Extracting metal from incineration residues
Located in the Dutch province of Zeeland on the border with Belgium, HEROS has successfully expanded its market position over recent years. While around 800,000 tonnes of municipal waste incineration ash were recycled in 2022, this figure increased by almost a third to 1.1 million tonnes in 2024. As a result, and thanks to continuous technical optimisation and development of plant technology, the amount of non-ferrous concentrates recovered almost doubled during the same period.
During ash processing, ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals (NF metals) as well as unburned residual components are extracted from the mineral residues of waste incineration. While the ferrous metals are sold as scrap iron and the unburned material is returned to the waste incineration plants for re-incineration, the non-ferrous metal concentrates are processed into metal fractions in the company’s own processing plants and then sold.
Three good reasons
No processing without drying // Before non-ferrous concentrates can be processed at all, they must be dried. The degree of drying required for efficient and reliable processing is clearly defined and requires several weeks of storage.
Fully utilised internal storage facility // The currently available internal storage facility – a hall with a floor space of 2,100 m² – is completely full due to the increase in volume in recent years. For this reason, some of the material is stored in external storage boxes. Although these are covered, the necessary storage time is extended due to weather conditions.
Additional challenges due to oxidation and fine grain content // Aggravating the situation: metals that are exposed to oxygen without protection oxidise and decompose over time. Another development can be observed in the raw material: the fine grain content in municipal waste incineration ash, and therefore also in non-ferrous concentrate, is increasing. However, this material dries more slowly, which means longer storage and drying times.
Comprehensive investment package
These aspects were the reason for the investment project now being implemented, which is in the double-digit million range. The focus lies on three measures.
A new hall with a floor space of 2,700 m² is being built parallel to the existing hall, so that all non-ferrous metals can be stored completely protected from the weather.
The existing plant technology is being adapted to the changing material requirements so that the quality of the non-ferrous concentrates is not compromised.
In order to reduce noise and, in particular, dust emissions, new extraction systems are being installed in the halls, and material storage and handling will only take place indoors in future.
The measures are scheduled to be completed in summer 2026. Then, more space and new technology at the HEROS site will ensure that valuable metals such as aluminium, copper and others can be processed in larger quantities with significantly shorter storage and drying times.
Übernahme von TTS sichert Lagerkapazitäten für Prozesswasser
Seit diesem Jahr ist die HEROS Sluiskil B.V. alleiniger Gesellschaft der Tankterminal Sluiskil B.V. (TTS). Die niederländische REMEX-Tochter hielt bis dahin bereits 40 % der Anteile inne und hat nun die restlichen 60 % erworben.
Der Fokus der Geschäftstätigkeit von TTS, deren Gelände direkt an das von HEROS angrenzt, liegt auf der Vermietung von Tankkapazitäten. Insgesamt 13 Tanks befinden sich auf dem rund 19.000 m² großen Grundstück, verteilt auf neun Stahltanks für Ab-/Prozesswasser sowie vier Betontanks für Flüssigdünger. Mit diesem Schritt sichert sich HEROS wichtige Lagerkapazitäten, um den Plänen der niederländischen Regierung gerecht zu werden.
Diese sehen vor, dass zukünftig ein deutlich höherer Anteil an Fertigschlacke gewaschen werden muss. Werden die Pläne realisiert, wird es zu einer Erhöhung der Abwassermengen kommen und der Bedarf an Tankkapazitäten für das aufzubereitende Abwasser steigen. Die Lager- und Aufbereitungskapazitäten, die über den Eigenbedarf hinausgehen, kann HEROS jetzt exklusiv vermarkten und per Schiff annehmen.
HEROS is expanding its capacity and thereby strengthening its market position. New facilities and storage areas enable more efficient processing and metal recovery, while the acquisition of the tank terminal secures additional resources for process water management.
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