environmental report - aurubis · environmental and climate protection are enshrined in our company...

FAB

RIC

AT

ION

USE

R E C YCLIN

G

Environmental Report 2012

PRIMARY COPPER PRO

DU

CTI

ON

2 Foreword of the Executive Board Chairman, Peter Willbrandt

4 Aurubis company portrait Copper – the material of modern life

8 Foreword of the Head of Group Environmental Protection, Dr. Karin Hinrichs-Petersen11 Company guidelines and Group environmental protection guidelines

14 Copper – resource-effi cient production, energy-effi cient applications, recycling without a loss of quality

Examples of our commitment:16 Improved multi-metal recycling in our recycling center in Lünen17 Developing products together at our sites in Hamburg and Stolberg18 Environmental protection and education at our site in Pirdop, Bulgaria20 Implementing REACH at Aurubis21 New EU directives defi ne future environmental requirements in the Aurubis Group

22 Climate protection and energy management: energy optimizations, energy management systems

26 Aurubis AG, Hamburg28 Aurubis AG, Lünen30 Aurubis Bulgaria AD

32 Aurubis Belgium nv/sa34 CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH36 Elektro-Recycling NORD GmbH

38 Aurubis Buff alo Inc.40 Aurubis Finland Oy42 Aurubis Italia Srl44 Aurubis Netherlands BV

46 Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG

48 Aurubis Sweden AB

50 Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH52 Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG

54 RETORTE GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals

56 Peute Baustoff GmbH58 Slitting Centers

59 Glossary62 Photo credits, contact information

Our Sites

Raw mate

rials used

Concentra

tes

Recycli

ng mate

rial

Copper pro

ducts

Cath

odes

Continuous c

ast wire

rod

Continuous c

ast sh

apes

Stri

ps/foils

Specialty

wire

, shap

es, sh

aped w

ire

By-pro

ducts

Pre

cious m

etals

Sulfuric

acid

Iron si

licate

stone/sa

nd

Oth

er meta

ls and pro

ducts

Services

Slit

ting C

enters

Sales offi c

es Page

Production sites and Slitting Centers

Aurubis AG, Hamburg1 Hamburg, headquarters (D) 26

Elektro-Recycling NORD GmbH1 Hamburg E. R. N. (D) 36

Peute Baustoff GmbH1 Hamburg (D) 56

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH2 Fehrbellin (D) 34

Aurubis U.K. Ltd.3 Smethwick / Birmingham (UK) 58

Aurubis Netherlands BV4 Zutphen (NL) 44, 58

Aurubis Belgium nv/sa5 Olen (B) 32

Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH6 Emmerich (D) 50

Aurubis AG, Lünen7 Lünen (D) 28

Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG8 Stolberg (D) 46

Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG

8 Stolberg (D) 52

RETORTE GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals9 Röthenbach (D) 54

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH10 Nersingen, Strass (D) 34

Aurubis Slovakia s.r.o.11 Dolný Kubín (SK) 58

Aurubis Mortara SRL12 Mortara (I) 58

Aurubis Bulgaria AD13 Pirdop (BG) 30

Aurubis Italia Srl14 Avellino (I) 42

Aurubis Sweden AB15 Finspång and Västerås (SE) 48

Aurubis Finland Oy16 Pori (FI) 40

Aurubis Buff alo Inc.17 Buff alo (US) 38

14

10

15

16

21

12

1198

13

76543

17

Raw mate

rials used

Concentra

tes

Recycli

ng mate

rial

Copper pro

ducts

Cath

odes

Continuous c

ast wire

rod

Continuous c

ast sh

apes

Stri

ps/foils

Specialty

wire

, shap

es, sh

aped w

ire

By-pro

ducts

Pre

cious m

etals

Sulfuric

acid

Iron si

licate

stone/sa

nd

Oth

er meta

ls and pro

ducts

Services

Slit

ting C

enters

Sales offi c

es Page

Production sites and Slitting Centers

Aurubis AG, Hamburg1 Hamburg, headquarters (D) 26

Elektro-Recycling NORD GmbH1 Hamburg E. R. N. (D) 36

Peute Baustoff GmbH1 Hamburg (D) 56

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH2 Fehrbellin (D) 34

Aurubis U.K. Ltd.3 Smethwick / Birmingham (UK) 58

Aurubis Netherlands BV4 Zutphen (NL) 44, 58

Aurubis Belgium nv/sa5 Olen (B) 32

Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH6 Emmerich (D) 50

Aurubis AG, Lünen7 Lünen (D) 28

Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG8 Stolberg (D) 46

Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG

8 Stolberg (D) 52

RETORTE GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals9 Röthenbach (D) 54

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH10 Nersingen, Strass (D) 34

Aurubis Slovakia s.r.o.11 Dolný Kubín (SK) 58

Aurubis Mortara SRL12 Mortara (I) 58

Aurubis Bulgaria AD13 Pirdop (BG) 30

Aurubis Italia Srl14 Avellino (I) 42

Aurubis Sweden AB15 Finspång and Västerås (SE) 48

Aurubis Finland Oy16 Pori (FI) 40

Aurubis Buff alo Inc.17 Buff alo (US) 38

You can fi nd further information on our website:

» www.aurubis.com/en/responsibility/environment/

» www.aurubis.com/en/responsiblity/sustainability/

Or read the additional publications that are available in our download

center: www.aurubis.com/nc/en/download-center/

» EMAS Environmental Statements

for Aurubis AG’s Hamburg and Lünen sites

» Aurubis Sustainability Report 2011

Copper from people for people

High environmental standards at Aurubis for the material of modern life

2

Dear readers,

I am pleased to present to your our Environmental Report 2012, which describes our group-wide performance in environmental protection at all of the production sites.

Aurubis is broadly positioned along the copper value-added chain. With the addition of Luvata’s Rolled Products Division to the Group this past year, we took a decisive step in becoming more international, expanded our product range and strengthened processing.

We view ourselves as an attractive employer and a good neighbor. We believe that economy, ecology and social responsibility build on one another. Good economic development is the precondition for capital expenditure on state-of-the-art plant technologies with the highest environmental protection standards.

The extraction and use of non-ferrous metals are required for technical progress and a high standard of living. Copper produced in an environmentally friendly manner is also a signifi cant problem solver when it comes to climate protection. Without copper there are no effi cient technologies for renewable energies and thus no energy turnaround.

This sustainable use of copper as a material from people for people and for modern life is refl ected in its excellent properties, from resource-effi cient production and energy-effi cient applications to recycling without a loss of quality. For a country like Germany that lacks raw materials, copper recycling is therefore an important pillar of copper production for Aurubis. Copper can remain in the value-added chain indefi nitely, so Aurubis has a leading position with respect to resource effi ciency as well. The ongoing growth in copper demand cannot be covered by recycling alone, however. Primary copper production will thus form the basis for covering copper demand in Europe in the future.

Environmental and climate protection are enshrined in our company guidelines. We want to continue to improve and steadily expand our position as an international lead-er at all sites. People take priority. It is important to us that our employees develop a high level of environmental awareness and that environmental protection is a way of life in the Group.

3AURUBIS – ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2012

Increasingly complex and high requirements in environmental and climate protection nevertheless present considerable challenges. New European and national obligations are incredibly detailed and lead to confl icting targets for protected resources in some cases. For example, stricter regulations in water pollution control could lead to envi-ronmental protection measures that cause additional emissions to air. Environmentally friendly companies in Europe always bear higher costs than their international com-petitors. CO₂ certifi cates, high electricity prices, the energy turnaround and the imple-mentation of the industrial emissions directive negatively aff ect companies in Ger-many in particular. Copper is quoted on the metal exchange, so the copper price is the same worldwide. There is strong international competition in copper production, and Aurubis cannot pass on additional costs resulting from national or European legisla-tion to customers but must instead compensate for this with continuous increases in productivity and effi ciency. However, eff orts to enhance productivity and effi ciency are increasingly reaching the limits of technological possibility.

Therefore, we call on policymakers to act with sound judgment in the development of instruments to improve environmental and climate protection and not to burden industry in Europe and Germany with dramatic increases in additional costs which our international competitors do not have to bear. Only then can it be ensured that copper production and multi-metal recycling take place in state-of-the-art facilities with the highest environmental protection standards like those in Germany.

You are cordially invited to see Aurubis’ environmental protection performance for yourself. I hope you enjoy reading the report.

Best regards

Peter WillbrandtChairman of the Executive BoardAugust 2012

Best regards

Peter Willbrandt

4

Aurubis company portrait:our business, our Business Units

OUR BUSINESS MODELOur business model combines the production, recy-cling and processing of metals under one roof. This provides us with a great deal of fl exibility in control-ling raw material procurement and production. Our product and service spectrum is strongly oriented towards the needs of the market. Both standard and specialty product solutions are off ered in addition to comprehensive services. We produce copper fi rst and foremost from copper concentrates but also from intermediate products from other metal producers, copper scrap and other recycling materials, including metal production residues and electronic scrap. A broad range of by-elements are extracted and pro-cessed into products such as precious metals, by-metals like lead, tin and selenium as well as sulfuric acid and iron silicate.

The copper cathodes produced at our sites in Ham-burg, Lünen, Olen and Pirdop are of an excellent quality that exceeds the requirements of the metal exchanges. We primarily process the cathodes into copper products, but they can also be sold on the London metal exchange and to trade and industry.

COMPANY PORTRAIT Aurubis AG is a leading international integrated cop-per group with a strong foundation in Europe. Our portfolio includes copper production, metal recycling and copper product fabrication. We are therefore represented in central areas of the industrial metal’s value-added chain. The production of precious metals and specialty products completes the range of ser-vices. Aurubis produces at sites in Europe and the USA

and has a broad service and sales system that sup-ports product sales in Europe, Asia and North America. About 6,300 employees work for Aurubis worldwide. We are oriented towards sustainable growth and in-creasing value: the main focuses of our strategy are on strengthening the business, utilizing growth oppor-tunities and responsibility towards people, resources and the environment. Aurubis shares are part of the Prime Standard segment of the Deutsche Börse and are listed in the MDAX, the European Stoxx 600 and the Global Challenges Index.

HISTORYAurubis was founded in 1866 as Norddeutsche Affi nerie Aktiengesellschaft in Hamburg. Following various changes in the ownership structure, the company went on the stock exchange in 1998. Several subsidiaries and affi liated companies belong to the Group, as does the Belgian copper rod and semi-fi nished product fabri-cator Cumerio acquired in 2008. The company was renamed Aurubis in 2009. The product business be-came stronger and more international with the acqui-sition of the Luvata Rolled Products Division on Sep-tember 1, 2011. With this acquisition, Aurubis has addi -tional production sites in Buff alo (USA), Finspång1(Sweden), Pori (Finland) and Zutphen (Netherlands) as well as service centers in Zutphen, Mortara (Italy) and Shanghai (China) and sales offi ces in the USA, Europe and several Asian countries.

We have provided an

overview of our sites on

the inner front fl ap.

1 The plan is to re -

locate production from

Finspång to other

Aurubis Group sites

(Buff alo, Zutphen)

in the next two years.

Full production will

continue in Finspång

until summer 2013.


Primary Copper The Business Unit Primary Copper handles all activities associated with the produc-tion of pure, high-quality copper in the form of marketable copper cathodes madeof the primary raw material, copper con-centrates. This includes smelting and refi ning activities at the sites in Hamburg, Olen (Belgium) and Pirdop (Bulgaria) as well as marketing the by-product sulfuric acid and iron silicate products. The subsi-diaries Peute Baustoff GmbH and Retorte GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals, the world’s leading selenium producer, are also part of the Business Unit.

Recycling/Precious MetalsThe main activity of the Business Unit Recycling/Precious Metals is the pro-duction of high-purity copper cathodes from a very wide range of recycling raw materials. Recycling activities take place at various sites in the Group, the most signifi cant of which are the Group’s recy-cling center in Lünen and the secondary smelter in Hamburg. Copper scrap and, increasingly, more complex recycling raw materials like electronic scrap are pro-cessed in an environmentally friendly fashion with innovative technology. In the Business Unit Recycling/Precious Metals we also produce precious metals con-tained in copper raw materials as well as other by-metals and by-products.

Copper ProductsOur own and external copper cathodes are processed in the Business Unit Copper Products. Continuous cast copper wire rod, which is delivered to the cable and wire industry, is of central importance. We also produce continuous cast shapes for the market and for internal processing as well as pre-rolled strip, rolled products and specialty products. The main produc-tion sites are located in Europe, including Hamburg (Germany), Olen (Belgium), Zutphen (Netherlands), Finspång1 (Swe-den), Pori (Finland) and Avellino (Italy). Outside of Europe, Aurubis produces strips made of copper and copper alloys in Buff alo (USA). Service centers in the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Italy, the Nether lands and China and a global sales network round off the service profi le of BU Copper Products. The industries that use copper, the material of the future, include the electrical and electronics industry (including telecommunications), construction, industrial machines and plants, transport and consumer goods.

OUR BUSINESS SEGMENTSThe Aurubis Group is managed from the corporate and adminis-trative headquarters in Hamburg, where signifi cant production plants are also located. The group structure is oriented towards the copper value-added chain. Three operating Business Units (BUs) form the Group’s organizational framework and the basis

for reporting. Furthermore, several group-wide departments that support the operating sectors with their services and admin-istrative functions make up the “Corporate Functions”.

For copper production in both sectors, our income is determined in large part by treatment and refi ning charges, which are agreed on with the raw material sup-pliers as a processing fee. Our copper cathodes strictly fulfi ll the metal exchanges’ very high quality requirements.

Our revenues in copper processing are determined by premiums and shape surcharges, which cover the processing of pure copper into products and refl ect the value added.

6

Non-ferrous metals are necessary for technical progress and a high quality of life. As a central component of innovative technological developments, our high-quality copper contributes to modern life and to the energy turnaround: without copper there would be no technologies for renewable energies, no effi ciency increases in these energies and no improvement in the CO₂ balance.

