Trimet expands German aluminum recycling, boosting capacity, cutting emissions, adding advanced scrap processing, and targeting climate-neutral production by 2045.
Trimet Aluminium SE is significantly expanding its aluminum recycling capabilities across Germany, driven by increasing demand for sustainable materials and ambitious climate goals. The core of this expansion is the modernization and capacity increase at its Gelsenkirchen recycling plant, alongside strategic investments in its Essen and upcoming Hamm facilities.
At the Gelsenkirchen site, Trimet is completing an expansion that will boost its production capacity for recycled aluminum by approximately 20%, reaching an annual output of 80,000 tons. This involves installing an additional tilting rotary furnace and a casting wheel, which will enhance melting capacity and energy efficiency. A crucial aspect of this project is the comprehensive upgrade of the energy supply to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. The plant already utilizes solar cells for a significant portion of its electricity needs and will become fully self-sufficient by converting waste heat from its melting furnaces into electrical energy using Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology. Furthermore, by autumn 2024, the Gelsenkirchen plant will operate its melting furnaces with hydrogen-rich energy gas, and approximately 20 GWh of waste heat will be fed into the public district heating network, aiming to make it the "greenest aluminum recycling plant in Europe". Trimet's broader corporate objective is to achieve climate-neutral aluminum production by 2045, recognizing that remelting aluminum consumes only five percent of the energy required for primary production.
Beyond Gelsenkirchen, Trimet is strengthening its recycling infrastructure at other German locations. In Essen, a new scrap storage hall and expanded outdoor areas are set to become fully operational in early 2026, increasing scrap storage capacity by around 16,000 tons. This investment will enable alloy-specific separation and precise analysis of incoming materials, leading to improved material quality, enhanced process efficiency, and a greater share of recycled content in production. Additionally, Trimet is establishing a new facility in Hamm, scheduled to come online by the end of 2026, dedicated to the sorting, processing, and logistics of aluminum scrap, employing state-of-the-art sorting technology.
These expansions are a direct response to the rising demand for recycled aluminum and the industry's need for sustainably produced materials to meet climate targets. The company's strategy also includes developing a diverse portfolio of recycling alloys, such as trimal®-04 and a recycled variant of trimal®-38, catering to industries like automotive, electrical, machine-building, and battery housing manufacturing. While the German aluminum industry currently faces pressures such as scrap shortages and high energy costs, Trimet's proactive investments in recycling are vital for securing raw material supply and improving the ecological balance of aluminum alloys. The company is also reactivating primary aluminum production due to falling energy costs, though concerns about long-term planning security due to high network charges in Germany persist.
