Aurubis Hamburg opens high-capacity RDE exhaust and filter system
- RDE expansion doubles diffuse-emission reduction capability to roughly 80%, up from about 40% after stage 1 (stage 1 has operated since 2021).
- Total investment in the RDE project is approx. €115 million (about €85m for stage 1, roughly €30m for the expansion); the project received KfW Development Bank funding.
- The system moves >1.6 million standard cubic metres of air per hour through a 4.5 m-diameter pipe, using around 19,000 filter elements and discharging via three ~110 m stacks.
- Filters remove particles below 10 µm and return valuable metals from the filtered emissions to production in a closed loop; the system runs energy-optimised under fully automated dynamic control, while ~1/3 of site energy is now used for air-pollution control.
System and scope
The installation is a high-power extraction and filter system that captures production air via seven ridge turrets and conducts it to a central pipeline. It transports more than 1.6 million standard cubic metres of air per hour through a 4.5‑metre‑diameter pipe, treats the stream with about 19,000 filter elements and discharges cleaned air via three roughly 110‑metre stacks. The filters remove particles smaller than 10 µm.
Emissions performance and operation
The first stage of the filter system has been operating since 2021 and achieved roughly 40% reduction in diffuse emissions; the expansion doubles the reduction capability to roughly 80% overall. The filtered emissions, which still contain valuable metals, are redirected back into production as part of a closed‑loop approach. Aurubis says the system operates energy‑efficiently under a fully automated, dynamic control system.
Investment and site context
Total RDE investment is approximately €115 million (about €85 million in stage 1 and roughly €30 million for the expansion); the project received funding from the KfW Development Bank. The expansion is part of broader site investments — Aurubis is directing roughly €490 million into projects including Complex Recycling Hamburg and a new precious‑metal processing facility. Company executives frame the installation as setting new benchmarks for low‑impact multimetal production and note that about one‑third of the site’s energy use is now allocated to air‑pollution control.
Source: Aurubis