Out

stan

din

g el

ectr

ical

co

nd

uct

ivit

yEx

cell

ent

ther

mal

con

duct

ivit

y

Recyclability

Cor

rosi

on resis

tanceTr

ansport

Consumer goods

Formability

Alloying capability

Construction

Machinery and plant engineeringElectrical engineering and electronics

Wind turbines

Coins

Cars

Air conditio-

ners

Engines

Cable

Water pipes

Copper – the material of modern lifeEVERYWHERE, IRREPLACEABLE: COPPER FROM AURUBIS


Today, copper is used in sectors where its material properties are important. It is the best electrical and thermal conductor after silver. The intelligent use of resources in one area, for example copper production, can lead to effi ciency increases in another area, for instance more eff ective wind energy plants. At Aurubis, we view copper as an irreplaceable material for sustainable economic activity.

Fig. 2: Sales structure of the Aurubis Group by industries

for fi scal year 2010/11

Source: Wood Mackenzie, Copper, June 2012

Fig. 1: Global copper demand by industries

for 2011

13 % Industrial machines and plants

13 % Transport

9 % Consumer goods

31 % Construction

34 % Electrical and electronic applications

20 % Industrial machines and plants

12 % Transport

11 % Consumer goods

21 % Construction

36 % Electrical and electronic applications

8

Dear readers,

The Aurubis Group is currently one of the most en-vironmentally friendly copper producers in the world. Energy effi ciency and climate protection are con-stantly developed and improved at all of the Group sites. Sustainability, resource effi ciency and environ-mental and climate protection are key targets of Aurubis’ corporate strategy and are fi rmly established in our company guidelines. We are developing inno-vative and energy-effi cient plant technologies in environmental protection that set new benchmarks worldwide. We keep the eff ects on the resources water, air and soil to a minimum with the use of the best available technologies and high environmental standards. Nearly all of the raw materials are pro-cessed into marketable products and waste is eff ec-tively avoided and recycled if possible. Environmen-tally friendly copper production from primary raw materials, such as copper concentrates, and multi-metal recycling form the basis for an adequate copper supply in Europe. Our motto: Copper is made by people for people. Aurubis uses the highest environ-mental standards for the material of modern life.

The corporate environmental protection guidelines were developed in order to live up to this motto. They describe environmental protection targets and signifi cant areas of activity, defi ne responsibilities, provide a framework for information and reporting, establish the tasks of Group Environmental Protection and outline the cooperation with the local environ-mental offi cers and managing directors or plant man-agers. This ensures uniform procedures for environ-mental protection within the Group and in our public

image. The new Group sites in particular are suppor-ted by the Hamburg Group headquarters with know-how and technology transfer. We have defi ned both group-wide targets in environmental protection as well as concrete targets for the individual sites (see Fig. 3, p. 10).

Environmental protection successes On average, about one-third of total capital expendi-ture in the Aurubis Group has been used for environ-mental protection (see Fig. 4, p. 10). Because of this and the operation of state-of-the-art, innovative plant technologies, Aurubis has a leading global position in climate and environmental protection in primary and secondary copper production as well as process-ing copper into products such as rolled sheets, rod and cast products.

As an energy-intensive company, Aurubis feels espe-cially committed to climate protection. We therefore invest in energy-effi cient plant technologies, indi-vidual measures to save additional energy and vol-unteer projects like the city of Hamburg’s climate protection program at all sites. This long-term in-volvement has been successful: we have signifi cantly reduced our specifi c CO₂ emissions at all sites.


1 See Glossary, p. 591 See Glossary, p. 591

The fi gure on the following page (see Fig. 5, p. 10) illus-trates this with our sulfur dioxide emissions compared to other primary copper producers. To achieve these kinds of results, Aurubis has consistently pursued the objective of further improving environmental protection with continuous investments. The success is evident in the emissions trend in Aurubis’ primary copper pro-duction – they have decreased by 84 % since 2000 (see Fig. 6, p. 10). The goal is now to maintain this level in the long term and to continue reducing it if possible.

Aside from reductions in air emissions, there were also improvements in water pollution control. For example, metal emissions to water in Aurubis’ copper produc-tion have decreased from 7.2 to 2.9 g per ton of copper output since 2000, or by 60 %. The goal is to achieve a roughly 70 % reduction by 2015. Aurubis tries to re-cycle as much of the generated waste as possible. The recycling rates at all sites reached up to 99.9 % in 2011. We have established emergency plans at all sites for emergencies and accidents. They describe how to react so that environmental eff ects can be prevented or eff ectively limited. Furthermore, there are alarm and danger prevention plans for the individual produc-tion sites. We regularly test their functionality in emergency drills. The plants in Hamburg and Lünen also fulfi ll the requirements of the Hazardous Incident Ordinance.

Targets and challenges in Group environmental protectionThe new industrial emissions directive, which will be implemented in EU countries by 2013, sets new bench-marks and standards for industrial plants in Europe. This directive poses signifi cant additional challenges for industry. For example, new limit values are defi ned for air and water on the European level by stipulating the best available technology (BAT). Our 17 production sites across Europe have to achieve these limits within four years. Most of our plants are already part of the best available technology and set benchmarks in the BAT pro-cess (Seville Process).1 As a growing group with new sites, Aurubis is harmonizing environmental protection at a very high level. This process is cost-intensive and requires strategic planning for environmental investments.

We will also continue to deal with the issue of resource effi ciency. Indicators should be developed now in order to make resource effi ciency successes visible. It is important to establish them in a way that strength-ens environmentally friendly copper production and multi-metal recycling in Europe.

We would like to inform you about what we have achieved, the detailed targets and additional measures for the individual sites in this Environmental Report. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Best regards

Dr. Karin Hinrichs-Petersen Head of Group Environmental Protection

10

Air

Target until 2015:

» Reducing SO₂ emissions1 in primary copper production

by over 80 % compared to 2000

» Reducing dust emissions in copper production

by over 90 % compared to 2000

Water

Target until 2015:

Reducing metal emissions to water2

in copper production by about 70 %

compared to 2000

Example: Operating new water treatment plants in Pirdop and Lünen

Noise

Target:

Reducing noise emissions

Example: Erecting a noise barrier in Olen

Climate protection

Target: Continued reduction in CO₂ emissions

Examples:

» Constructing turbines to use waste heat in Hamburg and Lünen

» Optimizing suction plants at Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk

Waste

Target:

Increasing the recycling rates

Examples:

» Stronger marketing of fayalite in Pirdop

» Optimizing the separation plant at E. R. N.

Fig. 3: Targets in Group environmental protection until 2015

Fig. 6: Specifi c SO₂ emissions in primary copper production

in the Aurubis Group in kg/t of copper output

34.8 35.4 19.4 10.6 7.3 8.0 7.6 8.1 6.0 6.8 6.7 5.5

Fig. 7: Dust emissions in copper production

in the Aurubis Group in g/t of copper output

1,291 1,350 861 316 211 205 218 209 90 82 80 89

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

-84 % since 2000 -93 % since 2000

Fig. 4: Capital expenditure for environmental protection measures in copper production

in the Aurubis Group in € million

33.3 83.4 30.7 10.4 11.7 10.0 23.1 38.4 19.6 27.5 81.5 29.6

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Aurubis Pirdop: 7.6 kg SO₂/t Cu

Aurubis Hamburg: 4.3 kg SO₂/t Cu

Fig. 5: Highest environmental protection standard worldwide

SO₂ emissions of copper smelters in kg SO₂/t of copper output International copper smelters: 307 kg SO₂ / t Cu European copper smelters: 41 kg SO₂ / t Cu

Source: Brook Hunt, Copper Smelter Cost Service – 03/2011; certifi ed data


» The continuous improvement of water conservation, soil conservation and immission control is a key aim of environmental protection.

» For reasons of accountability, environmental and climate protection should be developed in such a way as to preserve natural resources and avoid or minimize the burdens on the environment and our employees.

» Issues of environmental protection should be taken into account equally in the planning and development of new products and production processes.

» Processed raw materials and intermediate products should be brought into the economic cycle as completely as possible and unavoidable waste should be properly recycled or harm-lessly disposed of. Raw material suppliers are advised on issues related to environmental protection if needed.

» Essential precautions to avoid accidents and operational disruptions are in place to prevent or minimize environmental hazards for our employees and neighbors as well as eff ects on the environment.

» Our employees’ sense of responsibility in environmental protection should be strengthened and an objective, open and respectful dialogue should take place with them, the relevant authorities and the public.

» Our customers are appropriately informed about the features of our products and necessary safety measures and are advised on questions related to product disposal.

» External companies working for us must be selected, informed and advised in such a way as to ensure that laws and our environmental protection standards are observed.

Compliance with these legal regulations is the basis and minimum standard of our activities.

Company guidelines and Group environmental protection guidelines

The former Luvata sites, which joined the Group in 2011, were integrated into Group environmental protection. After the good experience with the inte-gration of the former Cumerio sites in 2008, it is

now important to analyze how the environmental protection situation can be further developed at the new sites as well. The following principles are laid out in our company guidelines:

1 Sulfur dioxide emissions in 1 Sulfur dioxide emissions in 1

primary copper production and

dust emissions in copper produc-

tion have decreased considerably

since 2000. Now the target

is to maintain this level and to

continue reducing it if possible.

2 There are plans to reduce metal 2 There are plans to reduce metal 2

emissions to water from direct

discharge in copper production.

There has been a 60 % reduction

compared to 2000 and the goal

is to reach about 70 % by 2015.

12

Environmental Offi cers at the production sites

Plant Managers/Managing Directors at the production sites

Dr. Karin Hinrichs-PetersenHead of Group Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Hamburg

Chairman of the Executive Board Peter WillbrandtBusiness Unit Primary Copper

Group Environmental Protection

Aurubis assumes responsibility for environmental and climate protection, which are key issues in the com-pany’s strategy. Metals are necessary for technical progress and a high standard of living. Rising demand worldwide is met with limited resources, however. Metal recycling is therefore an important source of raw materials – especially for a country like Germany that lacks natural resources. It makes an important contri-bution to supply security, sustainability and resource protection.

Aurubis obtains raw materials from more than 50 coun-tries worldwide, with a focus on Europe for secondary raw materials. A number of recycling raw materials, for example circuit boards, copper pipes and electronic scrap, are purchased and processed as part of Aurubis’ multi-metal recycling. High volumes of recycling raw materials are processed into cathode copper and pre-cious metals at the Hamburg site as well. Since copper concentrate processing is an exothermic process, recy-cling materials can be melted when processing primary raw materials in Hamburg, practically without any addi tional energy.

We assume responsibility for environmentally friendly production with the highest energy effi ciency standard for climate protection and have established these targets in our company guidelines. Alignment with the market, orientation towards growth, a clear commit-ment to effi ciency and continuous improvement pro-cesses, high quality awareness in all sectors and ecolo-gical and social responsibility: all of these factors secure the future of the Group.

We pursue goal-oriented environmental protection with state-of-the-art technology. Expanding recycling in the Group helps to close material cycles in an en-vironmentally sound manner and therefore makes an important contribution to sustainable development. Beyond legal requirements, voluntary agreements like the chemical industry’s “Responsible Care” initiative are important instruments for Aurubis to continuously improve its environmental and health protection per-formance. Chairman of the Executive Board Peter Willbrandt oversees Group Environmental Protection.

Fig. 8: Organizational chart


Environmental management systemImplementing standards by means of

Environmental managementFormulating standards by means of

Process and operating instructionsManagement handbook Process descriptions

Group environmental policyLegal environmental requirements and standards

1 See Glossary, p. 59

Environmental inspection

Planning (environmental targets/measures) Implementation (e. g., via process changes or training)

Publishing the environmental performance

Correction, adjustment Monitoring (e. g., via environmental audits)

ISO 14001 /EMAS

ISO 14001 /EMAS

Chairman of the Executive Board Peter Willbrandt and Head of Group Environmental Protection Dr. Karin Hinrichs-Petersen are responsible for the strategic orientation of environmental protection in the Group. Environmental Offi cers oversee the environmental duties at the individual sites. With the involvement of employees, Plant Managers/Managing Directors and the Executive Board, uniform environmental protection standards were developed, established with Group guidelines and implemented across the Group as part of the environmental management system (ISO 140011or EMAS1).

The key environmental protection factors, which are uniform within the Group, are reviewed and certifi ed annually. An environmental exchange takes place across the Group and employees are trained on envi-ronmentally relevant topics regularly. Emergency plans or alarm and danger prevention plans have been estab-lished at all sites for emergencies and accidents. They ensure that environmental impacts are eff ectively avoided and that employees and the community are protected. We carry out training sessions and emer-gency drills regularly, documenting and evaluating the procedures. Emergency plans are developed in coor-dination with the responsible authorities. The Group environmental protection guidelines also include the tasks to implement the European chemical directive, REACH.1

Fig. 9: Environmental management in the Aurubis Group

14

1 Increase from 19 % to

27 % since 2006

2 Buildings, infrastructure

and vehicles have a

limited lifespan. Every

city changes; urban

mining basically means

that freed-up resources

are exploited and re-

turned to the material

cycle.

ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND: COPPER FROM AURUBIS

Copper – resource-efficient production, energy-efficient applications, recycling without a loss of quality

THE RAW MATERIALSA good two-thirds of our copper production results from the use of primary raw materials that we pur-chase worldwide – mainly from South America and Asia. Our suppliers include the largest international companies, such as Xstrata, Anglo American, Vale, Teck and Newmont. We prefer to develop long-term cooperation by means of contracts that often con-tinue for many years. We try to obtain declarations from our suppliers stating that the material they deliver was produced and ⁄or exported in compliance with valid laws, regulations, statutes or requirements of the country of origin and that they adhere to UN

sanctions or trade restrictions and UN conventions related to human rights, environmental protection and safety.

Most of our suppliers are part of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which is actively committed to sustainable raw material extraction.

We mainly purchase our secondary raw materials from Germany and other EU countries. In contrast to pri-mary raw materials, procurement is largely based on short-term delivery agreements. Secondary raw mate-rials now increasingly include complex end-of-life materials in addition to copper and copper alloy scrap and copper processing residues. In order to be able to use as many of the local secondary resources as possible in the scope of “urban mining”2, but also the growing quantity of electronic scrap from the ITand telecommunications sectors, we are expanding the processing capacities for these kinds of scrap and investing in state-of-the art facilities for multi-metal recycling (see p. 16, Lünen example).

A VALUABLE CYCLE Non-ferrous metals like copper are not used up but instead pass through the recycling process, therefore completely fulfi lling sustainability and resource effi -ciency requirements (see Fig. 10).

