Aurubis already produces copper with less than half the average global carbon footprint. Furthermore, the company has committed to an ambitious CO₂ reduction target of 50% for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for 2030 as part of the Science Based Targets initiative. Aurubis is consistently gearing up for the H₂ age: The multimetal and recycling specialist’s Hamburg plant will be one of the first copper smelters in the world to use H₂ instead of natural gas for the reduction process in its anode furnaces. With the investment of about €40 MM, Aurubis is taking another important step in the transformation towards carbon neutrality with the new technology that provides a savings potential of around 5,000 tpy of CO₂ when only H₂ is used.

The conversion in the Hamburg plant will be carried out as part of the plant’s routine maintenance shutdown slated for spring 2024. In addition to decarbonizing production, the new furnaces will improve process flexibility as well. Compared to the current equipment, the new furnace technology enables the processing of more complex metal-bearing copper concentrates. This will help Aurubis in Germany  extract additional valuable raw materials even more efficiently in the future to satisfy rising demand coming from electric vehicles, for example.

The new anode furnaces will play a vital role in the copper production process in Hamburg. Currently, unwrought copper is processed using natural gas, which generates significant volumes of CO₂. By using H₂ as a reducing agent in the future, at least 5,000 tpy less CO₂ will be emitted in the Hamburg plant.

“By replacing the anode furnaces, we are achieving another milestone in our decarbonization strategy,” said Aurubis AG CEO Roland Harings. “For now, there is still barely enough green H₂ to cover German industry’s huge demand at competitive prices. With this step, we’re leading the way and showing that we’re prepared.”

The new anode furnaces will help to further decarbonize Aurubis’ production even before enough H₂ comes on the market, as they work more efficiently and consume about 30% less natural gas, for a potential savings of nearly 1,200 tpy of CO₂. On top of the clear benefits for the climate, replacing the anode furnaces provides a technological boost for the more efficient extraction of valuable metals from metal concentrates and recycling materials. This includes nickel, an important raw material in electric car batteries.

While conceptualizing the ambitious anode furnace project, the company relied on internal expertise to a great extent. “The new furnace area’s H₂ readiness is 100% made by Aurubis,” Harings emphasized. “With the new anode furnaces, we’re demonstrating our determination and our courage to apply real innovations to our processes and, as a company with nearly 160 years of history at the Hamburg site, to continue taking on new challenges.”

In May 2021, Aurubis showed that H₂ can be successfully used in production. A pilot project at the Hamburg plant produced copper anodes using H₂ instead of natural gas—the first use of H₂ on an industrial scale.