(Hamburg) – The Hamburg copper producer and recycler Aurubis AG has started a series of tests for the use of hydrogen on an industrial scale to produce copper anodes. The pilot test, which introduced hydrogen and nitrogen into the anode furnace instead of natural gas, went according to plan, the company said. First, “the reaction of the systems to the hydrogen introduced as well as the trouble-free progress of the individual production steps, which are highly sensitive in energy-intensive metal production,” will be tested.
According to Aurubis, hydrogen could “replace fossil fuels in the production process in the medium term and thus make production more climate-friendly overall.” Due to the high reactivity, increases in efficiency in the production process can also be expected. Air Liquide supplies the hydrogen.
With the project, Aurubis wants to take “a decisive next step towards climate-neutral multi-metal production” and show “what the climate-neutral future can look like through innovation,” says Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis AG. Their CO2 footprint is already “significantly below the industry average”. By using hydrogen, the company could “achieve further significant emissions reductions,” says the head of the Hamburg copper smelter Jens Jacobsen.
The use of hydrogen will now be tested in continuous operation until late summer. The long-term goal is to determine under what conditions the anode furnace can be used for polarization with hydrogen instead of natural gas. The process engineering experience should also lay the foundation for the group's further activities in the hydrogen sector.
“As with Aurubis, hydrogen is already being used on a large scale in numerous pilot projects in Hamburg,” said Hamburg’s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher, who was invited to the start of pilot production. 
“We have the goal of becoming the largest hydrogen location in the north: in sustainable production, technology development and in building a strong hydrogen economy.” The Hanseatic city’s authority for economics and innovation supports the project financially.
The listed Aurubis AG is a supplier of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers in the world. The company produces various products made of copper or copper alloys such as wire rod, continuous cast shapes, profiles or flat rolled products. Aurubis also produces many other metals such as precious metals, selenium, lead, nickel, tin and zinc. The group employs around 7.200 people, has production sites in Europe and the USA as well as an extensive service and sales system in Europe, Asia and North America.
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Hydrogen trailer at the factory / © Aurubis
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Symbolically starting the hydrogen pilot: Aurubis COO Heiko Arnold, First Mayor Peter Tschentscher, Aurubis Managing Director Roland Harings (from left) / © Aurubis