Shorter and shorter product lifecycles lead to a recy-cling raw material supply that is growing constantly and changing quickly. New technologies, legal stan-dards and product requirements lead to smaller and smaller amounts of recyclable raw materials being used in products. Even marginal quantities of copper and precious metals, for example from electronic scrap, can be almost completely recycled.

Recycling alone is not enough to cover the raw material demand, however (see Fig. 11). Aurubis currently covers about 27 % of its raw material demand with recycling material.1 The use of new technologies like electric cars increases copper demand; secondary raw materials alone are not suffi cient. The copper needed is still in use or is in the recycling process in some cases, so there is a lack of raw materials. Primary raw materials must fi rst be fed into the system for recycling to take place after they are used, which can lead to a delay of several years or even decades.

PRIMÄRKUPFERERZEUGUNG


1.4 0.7

0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1

0.40.4

0.7

0.73.2

8.5 12.5

4.1 0.9 4.1 0.9

1.3 2.0 1.3 2.0

1.0 0.3 1.0 0.3

0.70.7

4.0

PRIMARY COPPER PRO

DU

CTI

ON

R E C YCLIN

G

U S E

Fig. 11: The European copper market traditionally exhibits cathode defi cits

Copper production and demand by regions in 2011 (in million t) Copper surplus and defi cit by regions in 2011 (in million t) defi cit by regions in 2011 (in million t)

» With an average copper product lifespan of about 30 years, even recycling 100 % of the production volume from 30 years ago would not cover 50 % of today’s copper demand.

Fig. 10: A valuable cycle

“End-of-life” products“Urban mining”

FA

BR

ICA

TIO

N

Source: Wood Mackenzie, March 2012

Aurubis works with innovative and energy-effi cient plant technologies in environmen-tal protection, which set new benchmarks worldwide. The eff ects on the resources water, air and soil are kept to a minimum with the use of the best available technolo-gies and high environmental protection standards.

Aurubis processes a num-ber of diff erent recycling raw materials and has environmentally friendly and effi cient recycling options as part of the company’s multi-metal recycling.

No metal besides silver has higher electrical or thermal conductivity than copper. Copper therefore plays a key role in the switch to sustain-able energy production as well as increasing the effi ciency of products and applications.

Collecting, separating, sorting, treating

Copper as an effi ciency-increasing material

Copper production

16

Stefan Schmidt, Production Manager of Melting Operations at the Lünen Recycling Center and Dr. Mehmet Ayhan, Head of R&D Recycling, Production Management Lünen

A wide range of secondary raw materials are recycled in an environmentally sound and energy-saving process with the Kayser Recycling System (KRS) in our recycling center in Lünen. Apart from copper, precious metals, nickel, tin, lead and zinc are recovered as by-products. The use of increasingly complex raw materials, continu-ous optimization of the metal yield, including by-metals, and a fl exible raw material input – that is the strategy behind Aurubis’ multi-metal recycling, which combines resource and energy effi ciency. The KRS was expanded to include a top blown rotary converter (TBRC) in 2011 as part of the KRS-Plus project. The three furnaces process a larger volume of complex secondary materials such as electrical and electronic scrap, improve the overall metal yield and enable an additional input of up to 100,000 t of material containing low amounts of copper.

How long was the preparation for this project? Dr. Mehmet Ayhan: The fi rst ideas started in 2005/2006. Because of the extent of the capital expenditure, details about the material fl ows and the necessary changes to the previous process were specifi ed in 2007. Construction ended in 2011 and the fi rst melt was processed.

What was your function during the implementation of the project?Stefan Schmidt: Dr. Mehmet Ayhan is the process licensor. He oversaw all of the preliminary calculations regarding material balances, energy and metal distribution. At the same time, he led TBRC trials in Hamburg as well as at the RWTH

Aachen to review the theory and substantiate the metallur-gical process. I was responsible for the concept development, the personnel and the operating procedure for the new facility. The organizational and technical integration of the new furnace into the melting operations’ existing process was especially important.How was the start-up of the facility?Dr. Mehmet Ayhan: The start-up was very good. The facility reached about 85 % of its design capacity within two months. The plant’s design target was achieved consistently after six months. A team made up of engineers from the melting operations, research and the Lünen tankhouse was formed for the start-up. They oversaw the plant in three-shift operation.What is the status of the project today and what are the next steps? Stefan Schmidt: The key now is further optimizing the plant with respect to its metallurgical results. At the moment, trials are being carried out to produce a special, highly en-riched anode alloy.

AN EXAMPLE OF OUR COMMITMENT: IMPROVED MULTI-METAL RECYCLING IN OUR RECYCLING CENTER IN LÜNEN

KRS-Plus project: an intelligent solution for increasingly complex raw materials


Dr. Michael Hoppe, Operations and Technology Development, Business Line Flat Rolled Products & Specialty Wire

Because of their much lower energy consumption (71 % CO₂ savings potential) and considerably longer lifespan compared to conventional lighting, LED lamps are becoming more and more important, especially for lighting streets and open spaces. In cooperation with Aurubis Hamburg, Aurubis Stolberg developed solu-tions to produce strip made of special copper alloys1specifi cally for this use.

High-performance LEDs are operated with high currents, so good heat dissipation is very important. This require-ment is fulfi lled with so-called DBC (direct bonded copper). Thin copper strips are mounted on ceramic substrates on special circuit boards. In some designs, the copper conducting paths are then coated with gold or nickel.

The copper strips used in DBC fabrication have to be produced from high-purity copper alloys. This required completely new procedural solutions for production. Only these special fabrication processes ensure the highest quality requirements for DBC circuit board processing.

Dr. Michael Hoppe: I’ve worked at Aurubis since 1994 and have participated in many projects and supervised a number of technological developments. This project was very special, however, because we were able to make a high-performance product ready for production in only 18 months together with an inter-site team. We fulfi lled the technological re-quirements of a DBC world market leader in this short time. I’m especially proud of that. But it’s a well-known fact that research work never really ends, so we’re currently working on developing and optimizing this application.

AN EXAMPLE OF OUR COMMITMENT:

DEVELOPING PRODUCTS TOGETHER AT OUR SITES IN HAMBURG AND STOLBERG

Successfully increasing efficiency: copper in high-performance LEDs

1 In addition to its use

in DBC circuit boards,

copper is used in

copper-based alloys,

leadframes and heat

sinks in LED tech-

nology. These strip

products with special

surface quality stan-

dards are also a central

element of Aurubis

Stolberg’s product

range.

18

Environmental protection does not end at our plant boundaries. At the end of 2011 we opened two information centers in the neighboring cities of Pirdop and Zlatitsa, not only to give people an understanding of our work and to strengthen our dialogue with them, but also to create educational opportunities to raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage people to save resources. We would like to present two of these projects.

The Environmental Protection

Department also uses the

information centers in Pirdop

and Zlatitsa to intensify the

dialogue with the plant’s

neighbors. Angel Kostov, Head

of Environmental Protection

at Aurubis Bulgaria.

(below left) Bulgarian students

did outstanding climate protec-

tion work for Aurubis Bulgaria.

(below center) The proud artists

and their artwork on the theme

“My Green City”.

1 SPARE: School Project on

Application of Resources and

Energy

2 In 2010 Aurubis Bulgaria

started the “Green Project”,

which allows employees to

contribute to successful environ-

mental protection work. The

purpose of the project is to raise

awareness of environmental

protection in the long term with

the help of eff ective communi-

cation, including a logo, training

sessions and activities.

SPARE1: International educational project on energy, climate and environmental sustainability

Environmental protection is a challenge. Climate change on our planet is a serious concern and each person is responsible for the Earth’s future. The greater the energy effi ciency, the lower the CO₂ emissions that end up in the atmosphere. Changes have to be made in order to save electricity. We took on this task in 2011 as part of an EU program with 26 students in their fi nal year at the Savo Savov school (Pirdop): together with our colleagues in the Environmental Protection Department, they developed solutions to improve energy effi ciency at the Pirdop site – and they were so successful that the project was awarded a prize within the program.

Our target was to introduce the students to a real situation and let them work on a real project. Employ-ees gave them the responsibility of reducing the en-ergy consumption resulting from offi ce lighting, the fl otation plant and the green area in front of the ad-ministrative building. They quickly found a solution: replacing the lighting with LED lamps reduces electric-ity costs and is environmentally friendly (see p. 17). The lamps are recyclable and do not create any hazard-ous gases or dangerous emissions like ultraviolet or infrared rays, which are harmful for the eyes and sur-rounding objects.

An update on the “Green Project”: “My Green City” painting contest for children

In 2010 Aurubis Bulgaria started the “Green Project” with the purpose of creating stronger environmental awareness with a number of projects.2

Green Month took place in April 2012 as part of this project, which included the painting contest “My Green City” for children in 5th to 7th grade. They transferred their ideas to paper with bright colors. Beauty and harmony abound in the cities that they showed. We fully achieved our goal of helping children think about the environment in an artistic way.

AN EXAMPLE OF OUR COMMITMENT:

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND EDUCATION AT OUR SITE IN PIRDOP, BULGARIA

AURUBIS BULGARIA INFORMATION CENTERS

Dialogue with neighbors How long have you participated in this project? How long have you worked for Aurubis?Draga Sapundjieva: I’ve been working on this project since December 2011. I’ve been at Aurubis for over six years, and I’ve been responsible for our company’s social projects in the region for four years now.

Do you have the feeling that people’s view of Aurubis has changed?Draga Sapundjieva: There has been a very positive reaction to the information centers. We want to approach people openly and engage in a dialogue. This makes the local citizens more receptive to us.

What infl uence do the information centers have on the projects? Does the work get easier as time goes on? Are there any new contacts?Draga Sapundjieva: The information centers are the heart of the projects. Everything is easier because Aurubis ap-proaches people and listens to them. This has led to a num-ber of new contacts.

What successes motivate you? Have there been any setbacks?Draga Sapundjieva: It’s motivating to meet with people every day and answer their questions and address their concerns. Aurubis has become an involved citizen – that makes me proud. Visitors who have a negative attitude and don’t trust the information centers are frustrating. But I still believe in the necessity of this initiative and its positive eff ect.

What about the children? Do they appreciate the projects?Draga Sapundjieva: The children view all of our projects positively and participate actively in them. I’m happy when they say, ‘Aurubis is my friend’.

What’s planned for next year?Draga Sapundjieva: We’re planning new projects for stu-dents. Our priority is always the environment. We will of course continue to maintain contact with the local citizens and inform them about what we do.

Draga Sapundjieva,

Coordinator for Social Projects and Information Centers, Aurubis Bulgaria

20

The REACH directive went into force in the European Union on June 1, 2007. REACH stands for “Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals”. The objective of the directive is to collect information on all of the materials on the market in the EU following the principle of “no data, no market” and to protect people and the environment using appropriate mea-sures. Producers and importers have to register their chemicals in accordance with REACH. Data on the physical, chemical, human toxicological and ecotoxico-logical properties must be compiled as part of the registration process.

The registration deadlines and requirements for the registration dossiers depend on the produced or impor-ted material quantities and the properties of the ma-terials. December 1, 2010 was the fi rst registration dead-line for the REACH directive. Aurubis submitted the registration dossiers for all sites successfully and on time to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA). Prepa-rations are currently being made for the second regis-tration deadline in June 2013.

Daniela Cholakova: Implementing REACH poses a big challenge for the next few years. I’ve been part of Aurubis since the acquisition of the Belgian copper producer Cumerio in 2008 and have been working on this issue since then. At the moment we’re continuing to implement the experi-ence and proven approaches from the fi rst registration phase; we’re expanding documentation and leading an intensive exchange with downstream users, associations and the ECHA.

Dr. Jörn Mühlenfeld: We’re coordinating the group-wide fulfi llment of the REACH requirements centrally in Ham-burg. In addition, we have contacts at the individual sites who are responsible for on-site implementation. This is incredibly important in an expanding group; the Group just grew again last year with the acquisition of the former Luvata sites.What has really stood the test of time during the fi rst regis-tration phase: Aurubis was already organized early on in a number of consortia on the European level together with other companies. I think this exchange is very exciting and rewarding.

DR. JÖRN MÜHLENFELD AND DANIELA CHOLAKOVA, REACH TEAM, HAMBURG SITE

Implementing REACH at Aurubis

(from l. to r.) Dr. Jörn Mühlenfeld, Group Environmental Protection, Hamburg site; Daniela Cholakova, Group Environmental Protection, Hamburg site; Georgi Nikolov, General Secretary,

Aurubis Bulgaria, Pirdop site; Dr. Günther Leuprecht, Production Manager for the Tankhouse and Chemical Plants, Hamburg site; Dr. Andreas Specht, Head of Primary Copper, Hamburg site

Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions dated November 24, 2010 forms the basis of permits for industrial plants in Europe with particular environmen-tal relevance. This new directive develops the guiding principle of sustainable production. The target is to achieve a high level of protection for the environment overall.

To establish the best available technologies (BAT) and new environmental standards, the European Commis-sion has organized an informational exchange be-tween the EU Member States, the industries aff ected and environmental associations (Seville Process).1The BAT fact sheet for the non-ferrous metals industry is currently being revised. Since the emission values described in the conclusion will be binding in the future (see p. 10), it must be ensured that it is possible for companies to adhere to them in practice.

The BAT fact sheets include detailed information on the technologies used, their operating conditions and the emission values that can be achieved with them. This makes them very complex. Aurubis is actively helping to shape this process; experts from the entire group from administration and the plants are inten-sively working on them, applying their expert knowl-edge. Some of these employees are featured in the photo above.

Dr. Hanno Hintze: A critical issue so that old and new indus-trial plants consistently fulfi ll the BAT implications and can BAT implications and can BAT

be operated legally is appropriate consideration of the individual processes of the plants, which are very diff erent in some cases. Many plants are operated under variable process conditions, so in contrast to constant conditions, an ideal value cannot always be achieved. Practical regulations are therefore absolutely essential.

