Aluminium recycling: less energy, more environment

In our production of aluminium, we rely on very high proportions of recycled material. Various units are available in our production facilities to process aluminium optimally: Single-chamber furnaces melt and refine pure scrap, while two-chamber furnaces can also process materials with coatings or lubricants. Tiltable rotary drum furnaces are used for optimum processing of contaminated scrap and material compositions but can also be used in a variety of ways for different types of scrap. Impurities in the metal are further reduced in the furnace and the aluminium is collected in liquid form.

The aluminium is refined to improve its quality. The appropriate alloy is produced from molten aluminium, depending on customer requirements and the area of application.

Our form of delivery is also geared towards customer demand and our efforts to continuously improve our environmental footprint. Some of our products are therefore delivered directly to our customers' foundries as liquid metal, which leads to significant energy savings during further processing. For other applications, our rolling mills produce aluminium products in the form of coils or sheets.

Aluminium can be recycled almost an unlimited number of times without any loss of quality. This fact makes aluminium recycling not only energy-efficient, but also ecologically valuable. Beverage cans are one example of how this cycle works. In Germany, 99 % of all aluminium cans are already recycled. At Speira, we are actively committed to further increasing this rate in other countries and ensuring the sustainable recycling of this valuable metal. Each can goes through a closed life cycle that repeats itself in a very short time. Recycled cans are often back on the market after just 60 days.

In addition to beverage cans, the automotive industry also shows how valuable the repeated recycling of aluminium is. Vehicle parts such as engine blocks or wheel rims are reprocessed at the end of their life and reused in new products. Likewise, aluminium from window frames or aluminium façade cladding in architecture and construction are returned to the cycle after use.

Our own recycling plants with a total capacity of 650,000 tons per year make a significant contribution to this. Our can recycling capacity is 100,000 tons per year, which corresponds to the aluminium content of all beverage cans consumed in Germany each year. In this way, we are creating a sustainable circular economy that largely covers material requirements and significantly reduces emissions at the same time.