stable material cycles
"With the new location in Hamm, we are creating additional independence in the supply of raw materials and at the same time strengthening our ability to provide high-quality recycled materials for industry."
