With the end of last year the EU Harare project came to an end. This project showcased what collaboration and teamwork between European industrial and academic partners can achieve.

Over the course of four years we investigated the utilisation of hydrogen as a reducing agent for fayalitic copper slags and other secondary raw materials. At the IME we first developed and tested the system in a lab-scale before we executed multiple pilot-scale trials utilizing our top blown rotary converter (TBRC). Reaction kinetics, reduction efficiency and behaviour and selectivity were investigates among others.

We found out that the hydrogen reduction of industrial copper slag is highly selective and offers potential to generate separate copper and iron alloys. Other metals like molybdenum, nickel and cobalt can be enriched in these alloys, offering a multitude of further paths for a holistic recycling.

We would like to thank all our partners for their contribution to this project and also the European Union for funding science, that targets a more sustainable future and closed material loops in a circular economy.