DR. HANNO HINTZE, HEAD OF ACID PLANTS, HAMBURG SITE

New EU directives define future environmental requirements in the Aurubis Group


(from l. to r.) Dr. Hanno Hintze, Head of Acid Plants, Hamburg site; Christian Plitzko, Head of Recycling/Precious Metals, Hamburg site;

Christiane Henke, Group Environmental Protection, Hamburg site; Arne Schilling, Group Environmental Protection, Hamburg site; André Weishaupt,

Group Environmental Protection, Hamburg site; Filip Lecomte, Head of Environmental Protection and Plant Security, Aurubis Belgium, Olen site

22

Climate protection and energy management:energy optimizations, energy management systems

Intensive work is being carried out to utilize accumu-lated waste heat at all Aurubis sites. In this way, waste heat can almost completely cover the heat and pro-cess steam supply at the Pirdop, Lünen and Hamburg sites.

A steam turbine for electricity production has been installed in Hamburg to utilize waste heat and the pressure gradient between steam pressure levels. A second turbine is under construction. A similar turbine is in the implementation phase in Lünen, while in Pirdop, work continues on optimal waste heat use.

Environmental and climate protection are guiding principles in Aurubis’ company strategy and are con-sistently established at all of the Group sites. Aurubis holds a leading position in energy effi ciency when compared internationally (see Fig. 12).

The Energy Aff airs department was formed and comprehensive energy management systems (EMS) were developed in order to use additional energy optimization potential. Individual sites are connected to each other so that there can be an informational exchange across site boundaries. For the three sites currently certifi ed in accordance with EMAS, an additional certifi cation in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001 is planned for 2013, which serves as a guide for sustainably increasing energy effi ciency with the help of an energy management system (see Fig. 13, p. 23).

Fig. 12: From anode to cathode: energy effi ciency comparison of the copper industry’s tankhouses

in MJ/ t of cathodes in 2010

Source: Brook Hunt, a Wood Mackenzie Company, Copper Refi nery Cost Service – Summary and Analysis – February 2012

Latin A

merica

North A

merica

Europe

Aurubis

HamburgAfri

ca

Rest of A

siaChina

Japan

Australia

3,359 2,839 1,487 2,442 3,285 1,867 2,3413,3332,265

Europe

Africa

Rest of A

sia

Latin A

merica

Aurubis

Hamburg

Australia

Europe

Aurubis

Hamburg


Fig. 13: Sites with energy management systems (EMS)

Site EMS established EMS certified Certificate

Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk 2003 2003 EMAS

Aurubis AG, Hamburg site 2008 2010 EMAS

Aurubis AG, Lünen site 2010 2010 EMAS

Aurubis Bulgaria 2010

Aurubis Stolberg 2012 2012 DIN EN ISO 50001:2011

Deutsche Giessdraht 2012 2012 DIN EN ISO 50001:2011

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel, Fehrbellin site 2012 2012 DIN EN ISO 50001:2011

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel, Strass site 2012 2012 DIN EN ISO 50001:2011

gered by carbon leakage (the relocation of CO₂ emis-sions). The copper sector is generally recognized as an industry subject to this risk. The EU assistance guide-line explicitly mentions the copper sector. Benchmarksstill have to be defi ned by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition.

The development of an electricity effi ciency bench-mark does not make sense, however, as the European copper industry uses a broad variety of production processes. The copper industry would thus be part of the fallback area1 as in the allocation rules for direct CO₂ emissions. Aurubis therefore advocates for the selection of reasonable compensation criteria for the copper sector.

EMISSIONS TRADINGThe European Union introduced European emissions trading at the company level on January 1, 2005 as an instrument to fulfi ll the joint emission reduction obligation.

In addition to the Hamburg site, the sites in Emmerich, Lünen, Olen, Pirdop and Stolberg (Schwermetall) will take part in CO₂ emissions trading starting in 2013. An application for free allocation for direct CO₂ emissions was submitted on time and notifi cation is expected in late 2012. Only then will it be clear whether suffi cientfree certifi cates can be issued or an additional pur-chase is necessary.

Article 10a no. 6 of the CO₂ emissions trading directive states that arrangements may be made for complete compensation of indirect CO₂ costs in the individual Member States’ electricity prices for industries endan-

Energy team at Aurubis (from l. to r.): Thorsten Stölcken, Energy Management Offi cer; Ulf Gehrckens, Head of Group Energy Aff airs; Christian Hein, Energy Aff airs

1 A general factor of

70 % is currently being

discussed, which would

reduce compensation

by 30 %.

24

» The accelerated energy turnaround requires grid capacities to be expanded.

Source: NEP 2012, August 2012, www.netzentwicklungsplan.de

In Northern Germany, the grid situation in Hamburg in particular is problematic because Brokdorf is the only power plant on the grid after the shutdown of the power plants Krümmel, Brunsbüttel and Unterweser. The coal power plant Moorburg will only be able to close the gap starting in 2014 due to construction delays.

Because of the existing grid problems, it must be en-sured that net capacity is expanded at the same time that production capacity is increased. According to an estimate from the German Energy Agency (dena), Germany will lack at least 3,600 additional grid kilo-meters as well as 1,550 kilometers of undersea cable for connections to off shore wind farms until 2020. The gap between Schwerin and Hamburg/Krümmel in the 380 kV grid is largely responsible for the lack of grid stability in Northern Germany (see Fig. 14).

In winter 2011/12 Aurubis took measures to prevent large-scale damages to its facilities so that operations could be started up again after the supply had been restored. For example, Aurubis rented emergency power generators to secure the electricity supply in the case of a blackout, mainly in order to empty the furnaces so that the liquid melt does not harden in them, which would lead to irreversible damage. For winter 2012/13 the German Federal Network Agen-cy expects a similarly critical situation in the elec-tricity grid like in the past winter. Aurubis is therefore reviewing suitable protective measures again.

THE EFFECTS OF THE ACCELERATED ENERGY TURNAROUNDFollowing the Fukushima disaster, a resolution on an

“accelerated energy turnaround” was passed in Germany in summer 2011. Signifi cant elements include phasing out nuclear energy by late 2022, expanding the pro-portion of renewable energies to make up at least 35 %of gross electricity production and reducing green-house gas emissions by 40 %. At the same time, eight nuclear power plants (including Brunsbüttel, Unter-weser and Krümmel in Northern Germany) were shut down completely.

The German Federal Network Agency’s report on the situation of the electricity grid in winter 2011/12 states that the situation was very tense and that the supply was only secured with signifi cant interventions by the grid operator. The number of interventions by the grid operator that were required to maintain grid stability in both power plant schedules and in the electricity feed have increased drastically. It was impossible to cover domestic demand with domestic production facilities in some cases. Therefore, power plants (so-called cold reserves) in other European countries were involved in stabilizing the German electricity grid.

Fig. 14: Reinforcing and adding to the grid in Germany

“Lead Scenario B 2022” of the grid development plan Grid expansion Grid reinforcement

14

10

15

16

21

12

1198

13

76543

17

Aurubis Group production sites and Slitting Centers Page

1 Aurubis AG, Hamburg Hamburg, headquarters (D) 26

1 Elektro-Recycling NORD GmbH Hamburg (D) 36

1 Peute Baustoff GmbH Hamburg (D) 56

2 CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH Fehrbellin (D) 34

3 Aurubis U. K. Ltd. Smethwick / Birmingham (UK) 58

4 Aurubis Netherlands BV Zutphen (NL) 44, 58

5 Aurubis Belgium nv/sa Olen (B) 32

6 Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH Emmerich (D) 50

7 Aurubis AG, Lünen Lünen (D) 28

8 Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG Stolberg (D) 46

8 Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG Stolberg (D) 52

9 RETORTE GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metals Röthenbach (D) 54

10 CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH Nersingen, Strass (D) 34

11 Aurubis Slovakia s. r. o. Dolný Kubín (SK) 58

12 Aurubis Mortara SRL Mortara (I) 58

13 Aurubis Bulgaria AD Pirdop (BG) 30

14 Aurubis Italia Srl Avellino (I) 42

15 Aurubis Sweden AB Finspång and Västerås (SE) 48

16 Aurubis Finland Oy Pori (FI) 40

17 Aurubis Buff alo Inc. Buff alo (US) 38

Site Reports

2626

Site employees

2,200Grouptotal

6,300

Hamburg, Germany

Employees

KEY ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS AND MEASURES


successfully completed in progress not achieved

Constructing and operating a turbine to produce electricity

from waste heat in the primary copper production sector

(CO₂ reduction of 5,000 t annually)

Start of construction in December 2011;

to be completed in 2013

» Largest site and administrative headquarters

» Site size: 870,000 m2

» Certifi cation: EMAS1, ISO 140011, ISO 50001, ISO 90011

Aurubis AG, Hamburg located in Hamburg, Germany

Main products at the site by Business Unit

BU Primary Copper BU Recycling/Precious Metals BU Copper Products

Continuous cast wire rod 249,000 t

Sulfuric acid 1,037,000 t Silver, gold and selenium 1,600 t Continuous cast shapes 179,000 t

Iron silicate 676,000 t

Measure Degree of implementation/Date/Next steps

A bulk goods warehouse will be built in the northern storage

area. In addition, the crusher will be integrated into the

warehouse concept. The objective of this measure is to reduce

fugitive emissions from the northern storage area.

Authorization was issued. The warehouse was completed in

fall 2011, integration of the crusher in the warehouse concept

in summer 2012

Emissions: Reducing dust emissions by 9 t per year


Pilot scheme supported by the German Federal Environment

Ministry: Use of a membrane fi lter press that can be heated

and evacuated for drying metallurgical slimes

Lowering the energy demand by up to 35 %; reducing CO₂ by

about 460 t annually

Implementation in 2013

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Lowering the energy demand in precious metal recovery

Status

Status

Feasibility study on further reducing fugitive emissions in the

primary copper production sector

Analyses until 2012; assessment in 2013

Cathodes 367,000 t

27AURUBIS – ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2012 27AURUBIS – ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2012

Specifi c energy consumption

at the Hamburg site in MWh/t of copper output

4.6 2.5 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.4 2.3

Dust emissions

at the Hamburg site in g/t of copper output

540 133 100 89 90 93 94 93 101

1990 2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

1990 2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

Thoralf Schlutzkus (Plant Manager)

Orhan Cekel (Environmental Offi cer)

Aurubis AG, Hamburg

“We are committed to conserving and maintaining resources; in our integrated copper production plant

in the middle of the city of Hamburg, 99 % of all input materials are converted into products – at the

highest environmental protection standard.”

The largest Aurubis AG production site and the Group headquarters is located on the Elbe island Peute, only about four kilometers as the crow fl ies from Ham-burg’s city hall.

The plant was constructed in 1908 on an area of about 870,000 m2 in Peute, an industrial inland harbor area in the Veddel district. Following reconstruction after World War II, the production facilities were continu-ously expanded and steadily modernized. Today Aurubis AG’s Hamburg site is one of the world’s most state-of-the-art primary and secondary copper smelt-ers and has an authorized production capacity of 450,000 t of copper cathodes each year. About 2,200 personnel are employed at the Hamburg site, including around 180 apprentices.

The main raw materials in copper production are copper concentrates (processed copper ores) and recycling materials (including electrical and elec -tronic scrap). Pure copper results from the diff erent raw materials following the smelting process in the tankhouse.

Additionally, precious metals, nickel, lead and zinc as well as iron silicate products and sulfuric acid are obtained from – in some cases – very complex input materials in the scope of multi-metal recycling. Aurubis uses the properties of copper and other metals to enable recycling without a loss of quality.

» Projects to reduce fugitive emissions currently take top priority

following the focus on direct emissions in the 1990s. It is there-

fore crucial for Aurubis to develop innovative environmental

protection technologies, breaking new technical ground in the

process.

»The nominal increase in dust emissions in 2011 is based on arith-

metical grounds; it can be attributed to the authorities’ new

nationwide calculation standards. Dust emissions did not actually

increase.

» Specifi c energy consumption1 has stagnated at the Hamburg

site during the past few years due to the increase in the pro-

portion of facilities producing products other than copper.

This leads to higher total energy consumption but not a higher

copper quantity.

» In the long-term view, specifi c energy consumption, which is

the main indicator for energy-effi cient production, has de-

creased signifi cantly at the Hamburg production site in the

last several years – by 51 % compared to 1990.

1 The main energy

sources at the Ham-

burg site are electricity

and natural gas

The Hamburg site’s

detailed EMAS Envi-

ronmental Statement

is available on our

website (in German):

www.aurubis.com/en/

responsibility/environ-

ment/

2828

Site employees

550Grouptotal

6,300

Lünen, Germany

Employees




2 Top blown rotary

converter


BU Primary Copper BU Recycling/Precious Metals BU Recycling/Precious Metals

Cathodes 211,000 t

Iron silicate sand 166,000 t

Other by-metal products 29,000 t

(nickel sulfate, tin-lead, etc.)

» Largest copper recycling site worldwide

» Site size: 316,000 m2

» Certifi cation: EMAS1, ISO 140011, ISO 90011

Aurubis AG, Lünen located in Lünen, Germany


In connection with the primary smelter’s additional fi lter and

TBRC2 fi lter 7, there are now plans to completely close the ridge

turret.

The anode smelter’s suction line was extended over the

entire primary smelter roof to the tin-lead furnace in mid-2011.

Since the primary smelter’s additional fi lter has had limited

availability up to now, only part of it was connected over the

tin-lead furnace.

Emissions: Reducing fugitive emissions from the tin-lead furnace by more than 90 %Status


Developing a wastewater/process water concept based on

rainwater retention

The rainwater retention concept is fi nished and the

authorization process is in progress.

Emissions: Optimizing wastewater currentsStatus


The objective is to cover at least 10 % of the plant’s electricity

demand by using the KRS waste heat steam; after analyzing the

individual alternatives, the plan is now to use a steam turbine

to produce electricity internally.

Planning has been completed; the authorization process is

in progress and start-up is planned for 2013.

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Increasing energy effi ciencyStatus

Separate treatment of sanitation water There is already a concept and detailed planning is underway.


Specifi c energy consumption

at the Lünen site in MWh/t of copper output

5.5 3.7 2.9 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6

Dust emissions

at the Lünen site in g/t of copper output

1,063 498 379 282 307 219 164 154 175

1990 2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

1990 2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

Dr. Franz-Josef Westhoff (Plant Manager)

Dr. Claus Meyer-Wulf (Head of the Environmental Protection Department, Environmental Offi cer)

Dr. Hendrik Roth (Deputy Head of the Environmental Protection Department)

Aurubis AG, Lünen

“The outstanding event in 2011 was the successful implementation of the KRS-Plus project, which

signifi cantly increased the capacity and range of multi-metal recycling at the Lünen site yet again.

