Hydro’s sorting plant in Dormagen has a rich history within the aluminium industry dating back to its establishment in 1983.

Originally founded to meet the growing demand for aluminium products in Europe, the plant continues to fulfill its purpose by recycling 36,000 tonnes of scrap for further processing to this day. Located in central Europe, in the center of Rhineland next to Düsseldorf and Cologne, the plant benefits from excellent accessibility, enhancing its efficiency and impact.

Sorting technology enabling upcycling of post-consumed aluminium

The plant’s operations have evolved over time, incorporating the latest innovations in recycling technology to maximize resource recovery and minimize environmental impact.

Advanced sorting of aluminium scrap is enabled through Hydro’s state-of-the-art technology HySort^®, an advanced sorting technology utilizing laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) that allows Hydro to dig deeper into the scrap pile to conserve aluminium that would otherwise end up in landfills.

This technique helps to accelerate the sorting process and increase the production of low-carbon recycled aluminium with a high content of post-consumer scrap, such as Hydro CIRCAL which contains at least 75% post-consumer, end of life scrap.

Leading producer of low-carbon recycled aluminium

Hydro is positioning itself as leading producer of low-carbon, recycled aluminium in Europe. Recycling scrap aluminium requires only about 5% of the energy used to produce primary aluminium, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hydro’s unique production capabilities means the company can upcycle post-consumer scrap to produce a range of value-added products to demanding customers.

Certificates

Hydro Aluminium Dormagen is certified to the international standards for Energy management (ISO 50001), Environmental management (ISO 14001), Quality management (ISO 9001) as well as EOW (end of waste) and EFB (Entsorgungsfachbetrieb).