Speira invests in secondary aluminum output

Aluminum producer Speira GmbH is investing more than $11 million to install four new recycled metals-fed furnaces at its plants in in Grevenbroich and Töging, Germany.

Each of the plants will receive two new furnaces, replacing the previous units with state-of-the-art systems, says the company, which is a portfolio company of New York-based KPS Capital Partners.

By adding the four tiltable rotary furnaces, the company says it is reinforcing its capacities specifically for the recycling of so-called “low grades” of recyclable metal, such as heavily contaminated scrap and dross produced during the melting process.

“We take a holistic view of our contribution to a functioning circular economy.,” says Ralf Köring, head of recycling services at 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 byproducts. Wherever aluminum is in it, we want to get the maximum out of it and put it back into the cycle.”

Technology and equipment Speira is installing include charging machines, suction hoods, thermal afterburners, piping and other infrastructure.

“State-of-the-art burner technology and automatic charging will enable a higher metal yield,” the company says.

Once in place, work involving 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, according to Speira.

The company says the new furnaces meet stringent environmental standards reducing CO₂ emissions. Additionally, the furnaces are “H2 ready" so they can also be operated with hydrogen in the future.

Via the furnaces, impurities in the low-grade scrap are used as combustibles in the melting process and, because of the furnaces’ design, Speira says even less heat is lost thanks to the automatic charging process and tapping with closed furnace doors.

The four furnaces will be delivered and installed consecutively. Production is scheduled to start in May 2025 for the first furnace in Grevenbroich, followed by October 2025 for the first furnace in Töging, then in May 2026 at the second furnace Grevenbroich followed by in October 2026 at the second furnace in Töging.

Speira operates a total of 11 recycling and production sites in Germany and Norway, including several purchased last year that formerly operated under the Real Alloy name. The firm recycles up to 650,000 tons of aluminum each year and produces around 1 million tons of rolled products.