Furthermore, we were able to set new benchmarks with respect to progressive environmental

protection with state-of-the-art facilities.”

1 Top blown rotary

converter


The Lünen site’s

detailed EMAS Envi-

ronmental Statement

is available on our

website (in German):

www.aurubis.com/en/

responsibility/

environment/

production-sites/

luenen/

Aurubis AG’s Lünen plant was commissioned in 1916 as a branch plant of Hüttenwerke Kayser. Norddeutsche Affi nerie AG acquired the majority of Hüttenwerke Kayser AG shares in 2000 and the plant was expanded to become the Group’s recycling center. In the mean-time, the site has 550 employees, including more than 40 apprentices.

Today Aurubis AG’s Lünen site is the largest secondary copper smelter in the world with an annual production capacity of 210,000 t of copper cathodes.

In addition to the usual recycling raw materials like copper scrap and other scrap, slimes and residues, complex materials are increasingly used in copper production, especially electrical and electronic scrap. The core facility for metallurgical processes has been the Kayser Recycling System (KRS) since 2002, which was supplemented by a so-called “TBRC”1 in mid-2011. Zinc-bearing KRS oxide, iron silicate sand (slag gran-ules), lead-tin alloy, nickel and copper sulfate as well as anode slimes are produced as by-products of multi-metal recycling.

» Emissions of dust and dust components (Cu, Pb, As, etc.) have

decreased signifi cantly at the Lünen site due to reduction

measures during the past few years. The fi gures shown also in -

corporate fugitive emissions, including storage and transship-

ment. The moderate increase in 2011 is a result of more recent

recordings and a change in the evaluation process.

» Only about 1 % of the total emissions of dust and dust compo-

nents originate from the TBRC1.

» Energy is primarily used to heat the metallurgical plants

(mainly heating oil) and for the tankhouse (electricity). The

KRS and anode furnace waste heat boilers produce most

of the steam for the leaching plant and tankhouse. There are

also two extra boilers fueled with light oil or natural gas.

»The energy consumption for the throughput increases in KRS2

and the anode furnaces was largely compensated for by

increasing energy effi ciency.

» 30 % of the electricity demand at the Lünen site is required

for environmental protection measures.

3030

Site employees

800

Pirdop, Bulgaria

Employees




Group total

6,300



Cathodes 226,330 t

Sulfuric acid 1,060,079 t

» Link to the Southeast European markets

» Site size: 4,000,000 m2

» Certifi cation: ISO 140011, ISO 90011

Aurubis Bulgaria ADlocated in Pirdop, Bulgaria


Investment project “Aurubis Bulgaria 2014” with a capital

expenditure volume of € 44.2 million, € 26 million of which is

allocated to environmental protection measures: (1) increasing

the concentrate drying plant’s fi lter capacity; (2) extensive

capture and cleaning of fugitive emissions in a fi ltration plant

Implementation by 2014;

detailed planning mostly fi nished

Emissions: Reducing air emissionsStatus


Renovating and expanding domestic and process

water treatment

Completed in 2011

Emissions: Optimizing water conservationStatus


Stronger marketing of fayalite, e. g., as an aggregate in

cement production

Ongoing

Resource protection: Increasing the recycling rateStatus

New mobile vacuum cleaning system In operation since 2011

Constructing an additional treatment plant for cleaning

surface water

Construction starts in 2013


Sulfur dioxide emissions

at the Pirdop site in kg/t of copper output

123.9 16.6 17.7 19.0 10.1 9.9 11.2 7.6

2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

Dust emissions

at the Pirdop site in kg/t of copper output

8,939 637 869 859 115 114 124 118

2000 2005 2007 2009 2011

Nicolas Treand (Executive Director of Aurubis Bulgaria)

Angel Kostov (Environmental Offi cer)

Aurubis Bulgaria, Pirdop

“At the end of 2011 we opened information centers in Pirdop and Zlatitsa to provide the local

community with information about our environmental protection successes in a direct dialogue.

A plant having contact with its neighbors is still very rare in Bulgaria, which made people even

more receptive to our eff orts. This is just as important to us as the fact that we fulfi ll all of the

environmental requirements.”

1 Lloyd’s Register

Quality Assurance

2 The information

centers are open daily

to answer people’s

questions and

strengthen communi-

cation with them, for

example with event

programs. Find more

information on our

website:

www.aurubis.com/

bulgaria/responsibility/

information-centers/

3 IPPC stands for

Integrated Pollution

Prevention and

Control. The target of

the EU directive: to

pursue a high level of

environmental protec-

tion (air, water, soil)

using the best available

technologies.

The site in Pirdop, Bulgaria provides Aurubis with access to the Southeast European market. The smelter has been in existence since 1958 and has meanwhile been expanded into a state-of-the-art plant. Nearly 800 employees produce anodes, cathodes and sulfuric acid.

The entire plant has been audited and certifi ed in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard since March 2006. In 2012 the certifi cate was once again renewed by LRQA1 and is valid until March 2015.

Signifi cant progress has been made in the environ-mental sector in recent years at the Pirdop site. The production processes have become more effi cient, and modern off -gas cleaning and wastewater treatment facilities have been installed. These eff orts have re-duced the plant’s specifi c energy consumption and emissions to air and water.

Aurubis Bulgaria’s highest priority is continuous pro-duction process optimization in order to reduce envi-ronmental impact.

In December 2011 Aurubis Bulgaria opened two infor-mation centers in the neighboring cities of Pirdop and Zlatitsa to promote dialogue with local citizens. The project serves to implement the company’s communi-cation and social principles.2

»The low level of air pollution in the Pirdop plant area today is

a result of the continuous development of the production

processes and the permanent operation of the gas cleaning

system. The secondary off -gases’ sulfur dioxide values (all

captured emissions) are well below the limits established in

the EU’s IPCC directive.3

» Specifi c emissions of SO₂, dust and the metals contained

in it have been reduced by 95 % since 2000. The 2011 results

confi rm that the values are still low and comply with the

established standards.

3232

Site employees

470

Olen, Belgium

Employees


Group total

6,300



» Central location for the West European markets

» Site size: 328,218 m2




Rod 235,000 t

Specialty rod 21,000 t

Bars & Profi les 5,000 t

Aurubis Belgium nv/salocated in Olen, Belgium

Cathodes 347,000 t


Improving the capture of the Contimelt facility’s fugitive

emissions (the off -gas systems were already optimized in 2010)

Partially implemented, completion in late 2013

Emissions: Reducing air emissions Status


Constructing a noise barrier along the main public road Construction started in late 2011;

successfully completed in April 2012

Emissions: Reducing noise emissions Status


Constructing a heat recovery system for the Conform1

facility

System currently being installed,

completed at the end of 2012

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing CO₂ emissionsStatus

Controlling the volume fl ow of the wastewater treatment

plant’s feed pumps


The rinse water treatment in the Contirod facility was

switched from lime to sodium hydroxide as a neutralizing

agent.

Successfully implemented in 2011

Emissions: Improving water conservationStatus


Jo Rogiers (Plant Manager)

Filip Lecomte (Environmental Offi cer)

Aurubis Belgium, Olen

“In the past few years, Aurubis Belgium has intensively worked to reduce emissions to air and water.

In addition to these important factors, we also addressed other environmental areas. For example,

a noise barrier was built to reduce the impacts of noise on the surrounding neighborhood. Additional

measures to reduce fugitive emissions will follow.”

Aurubis Belgium in Olen is the gateway to the West European market. About 470 personnel are employed at Aurubis Belgium, some of whom do administrative work in Brussels. In 2011 the Olen plant produced 186,000 t of anodes, 347,000 t of cathodes, 235,000 t of rod and 21,000 t of specialty rod.

In 2009 an environmental permit valid for 20 years was issued for all activities at the Olen site. Aurubis views this as an incentive to continue improving envi-ronmental protection in the future.

There are plans to install three wind turbines in Olen; a joint project involving Electrabel (an electricity pro-ducer) in cooperation with Umicore and Aurubis start-ed in 2011. At the moment (summer 2012), the applica-tion fi les for the building and environmental permits are being made up.

Since June 2011 two automatic measuring devices in the plant’s entryway have inspected delivered scrap for radioactivity. In spring 2012 the noise barrier was completed, which shields the nearby residential areas from noise emissions from the scrap yard.

»The ongoing optimization of wastewater treatment and a new

chemical reactor have considerably reduced the metal emissions

in surface water in the past few years.

» Measures to lower the infl uence of wastewater on the Olens

Broek natural reserve are being discussed with local authorities.

» Natural gas, electricity and steam are the most important

energy sources for the processes.

» Many projects, including projects that extend beyond the

plant, are dedicated to energy effi ciency and CO₂ reduction.

For example, a new combined heat and power plant was built

in cooperation with Umicore and started up in June 2010.

Metal emissions in water

at the Olen site in g/t of copper output

3.5 2.3 2.0 0.8 0.7

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Direct CO₂ emissions

at the Olen site in t CO₂/t of copper output

0.11 0.11 0.09 0.09 0.09

3434

Site employees

582

Strass, Germany

Fehrbellin, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300

successfully completed in progress not achieved 1 See Glossary, p. 59

2 42 Fehrbellin, 16 Strass



Copper products 13,000 t

Plastic products 6,000 t

Aluminum products 1,100 t

» Specialist in cable recycling

» Site size: about 47,500 m2 (Fehrbellin: 32,500 m2, Strass: 15,000 m2)

» Certifi cation: ISO 140011, ISO 50001, ISO 90011

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH located in Fehrbellin and Strass, Germany


After restoring the wastewater network at the Fehrbellin site

(2011), a similar overhaul is planned at the Strass site.

Concept developed; details are being planned

Emissions: Modernizing water pollution control facilitiesStatus


Building an additional warehouse for dry storage of

PVC-bearing plastic mill feed; this will avoid fugitive dust

emissions during transshipment despite higher external

delivery volumes.

Under construction

Completion was put off due to delays in the authorization

procedure; September 2012

Emissions: Reducing fugitive dust emissions at the Fehrbellin siteStatus


Introducing an environmental management system in

accordance with ISO 14001 at both CABLO sites

System introduced and certifi ed

Optimizing environmental protection processesStatus


Electronically recording the dismantling facilities’ energy

consumption

Fehrbellin: Currently being implemented

Strass: In the planning stage

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Optimizing environmental protection proceduresStatus

Introducing an energy management system in accordance

with ISO 50001 at both CABLO sites

System introduced and certifi ed

Electronically recording the trucks’ fuel consumption; data

analysis to minimize fuel consumption

Recording devices commissioned


Dust emissions

at the Fehrbellin and Strass sites in g/t of metal output1

85 90 81 12 14

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Plastic waste recycling

at the Fehrbellin and Strass sites in t

1,976 1,907 3,641 5,228 5,950

PVC-bearing plastic waste from internal cable dismantling

PVC-bearing plastic waste from other companies

136 157 1,392 2,137 2,008

1,840 1,750 2,249 3,091 3,942

Dr. Michael Liesegang (Managing Director)

Arne Senftleben (Management Representative)

CABLO Metall-Recycling & Handel GmbH, Fehrbellin

“Some welcome changes have taken place here during the last year: we successfully started the environ-

mental and energy management systems and have had the external audit certifi cates since July. We

have come signifi cantly closer to our target of increasing energy effi ciency and environmental per-

formance. An automated device for recording the energy consumption of the cable dismantling facili-

ties will be set up this year since these facilities are our biggest electricity consumers. We’re already

looking forward to reporting additional successes next year.”

1 In contrast to past

reporting, the emis-

sions are related

to product quantities

instead of input

quantities.

2 The values for the

previous years were

calculated based on

earlier recordings.

CABLO Metall-Recycling und Handel GmbH (CABLO) is a 100 % Aurubis Group subsidiary specializing in metal-plastic separation. Cable product waste and used cable scrap in particular are recycled at the two sites in Fehrbellin and Strass. CABLO closes material cycles with its services by supplying the cable industry with raw materials recovered in the Group in a usable form such as copper cathodes, copper wire rod and conductive aluminum.

CABLO produces limited emissions due to the mechanical work processes. The focus of the environ-mental work is therefore reducing specifi c energy consumption while simultaneously increasing material recovery rates. The existing quality management system in accordance with ISO 9001 was thus expand-ed to an integrated system. In 2012 an environmental and energy management system in accordance with ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, respectively, was imple-mented and successfully certifi ed. There are still plans to set up data recording systems in the energy sector in 2012.

» In dismantling facilities, the cable insulation is separated

from the metal core with cutting and grinding processes. The

facilities’ exhaust air is completely suctioned off and fi ltered

before being discharged into the ambient air.

»The strong decrease in emissions, especially in 2010, is due

to new recordings2 which prove the success of the emission

reduction measures carried out in the past several years.

» In the internal recycling process, PVC-bearing mill feed is

processed into standardized products for the transport sector,

for example base plates for delineator posts. In addition

to internal mill feed, residues from other companies are also

recycled.

» After dismantling the cable, non-PVC-bearing plastic and

residual waste are directed to an external recycling or dis-

posal company. The recycling rate was over 99 % in 2011.

3636

Site employees

13

Hamburg, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300




Electrical and

electronic scrap 17,000 t

» Specialist in recycling electrical and electronic devices

» Site size: 6,417 m2


Elektro-Recycling NORD GmbHlocated in Hamburg, Germany


Modifying the separation technology: Achieving a higher

sorting quality by sorting with state-of-the-art separating

equipment (optic, sensory)

Discharging the plastic parts and cleaning the aluminum parts,

concentrating the non-ferrous metal fraction

Reducing energy consumption by modernizing operations

Normal operations started up in 2012.

