Germany's Aurubis begins using blue ammonia in copper rod production
UAE has shipped the first-ever ammonia test cargo to Germany. Hamburg-based copper producer Aurubis is using the blue ammonia supplied by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for copper rod production.
“We want our production to be climate-neutral well before 2050. Ammonia can be an important component of the hydrogen supply chain to achieve this goal,” Aurubis CEO Roland Harings said in a statement on October 21.
“This pilot project highlights the pioneering role we play in the decarbonisation of our industry. It demonstrates that the creation of a blue – and in the future, green – ammonia value chain between Germany and the United Arab Emirates is not just theoretically possible, but practically feasible,” he added.
During the eight-week test series, ammonia will partially replace fossil natural gas in the rod plant. If the pilot project is successful, up to 4,000 mt/year of CO2 could be saved in the Aurubis plant in Hamburg alone, the company said.
Emirates New Agency in a separate report said that further ammonia test cargoes are due to arrive in Germany later this year.