Heraeus Precious Metals was nominated for the renowned Energy Efficiency Award of the German Energy Agency (dena) for its data-based project to optimize thermal pre-treatment in precious metal recycling.
Since 2007, the German Energy Agency has been recognizing projects that save energy and reduce CO2 emissions, as well as concepts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrate how the industry can become climate neutral. The award is presented in four categories that reflect the spectrum of corporate climate protection. The project of Heraeus Precious Metals for the data-driven optimization of thermal pre-treatment in precious metal recycling was among the finalists in the category “From clever to digital! - The range of energy efficiency”.
Before precious metals can be recovered from waste containing precious metals, the waste must undergo thermal pre-treatment in the chamber furnaces in an energy-intensive process. Due to the different compositions of the materials, a generally valid furnace running time is not possible.
The aim of the project was therefore to determine the end of the burning process more precisely in order to shorten the burning times and reduce energy consumption. For this, Heraeus Precious Metals created a digital twin of the chamber furnace. By subsequently implementing a fully automatic, data-driven decision algorithm, the average burning time per batch was reduced from nine to seven hours. This results in an annual saving of more than one gigawatt hour of energy and 213 tons of CO2e in the pilot furnace at the Hanau site. The precious metals company plans to transfer the principle to its furnaces at other sites, thereby saving a further 400 tons of CO2e per year.
“The nomination for the Energy Efficiency Award is a great recognition of our efforts to continuously improve the energy efficiency of our processes,” emphasizes Murat Hotunlu, Head of Operations Hanau, who implemented the project with the in-house digital consultancy, the Heraeus Digital Hub. ”The project clearly shows how important data-driven technologies are to achieve significant energy savings and CO2 reductions.”
The nominated project is part of the global action plan of Heraeus Precious Metals. The company has set itself the goal of becoming net zero and completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels by 2033. At the same time, the energy consumption should be reduced by 20 percent by 2025 compared to 2019. Heraeus Precious Metals has thus committed to one of the most ambitious sustainability programs in the industry, aiming to play a pioneering role in the entire precious metals industry.
About the Energy Efficiency Award
The Energy Efficiency Award is under the patronage of Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The nominated energy efficiency projects and the winners are selected by a jury of experts with representatives from politics, business, science and the media.
At the award ceremony during the dena Energy Transition Congress in Berlin, Corinna Enders, CEO of dena, emphasized: “With the Energy Efficiency Award, dena is shining a spotlight on companies that are successfully implementing energy efficiency and climate protection in their business activities. I am particularly pleased by the innovative strength that is evident in all the projects. These entrepreneurial achievements towards a climate-neutral future are encouraging, as is the willingness to work with other companies. The Energy Efficiency Award honors this commitment and inspires others to follow suit.”