Resource effi ciency: Reducing residual waste and improving options for further utilizationStatus


Voluntary hazardous substance recordings on the entire

plant property, taking the Technical Rules for Hazardous

Substances into account

Carried out in 2012

Emissions: Protecting employees from hazardous materialsStatus


Building stone partition walls in all outside storage areas First part completed in 2011, second step in 2012

Emissions: Reducing fugitive dust emissions Status

Recording the separation plant’s emissions after the renovation

(BlmSchG, German immission control law )

Carried out in 2012



Input Processing Output

Recycling at E. R. N.

at the Hamburg site

E. R. N.

Internal material recycling

Plastic fraction

Iron (Fe)

Aluminum (Al)

Precious metal-bearing circuit boards

Used electrical devices

Oliver Carstens (Managing Director)

Norbert Barth (Environmental Offi cer)

E. R. N., Hamburg

“We take electrical and electronic scrap and make raw materials that are returned to the material cycle.

This contributes to environmental protection and resource conservation, just like the measures in our

environmental program. Since being certifi ed in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14001 in 2004, we have

compiled a new catalogue of measures each year. The improvements must make sense from both an

ecological and an economic perspective.”

Elektro-Recycling NORD (E. R. N.) is a 100 % Aurubis subsidiary that specializes in recycling all kinds of electrical and electronic devices. The extensive service-oriented solutions for waste issues guarantee confor-mity with the provisions of waste and recycling man-agement law. The company’s customers include large international fi rms, small enterprises and private individuals.

E. R. N. is a member of the Quality Association for Electronic Scrap in the Federation of German Metal Traders and follows the principles of comprehensive resource recycling. E. R. N. makes raw materials out of scrap, returning the valuable substances to the material cycle in an environmentally friendly manner. E. R. N.’s service catalogue consists of disassembling, recycling and disposing of all kinds of electrical and electronic devices as well as industrial products. Pick-ing up individual devices and components and dis-mantling installations are also included in the services.

3838

Site employees

Buff alo, USA

630

Employees


Group total

6,300





Copper and brass

fl at rolled products 99,000 t

» Producer of fl at rolled products made of copper and brass for over 100 years

» Site size: 290,000 m2

» Certifi cation : TS 169491

Aurubis Buffalo Inc. located in Buffalo, USA


Installing facilities to clean used sulfuric acid Two facilities have been installed and three more

are planned.

Resource conservation: Reducing sulfuric acid consumption by recovering itStatus


Analyzing water consumption in all of the plants The analysis is currently being carried out; on top of this,

technical solutions for optimization are being reviewed.

Resource conservation: Reducing water consumption Status


Establishing a collection area for separating and recycling

batteries, computers, monitors and light bulbs

An estimated 90 % of these materials are now collected and

recycled thanks to the collection area.

Waste and recycling: Implementing a recycling program at the siteStatus


Schematic production process

at the Buff alo site

Casting

Annealing

Hot rolling

Slitting

Milling

Tinning

Cold rolling Inter. GA Rolling

Customer

Aurubis Buff alo, located in the state of New York, is about a half-hour away from Niagara Falls by car. Cop-per products have been fabricated here since 1906. A total of about 100,000 t of rolled copper and brass products were produced here in 2011. The completely integrated plant with 630 employees includes a copper and brass foundry, a hot rolling and cold rolling mill, an annealing furnace and a longitudinal slitting ma-chine to produce strips with a variety of copper alloys, for example for connectors, telecommunications and electrical applications.

In 2003 the plant became the fi rst rolling mill for copper alloys in North America to earn TS 16949 certi-fi cation, a quality management certifi cate based on ISO 9001. The investment program to modernize the plant is continually updated. At the moment, the authorities are reviewing the renewal of the emission license, which was expected in summer 2012.

All of the foundry’s off -gases are cleaned with fi lters before entering the atmosphere. The fi lter dust that accumulates in the process is recycled due to its zinc content. The acid cleaning plants’ off -gases are direct-ed to a wet cleaning system to remove the sulfuric acid. The acidic wastewater that results is neutralized in the wastewater treatment plant.

Ray Mercer (Managing Director)

Paul Bodekor (Environmental Offi cer)

Aurubis Buff alo Inc., Buff alo

“In Buff alo we have always proactively ensured that our activities are in strict conformity with all

regional regulations and national laws. More importantly, one of our basic values is to do the right

thing for our employees, our neighborhood and the environment. This is especially important to us.”

4040

Site employees

Pori, Finland

200

Employees


Group total

6,300





Copper billets 25,578 t

Copper strips, sheets and plates

22,936 t

» Producer of copper strips, sheets and plates



Aurubis Finland Oy located in Pori, Finland


Emission recordings for the shaft furnace’s diff erent modes of

operation

Developing an implementation concept to optimize off -gas

cleaning

Recordings completed in late 2012;

concept to be fi nished by September 2013

Emissions: Optimizing off -gas cleaning in the shaft furnaceStatus


Developing a new cover for the casting launder to lower

heat losses, thus being able to reduce the number of burners.

Integrating the temperature control in the process control

system, cutting energy consumption during casting by more

than half.

Cover has been installed on the casting launder.

To be completed in late 2012 following tests and optimization.

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing energy consumption in the foundryStatus


Cleaning, installing a wall and sealing the non-roofed storage

area in the scrap storage yard to prevent rainwater in unsealed

areas

Completion in 2012

Emissions: Improved soil protection in the unroofed storage areasStatus


Dust emissions

at the Pori site in g/t of copper products sold

6.0 5.9 7.0 6.8 5.9

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Production waste: Recycling and disposal

at the Pori site in t

1,737 1,811 1,880 1,727 1,857

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

66 68 34 36 31

1,671 1,742 1,847 1,690 1,826

Recycling Disposal

Minna Eerola (Environmental Offi cer)

Hannu Heiskanen (Plant Manager)

Aurubis Finland Oy, Pori

“At Aurubis Finland Oy, we see ourselves as part of society and assume the environmental responsibility

that comes along with this role. Our central concern is continuously fi nding new ways to lower energy

and resource consumption and emissions. For example, we considerably reduced the dust emissions

at our site; the challenge now is to maintain this success and continue improving it. Our current capital

expenditure for environmental protection aims to reduce energy consumption and copper emissions.

We have successfully optimized our waste management system in the meantime, which has reached

the excellent recycling rate of almost 100 %.”

The Aurubis Finland production site is located in Western Finland in Pori on the Kokemäenjoki River. The copper foundry and rolling mill are in a copper industrial park on an area of 100,000 m2, where other companies such as Luvata, Boliden, Outotec and Cupori are also located. The fi rst industrial buildings emerged here in 1939–1940. The Pori plant was part of Outokumpu until 2005, when the company sold its copper business to Nordic Capital.

The rolling mill in Pori is a state-of-the-art warm and cold rolling mill. The high-quality copper products include copper plates, sheets, strips and circles. The selection covers a wide range of copper and copper alloys. In 2011 about 200 employees produced around 22,936 t of strips, sheets and plates as well as 25,578 t of copper cakes. Copper scrap is used fi rst and fore-most for production.

The waste heat that arises in the foundry is sold to the local power plant Porin Energia. The waste heat pro-duced during the hot rolling process is reused to pre-heat combustion air during processing.

Emissions of dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are reduced to a minimum using afterburning and fi lters.

The wastewater that results from the melting process circulates internally, while the rolling line’s wastewater is treated.

»The dust emissions vary but remain at the low level of

previous years.

» Production waste is almost completely recycled – the

recycling rate was 98 % in 2011.

4242

Site employees

107

Avellino, Italy

Employees


Group total

6,300





Continuous cast wire rod 156,251 t

Wire 2,883 t

» The only copper rod producer in Southern Italy


» Certification: ISO 140011, ISO 90011

Aurubis Italia Srllocated in Avellino, Italy


Establishing a system to record environmental data Optimization in 2011

Emissions: Optimizing environmental protection processesStatus


Purchasing measuring equipment for radioactivity Portable Geiger counters acquired;

special training for employees carried out in April 2012

Emissions: Protecting scrap from radioactive radiationStatus


Increasing the water treatment plant’s capacity The improvements in the water treatment plant were

scheduled for September 2012.

Emissions: Optimizing the water treatment plantStatus


Reducing fugitive emissions from the rolling mill Study on the most signifi cant fugitive emission sources

has started after reducing the use of alcohol in the emulsion:

routine recordings and tests currently being carried out

Emissions: Reducing fugitive emissionsStatus


Installing a continuous water sampling process prior to

releasing water into the sewer system

Set-up in 2011

Emissions: Optimizations in water conservationStatus


Recycling Disposal

Antonio de Blasio (Plant Manager)

Gianpaolo Antonacci (Environmental Offi cer)

Aurubis Italia, Avellino

“In Avellino we are always looking for new possibilities to optimize environmental protection. Our

system for recording environmental data allows us to see our environmental protection successes

directly: our emissions have decreased signifi cantly in the last few years. However, we are especially

proud of the fact that we process almost 100 % of the input materials into products. Furthermore,

we use a great deal of the waste heat that arises during the production processes, which helps us

save even more energy.”

Aurubis Italia is located in Avellino and is the only copper rod producer in Southern Italy. 107 employees produce 156,251 t of rod and 2,883 t of wire for special applications.

Thanks to the high eff ectiveness of Aurubis Italia’s production processes, nearly 100 % of the raw mate-rials used can be processed into products. Modern cleaning and fi lter facilities keep off -gas and waste-water to a minimum. Since 2011 the wastewater has been subject to continuous monitoring before entering the sewer system. Most of the waste heat generated during operations is harnessed by state-of-the-art facilities. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the rolling mill are collected and treated.

A system for recording environmental data was imple-mented in 2010. The fugitive emissions in the foundry were considerably lowered. Routine recordings indi-cate that emissions have decreased and the ambient air quality has improved. Portable Geiger counters measure radioactivity and ensure a high level of safety for employees.

»The two main off -gas cleaning systems in Avellino are

(1) a fi lter for cleaning the off -gases that arise during the

melting process and

(2) a facility that collects and treats volatile organic

compounds (VOCs) that are generated in the rolling train

when surface-treating wire.

»The waste produced during the processes is largely recycled.

The recycling rate rose again to over 90 %.

Dust emissions

at the Avellino site in g/t of rod output

1.4 0.8 1.2 0.6 0.4

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Disposal and recycling of production waste

at the Avellino site in t

675 715 588 753 830

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

78 87 75 71 76

515 566 470 626 753

4444

Site employees

150

Zutphen, Netherlands

Employees


Group total

6,300




Brass strips 23,939 t

» Brass strip producer

» Slitting Center and sales in the Netherlands

» Site size: 100,000 m2

» Certification: ISO 140011, ISO 90011

Aurubis Netherlands BV located in Zutphen, Netherlands


Optimizing wastewater treatment Implementation 2011, optimization 2012

Emissions: Reducing metal contents in wastewaterStatus


Reusing water from the vaporizer that treats the tinning plant’s

wastewater

Implementation 2011, optimization 2012

Resource protection: Reducing water consumption Status


Analyzing the possibility of increasing effi ciency in compressor

operations

Study started in 2011, to be completed in early 2014


Using waste heat from the annealing furnace by installing a

heat exchanger

Implementation by late 2012



Water use

at the Zutphen site in 1,000 m3

368 338 340 281 275

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011


at the Zutphen site in t

2,217 1,779 1,138 1,892 2,167

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

105 113 71 47 20

2,112 1,666 1,067 1,845 2,147

Recycling Disposal

Raymond te Riele (Environmental Offi cer)

Theo Mimpen (Plant Manager)

Aurubis Netherlands BV, Zutphen

“In Zutphen we produce brass strips for the entire world with a unique continuous casting technology.

Our strip production process is incredibly effi cient. Protecting the environment and resources is a

matter of course for us, as is the annual review of the related measures. An important environmental

project began in 2011 with the wastewater treatment optimization, which is already showing consider-

able success.”

»The water demand is covered by groundwater to a large

extent (245,000 m3 in 2011), which is primarily used for

cooling.

» Potable water is used fi rst and foremost for the processes

(30,000 m3).



Aurubis Netherlands BV in Zutphen produces brass strips for the entire globe, mainly for the automotive and connector industry. In 2011 about 150 employees produced 23,939 t of brass strip. Copper scrap is the main raw material used, supplemented by copper cathodes and zinc.

The plant is located in an industrial area with an estab-lished noise limit. According to an offi cial recording from 2011, the noise level does not exceed the stan-dard of 50 dB (A) per day. An offi cial recording of NOX and SO₂ values at the end of 2011 indicated that Aurubis Netherlands BV completely fulfi lls the guide-lines.

Aurubis Netherlands BV began optimizing and improv-ing the wastewater treatment plant in 2011. This led to a notable decrease in heavy metal contents in waste-water.

4646

Site employees

396

Stolberg, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300





Shaped wires, strips 60,000 t

» Supplier of strips, foils and shaped wires for various applications


» Certification: ISO 500011, TS 169491

Aurubis Stolberg GmbH & Co. KG located in Stolberg, Germany


Restoring the plant’s sewer network Restoration of the plant’s sewer network continued.

Three additional parts were overhauled during the reporting

period, leaving only one part left before completion.

All measures will be completed by 2013.

Emissions: Optimizing water pollution controlStatus


Installing more effi cient oil stripping equipment on the cold

rolling mill to reduce rolling oil losses and oily waste

Delay due to delivery bottlenecks, implementation now

planned for the end of 2013

Resource effi ciency: Reducing rolling oil lossesStatus


Establishing an energy management system in accordance with

ISO 50001

First-time certifi cation in June 2012

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing energy consumptionStatus

Adequately controlling the hall suction system in the foundry Commissioned in spring 2012

Modernizing the plant’s internal cooling circuit with the newest

energy-effi cient technology

Detailed planning is fi nished, implementation started summer

2012, to be completed by the end of 2013


Casting Pressing Pickling Annealing Drawing Packaging

Production process in the rolling mill

at the Stolberg site

Pre-rolling Annealing & pickling Rolling Longitudinal strips Packaging

Production process in the wire drawing mill

at the Stolberg site

Martin Maiwald (Environmental Offi cer)

Dr. Jürgen Jestrabek (Managing Director)

Aurubis Stolberg, Stolberg

“Only when companies independently push environmental protection forward can real progress be

achieved. We promote awareness for using resources effi ciently and are excited about every innovative

idea here. That extends from large-scale energy-saving product developments carried out together

with customers to internal measures to reduce rolling oil losses, for example. We work with our employees

to identify and implement potential that hasn’t been utilized yet.”

