BASF ECMS to acquire Arc Metal AB in Sweden
Acquisition adds smelting capability to serve spent automotive catalyst customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) has signed an agreement to purchase the assets of Arc Metal AB in Hofors, Sweden. The company currently conducts toll smelting and processing of spent automotive catalyst, among other services, and will further complement ECMS’s existing global precious metal recycling operations in Cinderford, UK, Seneca and Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Caldwell, Texas, USA. The closing of the transaction is expected early in the first quarter of 2024.
“This investment will allow us to grow our recycling business in Europe and bring in best-in-class pyro-metallurgical technology providing flexibility to process high carbon containing materials, like Silicon Carbide found in spent automotive catalyst materials as well as access to new markets,” said Tim Ingle, Senior Vice President, Precious Metal Services and Recycling, ECMS. “We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues who bring vast experience in smelting and processing of spent automotive catalysts.”
The additional smelting capacity at the Sweden site will also increase utilization of the new refinery capacity in Seneca, South Carolina. Recycled catalysts go through a smelting process and are then refined to produce the high purity precious metal needed to make new catalysts and other end use products, supporting a circular economy. Recycled platinum group metals can also lower carbon emissions by up to 97 percent, in comparison to refining mined or primary materials.
“The asset purchase will enable ECMS to meet increased customer demand for spent automotive catalyst recycling and position ECMS more competitively in the region,” said Dirk Bremm, President and CEO, ECMS. “The acquisition also aligns with our sustainability efforts and those of our customers since catalyst recycling as a secondary supply is a significant source of precious metals, preserving our critical resources.”
