Field Trip to Nickelhütte Aue

On June 10, 2026, fourth- and sixth-semester process engineering students visited the Aue Nickel Smelter. Founded in 1635 and employing around 450 people, the company is one of the region’s leading recycling and upcycling facilities, processing a wide variety of metal-containing materials into high-quality products and raw materials.

To kick things off, the students attended a lecture that provided fascinating insights into the company’s history as well as the most important production and recycling processes at the Nickelhütte. This highlighted just how diverse the demands on modern process engineering facilities are and the role that sustainable material cycles play in today’s industry.

This was followed by a guided tour of the various production areas. During the tour, participants were able to experience numerous process engineering procedures up close. In addition to classic equipment such as rotary kilns and flue gas cleaning systems, the focus was particularly on the specialized processes for the production of nickel sulfate. The combination of thermal, chemical, and mechanical processes impressively illustrated the complexity of modern recycling processes.

The excursion offered students the opportunity to link theoretical content from their studies with practical applications and to gain comprehensive insight into industrial process engineering.

We would like to thank Nickelhütte Aue for the interesting presentations, the open answers to numerous questions, and the exciting tour of the facility.