Aurubis Stolberg has been part of the Aurubis Group since 2002; the company was called Prymetall until 2009. The site supplies high-precision strips, foils and shaped wires for many diff erent applications. Its cus-tomers include companies in the electrical engineer-ing, electronics, automotive, construction, telecom-munications and mechanical engineering industries. In the foundry, rolling mill and pressing and drawing mill, about 400 employees fabricate up to 60,000 t of products made of copper, copper alloys and scrap for the global market each year.

The process technology for the foundry furnaces’ ex-haust air cleaning system uses state-of-the-art tech-nology and operates according to the principle of hose, textile and cassette fi ltration. The mass concentration of dust recorded at the chimney outlet is < 0.1 mg/m³, which is well below the total dust limit prescribed in the TA Luft regulations. Since the value is even below the detection limit, this warm air can also be used to heat the halls in the raw material warehouse and foundry area – an example of effi cient energy use.

The metal-bearing waste from wire and strip produc-tion, which contains copper, brass and/or bronze, for example, is completely recycled at the Stolberg site – which is especially important in a country like Ger-many, which lacks raw materials. Other waste such as used rolling emulsion or fi lter material is disposed of appropriately by an external service provider.

4848

Site employees

Finspång, Sweden

Finspång200 Västerås 35

Västerås, Sweden

Employees


Group total

6,300





Copper strips 24,900 t

» Producer of copper strips


» Certifi cation: ISO 140011, TS 169491

Aurubis Sweden AB located in Finspång and Västerås,Sweden


Implementing a new furnace lining method with improved

physical properties in the casting plant

Completed in 2011

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Increasing energy effi ciency in the casting plantStatus


Renovating an annealing furnace to increase effi ciency and

lower propane consumption

Preparations currently underway;

to be completed in February 2013

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Increasing energy effi ciency in the annealing furnaceStatus


Testing new seals in the rolling mill to prevent hydraulic oil

from infi ltrating the emulsion

The fi rst tests started in 2011 and will continue in 2012.

Waste and recycling: Reducing rolling oil consumptionStatus

New burner with lower energy consumption in the casting

plant

Completed in 2011


Amount of recycling material in total material input

at the Finspång site in %

2 16 14 21 27

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011


at the Finspång site in t

1,677 1,776 1,310 1,578 1,378

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

83 101 36 38 44

1,594 1,675 1,274 1,540 1,334

Recycling Disposal

Patrik Sivesson (Managing Director)

Malin Ribbenhed (Environmental and Quality Offi cer)

Aurubis Sweden AB

“Constantly improving environmental protection at the site is a natural part of our daily work. We’re

working on making the complete production chain more effi cient – including with respect to energy

consumption and resource effi ciency. That improves our result not only from an economic perspective,

but it is also better for the environment. The basis of our work is our environmental management

system, which has been in operation since 2000 and is certifi ed in accordance with ISO 14001.”

Aurubis Sweden AB operates a production plant in Finspång and an offi ce in Västerås. The area in Finspång has been used for copper production since 1580. Thin copper sheets for engine cooling, heat exchangers and electrical appliances are produced here. The produc-tion processes include melting, casting, rolling, anneal-ing and slitting copper strips. An internal strip casting technology was developed in which cold rolling imme-diately follows casting, making this production meth-od particularly energy-effi cient.

The environment and quality take priority at Aurubis Sweden. The production processes have been certifi ed in accordance with the environmental management system ISO 14001 since 2000. An external audit in 2011 confi rmed that the site complied with all of the requirements of environmental law. Production is quality-certifi ed in accordance with TS 16949. This

standard was developed by leading automotive engi-neers and was originally intended for component fabricators in vehicle manufacture.

Aurubis Sweden AB works continuously on optimiza-tion processes for wastewater and off -gas treatment, chemical storage and energy effi ciency.

In the next two years, production will be moved from Finspång to other Aurubis Group sites. Production will continue at full volume in Finspång until summer 2013 and then be relocated gradually. Supporting measures have already been initiated for the employees and are still being carried out. The Technical Center in Fin-spång will remain.

» Finspång began using recycling materials to produce copper

strips in 2007. This has expanded since then. Copper scrap

meanwhile makes up more than one-fourth of the input

materials.



5050

Site employees

1152

Emmerich, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300



2 Number of employees:

60 % Aurubis



Continuous cast wire rod

300,000 t

» Specialist in producing continuous cast wire rod for special applications


» Certifi cation: ISO 140011, ISO 50001, ISO 90011

Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH located in Emmerich on the Rhine, Germany


Reducing electricity consumption by redesigning the

emulsion plant

The emulsion plant was renovated in August 2011. The number

of pumps needed was signifi cantly reduced by changing the

fi ltration technology, therefore further decreasing electricity

consumption (see Fig. “Specifi c electricity consumption”,

p. 51).

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing specifi c electricity consumptionStatus


Switching to a carbon-free additive in the dust removal facility,

reducing the fi re hazard in the fi lter

The new additive has been used since early 2011

Emissions: Minimizing fi re hazards Status


Relocating transport services from roads to railways More cathode transports between Lünen and Emmerich

have been moved to the railways since early 2011, reducing

CO₂ emissions, noise and road traffi c

Emissions/energy effi ciency and climate protection: Cathode transport by railStatus


Dr. Stefan Schneider (Managing Director)

Richard Hoch (Environmental Offi cer)

Deutsche Giessdraht, Emmerich

“Environmental protection and energy effi ciency go hand in hand. Reducing specifi c energy consump-

tion has therefore been one of our most important targets in production for many years. Because of

this, we are an international leader in energy effi ciency among rod plants. This year we commissioned

the energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001, which allows us to better analyze

our processes and push systematic improvements forward. We will thus continue to completely fulfi ll

our ecological and economic responsibility.”

Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH is a 60 % Aurubis subsid-iary that produces high-quality continuous cast copper wire rod. The company, which was founded in 1975, is in Emmerich on the Rhine with optimal connections to shipping and the roadway and railway network. The company’s 115 employees produce up to 300,000 t of rod annually.

The production process consists of melting, casting, rolling, pickling and coiling the copper. The rod pro-duction facilities are state-of-the-art from a technical standpoint and fulfi ll all product quality and environ-mental protection standards. Specifi c energy con-sumption – primarily natural gas and electricity are used – has been reduced little by little in the last several years thanks to continuous improvements in the production process.

About 1,200 t of waste are generated each year during production. Two-thirds of this amount is copper-bearing materials that are recycled at Aurubis AG’s Lünen site. Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH’s waste management is so effi cient that more than 99 % of the waste is recycled.

The certifi cation of the environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001 was confi rmed again in April 2012.

» Water is mainly used for cooling purposes.

» Cooling water withdrawal from the industrial harbor in

Emmerich is constantly adjusted to current consumption.

Specifi c water consumption fell by 20 % due to the

start-up of pumps with a variable rotational speed in 2007.

» Electricity is primarily used in the rolling mill but also in the

drives for pumps, compressors, fans, etc. Extensive compo-

nent modernization and the strict use of energy-effi cient

drive systems have led to a decrease in specifi c electricity

consumption from 67 to 62 kWh/t of rod output since 2007.

Water consumption

at the Emmerich site in m3/t of rod output

25 21 18 19 20

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Specifi c electricity consumption

at the Emmerich site in kWh/t of rod output

67 65 66 65 62

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

5252

Site employees

2602

Stolberg, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300




Pre-rolled strip 194,900 t

» Specialist in prefabricating strips

» Site size: 231,500 m2

» Certifi cation: EMAS1, ISO 140011, ISO 90011

Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk GmbH & Co. KG located in Stolberg, Germany


Renovating and installing a suitable suction system on a fi lter

and the milling machine

Delay in implementation, now planned for the end of 2012

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing electricity consumption and the corresponding emissionsStatus


Constructing and starting up a new bell-type annealing furnace

to replace an old plant

Successfully implemented in early 2011



Constructing a hall for shipping dross Construction will start as soon as authorization is issued and

should be completed in mid-2013

Emissions: Reducing fugitive emissionsStatus


Improving the emissions situation in the shaft furnace by

building a new fi lter

To be completed in fall 2012

Emissions: Reducing emissions to airStatus


2 Number of employees:

50 % Aurubis


Process chain for pre-rolled strip made of copper materials

at Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk in Stolberg

Melting & casting

Heating & hot rolling

Inspection & milling

Cold rolling

Inspection & slitting

Pickling & inspection

Annealing

Customer

Dirk Harten (Managing Director)

Georg Janssen (Environmental Offi cer)

Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk, Stolberg

“Since the company was founded in 1972, protecting the environment and resources has been an inte-

gral part of our daily work at Schwermetall. We are a leading hot rolling mill in Europe that introduced

an environmental management system in accordance with EMAS in 1995, one of the fi rst European

companies to do so. It has been certifi ed in accordance with the standard ISO 14001 since 2001. Clear

success factors that enable our high level of environmental protection: investments in modern tech-

nologies and our well trained and motivated employees.”

1 The Environmental

Statement can be sent

upon request.

The 50 % Aurubis subsidiary Schwermetall Halbzeug-werk produces pre-rolled strip made of copper-based alloys. Virgin metals and scrap are melted in the foundry and cast into cakes, which are processed into pre-rolled strip in the rolling mill. The site has fi ve fi lter facilities and two wastewater treatment plants.

Environmental protection has been an important element of corporate policy since the company was founded in 1972 because the plant is surrounded by nature preserves. In 1995 Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk was one of the fi rst companies in Europe to introduce an environmental management system in accordance with EMAS, which has also been certifi ed in accor-dance with the international standard ISO 14001 since 2001. Comprehensive information on environmental protection can be found in the annually updated Environmental Statement.1 The environmental

management system is regularly reviewed by an exter-nal expert. The company’s main environmental issues include saving energy and re ducing fugitive dust emissions.


at Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk in Stolberg in t

Recycling Disposal 5,310 4,769 3,110 4,791 5,516

» About 70 % of the waste generated is made up of metal-

bearing materials whose valuable contents are recovered in

recycling processes. The recycling rate among all production

waste rose to over 99 % in 2011.

»The amount of waste is mainly proportional to production.

In addition, changes in the product mix have led to more

metal-bearing residues with higher value added. 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

366 428 41 32 43

4,944 4,341 3,069 4,759 5,473

5454

Site employees

40

Röthenbach, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300





Mineral premixtures 1,800 t

Selenium products 750 t

» Produces selenium products1 for the glass, solar and animal feed industries


» Certifi cation: ISO 90011

RETORTE GmbH Selenium Chemicals & Metalslocated in Röthenbach, Germany


Renovating and expanding the selenium reduction plant as

well as overhauling the exhaust air system and connecting the

area’s heating system to the central heat supply

Finished in 2011

Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Reducing specifi c energy consumptionStatus


Improving selenium recovery in the wastewater collection

equipment

Planning phase; implementation by the end of 2013

Resource effi ciency: Using raw materials more eff ectivelyStatus


Developing a concept for using process water multiple times Brainstorming phase, implementation by the end of 2013

Emissions: Saving waterStatus


Energy effi ciency and climate protection: Saving energy and better air pollution controlStatus

Adding a heat recovery unit to the new air inlet and outlet

facility

Brainstorming phase until the end of 2012


Raw selenium RETORTE

Standard selenium

Pure selenium

Sodium selenite

Zinc selenite

Selenium dioxide

Batteries, glass production

Solar and electro-optical

applications

Feed and pharmaceuticals

Glass production

Glass production

Electroplating

Bernd Treiber (Managing Director)

Robert Jahn (Environmental Offi cer)

RETORTE, Röthenbach

“Even good things can always be improved. We have achieved a lot in the past several years, but that’s

no reason for us to let up in our eff orts to protect the environment and conserve resources in our

production. We’ll be focusing on water in particular in the near future. We want to decrease specifi c

water consumption and continue improving the wastewater quality. That’s no easy task, but with the

help of innovative processes, we think there are good opportunities to achieve this goal.”

RETORTE GmbH specializes in producing pure sele-nium, selenium chemicals and selenium alloys. We supply various industrial sectors with these products, from glass and solar cell production to animal feed and pharmaceutical applications.

At our site about 10 km east of Nuremberg near the city of Röthenbach and the Pegnitz River, we have special responsibility when it comes to keeping air, water and soil clean. With a variety of measures we ensure that our industrial operations do not have any negative impacts on our surroundings.

We constantly look for and exploit potential to con-serve resources. Apart from the classic environmental aspects of air, water, energy and waste, parameters such as CO₂ equivalents, land use and resource re-newability are increasingly becoming the center of attention.

Production at RETORTE

at the Röthenbach site

Raw material input On-site processing Products Customer markets

5656

Site employees

12

Hamburg, Germany

Employees


Group total

6,300





Iron silicate stone 450,000 t

Iron silicate granules 270,000 t

» German market leader in the iron silicate products sector


» Iron silicate products are registered with REACH for all intended applications

» Certification: ISO 90011 for iron silicate granules for blasting abrasive production

Peute Baustoff GmbH located in Hamburg, Germany


Enlarging the dust removal facility;

optimizing the suction points

Concept drawn up in 2011

Emissions: Reducing emissions to air Status


Optimizing surface drainage Concept drawn up by the end of 2012;

implementation during fi scal year 2013/14

Emissions: Reducing dust emissionsStatus

Optimizing the existing overhead sprinkler system Concept to be drawn up and implemented

in fi scal year 2012/13


Thomas Zantz (Works Manager)

Manfred Hamann (Managing Director)

Peute Baustoff GmbH, Hamburg

“We have produced iron silicate products for 20 years. We want our production processes to save

even more energy in the future and make an important contribution to resource conservation. But

that’s not all that we’ve undertaken in environmental protection. Our objective is to improve our

performance in dust emissions and water pollution control.”

Peute Baustoff GmbH (PBG) is a 100 % Aurubis AG

subsidiary that emerged from the construction materi-als department in 1992. It is responsible for marketing the iron silicate products produced at Aurubis AG in Hamburg. These are recovered in the course of copper production in two forms with consistent material properties in accordance with the DIN 4301 standard: as crystalline iron silicate stone and amorphous iron silicate granulates.

After processing it in a crushing/screening plant, iron silicate stone is used in diff erent grain sizes and weight classes in hydraulic engineering, road construction and as a stone additive in concrete. Iron silicate gran-ules are used as a blasting abrasive in cement produc-tion under the brand name NAstra®.

