Aurubis inaugurates new recycling plant in Olen to recover more valuable metals 

Today, multimetal producer Aurubis inaugurated an innovative recycling plant at its site in Olen (Belgium). Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Mayor of Olen Kris Gebruers were in attendance. The inauguration marks another key achievement in Aurubis’ strategic roadmap. The investment is an important addition to the international smelter network of Aurubis and maximizing synergies within it. 

Aurubis is launching a state-of-the-art and energy-efficient hydrometallurgical bleed treatment plant with BOB (Bleed treatment Olen Beerse). Using a hydrometallurgical process, BOB recovers valuable metals such as nickel and copper contained in the electrolyte streams generated in the tankhouses during metal production at the Aurubis sites in Beerse and Olen (both in Belgium). With this project Aurubis is keeping even more strategically relevant metals for Europe in the loop. 

“BOB clearly demonstrates our commitment to innovation and a circular economy. 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,” COO Multimetal Recycling of Aurubis Group Inge Hofkens stated. 

“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. 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,” Managing Director Aurubis Olen Hans Van de Water concluded. 

At the inauguration ceremony, the Flemish Minister-President lauded the investment and innovation efforts of Aurubis in Flanders.  

“Projects like BOB are strategically very important for Flanders. The innovative and sustainable character and the additional employment that this high-tech installation entails, indicate our burning ambition for Flemish industry,” Flemish Minister-President Diependaele, also authorized for Economy, Innovation and Industry, said. “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.” 

The new recycling facility represents an overall investment of around € 85 million. Aurubis has also created 30 new jobs in line with this project, which fully meets the highest environmental standards in Europe. 

Together with the other Belgian Aurubis site in Beerse, Aurubis Olen was recently 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 second Aurubis Group investment project in Belgium as part of the current Aurubis strategy. At the beginning of September, Aurubis opened the new ASPA (Advanced Sludge Processing by Aurubis) facility at its Beerse plant. Around 700 people work at the high-performance metal recycling site in Olen. Aurubis Beerse employs around 500 people.