LIPPE PLANT
It looks like an industrial plant but has the same effect as 25,000ha of forest
Das Lippewerk in Lünen ist Technologiestandort und Klimaschutzprojekt in einem. Durch die Aktivitäten hier vor Ort werden jährlich 488.000 Tonnen CO2 eingespart. In der Natur bräuchte es dafür ein Waldgebiet mit 37 Millionen Bäumen. Zum Spazierengehen sicher schön, aber versuchen Sie mal, in einem Wald 1.600 Arbeitsplätze zu schaffen.
The Lippe Plant in Lünen – a home for sustainability
Covering a surface area of 230ha, the Lippe Plant is the largest industrial recycling centre in Europe. Originally an aluminium plant, this recycling park in Lünen is now home to a range of different facilities – such as plants for processing and recycling gypsum from flue gas desulphurisation plants, chemicals, wood, plastics, e-waste and non-fossil fuels. By restructuring the site and changing its use, the family-run company REMONDIS has succeeded in creating over 1,600 new jobs in the fields of recycling and environmental protection and in one of Germany’s perhaps less structurally developed regions.
In 2016, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia officially named the recycling activities at the Lippe Plant in Lünen as one of its model projects promoting sustainability and climate action. Find out more at KlimaExpo.nrw
A video of the Lippe Plant ...
Every year, almost one million tonnes of recycled products leave the Lippe Plant. These include:
gypsum-based products for, e.g., the construction sector (262,000t)
biodiesel (65,300t)
certified compost for agricultural businesses (43,200t)
plastic pellets for industrial companies (16,000t)
The Lippe Plant is also proving to be a role model when it comes to producing energy. Various waste streams generated by the different on-site facilities are thermally treated in the biomass-fired power plant and in the fluidised bed power plant to produce energy. The resulting steam and electricity not only cover the Lippe Plant’s own requirements (114,600 MWh each year) but also benefit external customers, who are supplied with 64,000 MWh steam and 222,300 MWh electricity every year.
... and prevents bad things happening
Im Lippewerk wird jährlich so viel CO2 eingespart, wie 100.000 Langstreckenflüge verursachen
A study carried out by Prognos AG and the INFA Institute has revealed that the activities at the Lippe Plant reduce carbon emissions by around 488,000t every year. This is enough to offset the emissions produced by 100,000 long-haul flights to Sydney. Or to paint a more visual image: the Lippe Plant cuts carbon emissions by the same amount as a wind farm operating 80 wind turbines.
From Germany out into the world – exporting sustainability
The technologies being used at the Lippe Plant can now be found at many different places around the world as well – helping to grow sustainability and climate action at a global level. Just one example: the many eco-industrial parks that have been set up across Asia with our help and that recycle products to the same high environmentally sound standards as the Lippe Plant. What’s more, we have also facilitated, initiated and implemented a whole range of individual international projects, which have seen us exporting the processes and know-how from REMONDIS’ Lippe Plant out into the world. One project, for example, involved the construction of a facility in Singapore to recover metals from incinerator bottom ash (IBA). No matter what kind of know-how or technology is involved, it is essential that we never turn up and act as a kind of teacher but always work side by side with those responsible on site and – most importantly – to get local firms on board. This is the only way to ensure that sustainable, long-term measures and processes can be implemented to protect the environment.
REMEX GmbH, a REMONDIS subsidiary, operates a state-of-the-art recycling facility in Singapore – modelled on the Lippe Plant – that recycles IBA from waste incineration plants and recovers the metal contents
It’s still well worth investing in sustainability
Our efforts to achieve sustainability are far from over. We are continuously working on improving our results by modernising our systems and developing and implementing state-of-the-art technology. We have invested 500 million euros over the last few years alone. Some of this money, for example, was used to build an innovative plant for treating commercial and residual waste. Thanks to this particular facility, the recyclable materials can be cleanly separated according to type and then sent on for recycling.
Visit the Lippe Plant – online or as part of a guided tour
There are two ways to get to see the Lippe Plant up close: you can either take a look around our Lippe Plant website or visit the recycling centre in person. We would, of course, recommend that you do both. Please note, however, that we can only offer guided tours of the Lippe Plant to groups of people. Find out more about our tours and the recycling technology used at the Lippe Plant by going to remondis-lippe-plant.com
Go on a virtual tour of the Lippe Plant now and find out more about the different types of recycling technologies – by taking a look at the 14 short films
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