The iron silicate products fulfi ll the requirements of the relevant national and international regulations for the diff erent applications, e. g., EN ISO norms or technical delivery conditions.

PBG’s operations are authorized in accordance with BImSchG1 and are subject to monitoring accordingly. The use of dust removal and overhead sprinkler facili-ties as well as sweepers to reduce dust ensures that applicable environmental provisions are observed.

Cooling process (3 days)

Screening stationSifting 7 fractions

Transport with truck or ship Construction site Bank reinforcement

Truck transport

Slag cleaning furnaceMolten iron silicateFlash smelter

Forklift transport – stockpiling Crusher

Product lifecycle of iron silicate stone: from formation to use as hydraulic construction stone

1 Federal Immission

Protection Law: law

to protect against

harmful environmental

impacts due to air

impurities, noise,

vibrations and similar

factors.

5858

Slitting Centers Aurubis U. K. Ltd., United Kingdom Aurubis Mortara SRL, ItalyAurubis Netherlands BV, NetherlandsAurubis Slovakia s. r. o., Slovakia

The Aurubis Group has four Slitting Centers around the world: Slovakia, the United Kingdom, the Nether-lands and Italy. The Slitting Centers process the cop-per produced at Aurubis, fabricating a wide variety of strips and sheets from copper and copper alloys according to customer requirements.

Aurubis Slovakia has 11 employees and primarily sup-plies customers in Central and Eastern Europe. This plant has the largest area at 5,900 m2. It was certifi ed in accordance with the environmental management standard ISO 140011 for the fi rst time following a successful audit in 2011.

Aurubis UK in Smethwick near Birmingham has about 30 employees and mainly fabricates products for the automotive, electrical and electronics industry. This Slitting Center plans to fulfi ll standard ISO 14001 with an environmental management system that is already being worked on.

Both sites are 100 % subsidiaries of Aurubis Stolberg. The scrap generated during the production pro-cesses is sent back to Stolberg together with the pallets, where it is recycled or re-used.

The Slitting Center in Zutphen at the Aurubis Nether-lands BV rolling mill (see p. 44) specializes in fabricat-ing strips made of brass and other alloys as well as galvanic tin plating. Sixteen employees achieved an output of 2,800 t in 2011.

Aurubis Mortara has 25 employees and produced almost 3,000 t of copper strips and other copper prod-ucts for further processing in 2011. Apart from copper strip, coils and sheets are also produced here. Aurubis Mortara is currently a well-known actor in Italy when it comes to copper and products with copper alloys. Furthermore, the company has its own sales offi ce to support sales activities on the Italian market.

124

3

1 Smethwick, United Kingdom 2 Zutphen, Netherlands3 Dolný Kubín, Slovakia4 Mortara, Italy

Main products at the sites by Business Unit Employees

BU Copper Products

Aurubis U. K. Ltd. Strips made of copper and copper alloys ~ 4,400 t 30

Aurubis Mortara SRL Strips, thin strips in coils and sheets ~ 3,000 t 25

Aurubis Netherlands BV Strips made of brass and other alloys, galvanic tin plating ~ 2,800 t 16

Aurubis Slovakia s. r. o. Strips made of copper and copper alloys ~ 1,300 t 11



Anode furnace »A unit used in pyrometallurgical copper refi ning in which copper is cleaned in

a combined rinsing and reduction process (known as poling) and anode copper

is produced by reducing the copper’s oxygen content.

Aurubis fi scal year »A fi scal year at Aurubis is the period between October 1 of one year and

September 30 of the following year.

Blister copper »Unrefi ned porous copper, an intermediate product of copper production that

contains about 98 % pure copper. Molten copper absorbs gases more easily

than copper in solid form. During solidifi cation, dissolved gases form small

blisters in the copper.

CLP Regulation »Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classifi cation, labeling and packaging of sub-

stances and mixtures, which went into eff ect on January 20, 2009, introduced

a new system for classifying hazardous chemicals and implemented the United

Nations’ “global harmonized system” (GHS) in Europe.

Collected emissions »Collected emissions are emitted by directed emission sources (e. g., smokestacks).

In contrast, “fugitive emissions” are emitted by undirected emission sources

(e. g., storage areas).

Conform »A continuous forming process in which the source material wire (12–25 mm in

diameter) is shaped into special profi les. The wire is pressed in a chamber

over a wheel with a groove. The copper exits the chamber through a shaping

instrument and thus achieves the desired profi le shape. The material gets

very hot – up to about 700 to 800 ºC – during the process due to friction and

forming energy.

Converter »A metallurgical unit in which oxidizing metal extraction or refi ning processes are

generally carried out.

Copper cathodes »In metallurgical parlance, the copper cathode is the high-purity tankhouse

product with a copper content of more than 99.99 %.

Copper concentrates »A product resulting from processing copper ores. Since ores generally only have

a copper content of 0.5 % to 3 %, they are enriched after extraction from the

mine into concentrates with a copper content of less than 20 % to 40 %. Copper

concentrates are Aurubis’ main raw material by quantity.

Copper matte »A mixed phase of copper sulfi de and iron sulfi de (nCu₂S x FeS) arising during the

pyrometallurgical processing of sulfi dic copper concentrate. The copper (crude)

matte produced in Aurubis’ fl ash smelter with a copper content of about 65 %

is initially processed in the converter by selective oxidation into white metal

(Cu₂S) and then into blister copper.

Copper recycling »Describes the industrial recovery of copper. Copper is regarded as an extremely

sustainable raw material since it is virtually inexhaustible as a material and can

be recycled again and again without loss of quality.

Copper tankhouse »The copper tankhouse, a hydrometallurgical process for the electrochemical

refi ning of copper, is the last refi ning stage in copper recovery. Anodes and

cathodes are hung in a cell containing a sulfuric acid solution (electrolyte) and

connected to an electric current. During the process the copper contained in

the anodes is dissolved in the electrolyte together with baser elements (arsenic,

nickel, etc.). Precious metals and the non-soluble elements (e. g., lead, selenium)

sink to the cell bottom and form the anode slimes. Copper from the solution is

deposited on the cathode with a purity of more than 99.99 %.

EMAS »The acronym stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, a system for envi-

ronmental management and eco-auditing for organizations. EMAS was devel-

oped by the European Union. Participating organizations must publish an

environmental declaration in which they describe their infl uence on the envi-

ronment, their environmental performance and their environmental goals,

among other things. This is reviewed by an independent environmental consul-

tant and must be updated every year. At least every three years the consultant

assesses the environmental management system, compliance with environmen-

tal policy, compliance with legal provisions and consolidated environmental

declaration.

Emissions »In general, the discharge of disruptive factors into the environment – e. g.,

by-products and chemical substances that are a hazard to health or the environ-

ment. An important aim of environmental protection is to suppress or reduce

hazardous emissions as far as possible in order to avoid environmental pollu-

tion, such as air, soil or water contamination and at the same time to protect

people from pollution in their homes and workplaces.

Environmental management »The environmental management or environmental management system in a

company is concerned with operational and regulatory environmental (protec-

tion) requirements. Its purpose is to ensure the sustained environmental com-

patibility of the company’s products and processes as well as the conduct of

its employees.

EU Emission Trading System »The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) limits CO₂ emissions

within the EU, where companies are allocated emission rights in the form of

tradable certifi cates.

Fine dust-PM10 » Suspended particulates

Flash smelter »The fi rst step of the pyrometallurgical process in copper concentrate processing

takes place in the fl ash smelter. Concentrate falling (fl oating) in a reaction

shaft reacts with oxygen. The concentrate melts due to the released heat. Sulfur

and iron are separated as intermediate products. The copper in copper matte is

enriched to about 65 % copper content.

Fugitive emissions (KRS) »Fugitive emissions are emitted by undirected emission sources (e. g., from

storage areas). In contrast, “collected emissions” are emitted by directed emis-

sion sources (e. g., smokestacks).

Glossary

60

Immissions »Environmental impacts aff ecting people and the environment (air, atmosphere,

soil, water, plants, animals, etc.), such as impurities, noises, vibrations, light,

heat, radiation, etc.

Iron silicate stone »A solidifi ed product of the copper smelting process. During the process the iron

contained in the copper concentrate is combined with silicate fl ux (SiO₂) to

yield iron silicate (2 FeO x SiO₂). Although its structure is similar to natural rock,

this artifi cially produced stone has a substantially higher density and weather-

ing resistance.

ISO 140001 »This global standard provides the criteria for establishing and auditing the

environmental management of a company. If the external auditor confi rms the

adherence to the criteria, the company receives a certifi cate which is proof of

a functioning environmental management system.

ISO 9001 »This standard describes the requirements of a quality management system. It

is process-oriented and contains basic principles for structured processes and

measures within a company. Its aim is the ongoing improvement of internal

processes, helping the company to ensure and increase customer satisfaction.

Kayser Recycling System (KRS) »A plant for secondary copper production at the Lünen site. In the KRS, convert-

er copper is produced from recycling materials, such as copper-bearing residues,

alloys and electronic scrap, which is then processed further in the anode furnace.

Metallurgy »Refers to all processes for extracting and using metals as well as metallurgically

relevant semimetals and non-metals from ores, soils, salts and secondary raw

materials.

Primary copper production »Copper production from copper concentrates (primary raw material).

Pyrometallurgy »The thermal processing of ores or already extracted metals, either by oxidizing,

i. e., heating with oxygen (roasting), or by reductive means, i. e., in an oxygen-

free furnace.

Secondary copper production »Copper production from copper-bearing recycling materials (secondary raw

materials).

Selenium »A semi-metal in Group 16 that is closely related to sulfur. It is fi nely distributed

all across the earth and is mainly found in sulfi dic ores. Copper ores contain

between 0 and 20 ppm of selenium. Selenium follows the same path as precious

metals in copper reprocessing and is separated from the anode slimes as raw

selenium. Although selenium is an essential trace element vital for health, it is

highly toxic in large amounts.

Seville Process »The exchange regarding the establishment of best available technologies is

referred to as the Seville Process because the European offi ce organizing

it is located in Seville (European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

Bureau – EIPPCB).

Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) »A strong acid used by the chemical industry as a basis for numerous products

and processes. Sulfuric acid is produced at Aurubis as a by-product of primary

copper production. The sulfur dioxide (SO₂) arising during concentrate process-

ing is oxidized further by adding oxygen in a catalyzed reaction and is then

dissolved in water, which results in sulfuric acid.

Suspended particulates, dust emissions »(also fi ne dust-PM10)

Dust is a natural component of the air, but it is also released through manmade

emissions. Due to improved recording technology, particles that are smaller

than 10 µm can now be measured (medical reports have determined that par-

ticularly the small, respirable particles pose a health hazard). This measurement

is referred to internationally with the abbreviation “PM10” (PM: particulate

matter).

Sweeps »A metal-bearing product that results when copper, copper alloys and precious

metals are melted and processed. It is recycled as a secondary raw material.

TS 16949 »This standard combines existing general provisions for the automotive indus-

try’s quality management systems. It was developed by members of the

International Automotive Task Force and published together with the ISO as

a Technical Specifi cation (TS) based on EN ISO 9001.

TÜV »The Technical Control Board, TÜV, a German certifi cation authority that carries

out technical safety checks, in particular those that are required by laws or

state regulations.

“Virtual slice” of a power plant »As an energy-intensive company, we depend on a long-term electricity supply.

Aurubis therefore implemented a constructive industrial solution with the

energy provider Vattenfall and purchased a “virtual slice” of a power plant. This

arrangement ensures an annual energy supply of a billion kWh starting in 2010

and secures the overall energy supply for the whole Aurubis Group in Germany

for decades. Through this cooperation we also contribute to environmental

protection due to the fact that the coal-fueled power plant, which is exception-

ally modern from an environmental perspective, replaces outdated power plant

capacities.

Contact information and imprint

Photo credits

PublisherAurubis AG

Hovestrasse 5020539 HamburgTelephone: +49 40 78 83-0Fax: +49 40 78 83-22 55www.aurubis.com

Translated into English by Sara St. John Conception and design www.motum.netLithography Frische Grafi k, HamburgPrinting gutenberg beuys feindruckerei, Hannover

Editorial deadline: September 2012

Your contacts at Aurubis AG

Environmental ProtectionDr. Karin Hinrichs-PetersenHead of Environmental ProtectionTelephone: +49 40 78 83-36 09E-mail: [email protected]

Group CommunicationsMichaela HesslingHead of Group CommunicationsTelephone: +49 40 78 83-30 53E-mail: [email protected]

Matthias TrottTelephone: +49 40 78 83-30 37E-mail: [email protected]

Kirsten KückTelephone: +49 40 78 83-32 70E-mail: [email protected]

Alfred van Baal p. 51Stefan Bauer p. 17, p. 47Alfonso De Biasio p. 43Jörg Hempel Photodesign p. 5 (right)Todor Ivanov p. 19Julie Jelonek p. 39Jelena Kurilova p. 49Andreas Nolte p. 16, p. 29Rolf Otzipka title page, p. 2/3, p. 8/9, p. 18 (top right), p. 20/21, p. 23, p. 37Paul Peters p. 33Andreas Schmidt-Wiethoff p. 5 (left), 27, 31, 35Andreas Schmidt-Wiethoff p. 5 (left), 27, 31, 35Andreas Schmidt-Wiethoff Other photos PR Aurubis AG

Title photo Patinated roofi ng copper from the Hamburg church St. Jacobi from 2001. Aurubis donated the copper needed for the church roof, gave parts of the old roofi ng copper to Hamburg artists to process and recycled the rest of the copper scrap.

The production of the Aurubis Environmental Report 2012 and the recycled paper “Circle Silk Premium White” are certifi ed according to the criteria of the Forest Steward Council (FSC ®). The FSC ® issues stringent criteria for forest management and thus prevents uncontrolled logging, human rights violations and environmental strain. Since the products with the FSC ® seal are passed through various steps of trade and processing, the paper pro-cessing plants, e. g. printing presses, are also certifi ed according to FSC ® standards.

carbon neutralnatureOffice.com | DE-300-449680

print production

Our Copper for your Life www.aurubis.com

environmental report - aurubis · environmental and climate protection are enshrined in our company...

Documents