Aurubis invests 46 mln euro to upgrade Bulgarian slag processing ops

The facility will be fully commissioned in 2026 and is set to make an additional mid-single-digit million euro contribution to earnings from increased metal yield starting in fiscal year 2026-2027, Aurubis said in a press release.

The new process will consist in Aurubis replacing pits with over 200 slag pots for the cooling of slag, which is a stony by-product from smelting or ore refining activities.

"This slag processing technique enables us to recover an even higher proportion of copper from the slag and keep it in the production loop,” CEO and vice president of Aurubis Bulgaria Tim Kurth said. He added that once fully commissioned, the facility will enable the company to recover roughly 500 tonnes more copper a year, generating value and resource efficiency from raw materials processing.

The updated process will also help reduce carbon emissions in line with the sustainability targets of the German group which eyes carbon-neutral production by 2050. Since 2013, Aurubis has reduced its carbon footprint for its main product, copper cathodes, by 36% and produces a number of metals with less than half the average CO2 emissions of global competitors, the company noted.

In June, Aurubis completed a 60 million euro overhaul project at the Pirdop smelter to raise energy efficiency and production stability.

($ = 0.9114 euro)