One year after the groundbreaking ceremony, TSR Recycling inaugurates the innovative TSR40 processing plant at the Duisburg site with NRW Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Mona Neubaur. Together with NRW Economics and Energy Minister Mona Neubaur, Norbert Rethmann (Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board RETHMANN SE & Co. KG), Dr. Arnd Köfler (CTO thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG) and Jens Rubi (Head of Circular Economy Mercedes-Benz AG), Bernd Fleschenberg (COO TSR Recycling GmbH & Co. KG) and Christian Blackert (COO TSR Automotive GmbH) officially commissioned the new processing plant at the TSR site in Duisburg.
In the future, up to 450,000 tons of different input materials such as end-of-life vehicles, mixed scrap or large household appliances will be processed annually in the plant to produce the recycling product TSR40. Using the newly developed measurement, detection and separation technologies, interfering elements can be reliably identified and removed from the raw material during production, and accompanying elements such as copper, nickel and chromium can be precisely determined.
New production process
The basis for the new plant is an innovative manufacturing process developed by TSR Recycling for the high-quality and certified recycling product TSR40, which reduces CO2 emissions and the use of primary raw materials and energy when reused in steel production. As part of the publicly funded research project REDERS (Reduced CO2 emissions by increasing the recycling rate in steel production), the process is being continuously developed with project partners VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH, Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH and thyssenkrupp Steel.
With TSR40, TSR Recycling provides the steel industry with a raw material that is not only energy-, climate- and resource-friendly, but can also be used to significantly increase the proportion of recycled material in steel production without any loss of quality. The new processing plant at the Duisburg location is therefore not only an important milestone for the entire industry but also a flagship project for the transformation of the steel industry and the downstream industries such as the automotive industry to more sustainable quality products.
"We will only succeed on the road to climate-neutral industry, raw material lightness and sustainable business if we exploit the potential of the circular economy. Particularly in energy-intensive industries, innovative projects that enable circular value creation to make significant contributions to saving raw materials, energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is illustrated once again by the processing plant for steel scrap here in Duisburg, which was created in a network of local companies. In a circular economy, we need such industrial partnerships along the value chains to successfully implement ambitious and pioneering projects," says Mona Neubaur, NRW Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy.
"Decarbonizing steel production is an immense task. With the award to build our first hydrogen-fueled direct reduction plant, we have reached an important milestone. But we're not waiting until we're completely transformed; we're already exploiting every opportunity to reduce CO2 emissions in our existing plant fleet. Thanks to the high-quality processing of the steel scrap, TSR40 now opens the possibility for the first time of using a first-class, certified product in the blast furnace as well. This complements our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, and our customers also benefit from this," explains Dr. Arnd Köfler, Chief Technical Officer at thyssenkrupp Steel.
"The materials used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles have to meet high standards. The company is researching new, resource-saving materials to reconcile sustainability and luxury. Here, we see the circular economy as a major lever. Because to reach our next milestone, #ambition2039, the following applies: every action counts," says Jens Rubi, Head of Circular Economy at Mercedes-Benz AG.
"Especially in times of interrupted supply chains, high-quality recycling is an essential building block for reducing dependencies on primary raw materials. The TSR40 recycling product thus stands for sustainable raw material security for Germany and Europe and can cover a significant share of the industry's future raw material requirements. In addition to the positive effects for environmental and climate protection, this is our contribution to a sustainable circularity strategy and to achieving the targets under the European Green Deal," says TSR Managing Director Bernd Fleschenberg.
