Aurubis Berango
| Subsidiary | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Non-ferrous metal recycling |
| Founded 📆 | November 1991 |
| Founder 👔 | Metallo-Chimique N.V. |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Berango, Biscay , Spain |
Area served 🗺️ | Europe |
| Products 📟 | Black copper, tin- and lead-bearing solder alloys (Elmix®), zinc oxide residues, Koranel® by-products |
| Members | |
Number of employees | ~90 |
| Parent | Metallo-Chimique N.V. (1991–2017) → Metallo Group Holding B.V. (2017–2020) → Aurubis AG |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Aurubis Berango is a Spanish copper smelter located in Berango, Biscay, which is in the Greater Bilbao industrial area of the Basque Country. It was established in 1991 as Elmet S.L.U., the Iberian subsidiary of the Belgian secondary copper refiner Metallo-Chimique and for more than twenty-five years, it formed part of the Metallo Group’s European recycling network. Through this connection, Elmet appeared in official statements concerning the U.S. firm Chemetco Inc. as a proposed recipient of zinc-oxide residues, which were later found to be hazardous under U.S. export law.[1][2]
Foundation and early operations
Elmet S.L.U. was incorporated in November 1991 as the Iberian branch of Metallo-Chimique N.V. of Beerse, Belgium.[3] The Berango site began producing black copper in October 1992, using rotary furnaces designed to process copper-, lead-, and tin-bearing materials. In about 2000, the plant expanded its smelting capacity from about 4,500 tonnes to 7,500 tonnes per month.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Elmet operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Metallo-Chimique; each plant functioned as parts of a transnational system, which also included U.S smelter Chemetco. Residues collected across Europe by Metallo were then processed in Spain. Intermediate products were black copper, tin alloys, and oxide concentrates, and these were transferred to Metallo for further refining. The facilities shared engineering support, logistics and materials, as well as with Chemetco in the U.S.
Leadership
José Antonio Bóveda del Río served as Director General of Elmet during the 1990s and early 2000s.[4] In March 2002, Bóveda was quoted in El País, in his discussion of Elmet's contract with the Spanish Mint (Casa de Moneda y Timbre) to refine obsolete Spanish pesetas and Irish pounds into copper. Bóveda was cited as saying "...machacar la peseta es un buen negocio" ("grinding up the peseta is good business").[4]
During 1996–1997, Bóveda provided a sworn statement to Chemetco, a U.S. copper smelter in Hartford, Illinois, describing the technical value of copper–tin oxides to Elmet's operations. At the time, Elmet was Chemetco's main customer for so-called "zinc oxide" byproducts under a rolling, renewable one-year contract.[5] However, the material was shown by the U.S government to contain heavy metals, including lead and cadmium, and to be a hazardous waste rather than a "product."
- Illinois Pollution Control Board. In the Matter of: Petition of Chemetco, Inc. for Adjusted Standard from 35 Ill. Adm. Code 720.131(a) and (c). AS 97-2. Opinion and Order, March 19, 1998. Illinois Pollution Control Board.
In 1994, the U.S. Federal Election Commission found that Bóveda, who was a Spanish national, was among those who violated 2 U.S.C. § 441e by arranging a US$25,000 contribution to Citizens for Schoemehl during the 1992 U.S presidential primary. This was shown to be through an entity called Tippins Development Ltd., which investigators could not verify ever existed.[6] The FEC’s General Counsel described the payments as “clearly laundered money.”[6] Bóveda then entered into a conciliation agreement and paid a US$7,000 civil penalty for these violations.[6][7]
Corporate context and environmental links
Elmet’s name appears in official documentation describing some of Chemetco’s residue shipments during the 1990s. The Illinois Pollution Control Board noted planned exports of what was described as "zinc oxide" material, but which contained elevated levels of lead and cadmium, with Metallo/Elmet identified as their intended destination. Eventually, transfers of this material were blocked under U.S. hazardous-waste export rules.[1][2]
Products
Principal outputs included:
- Black copper, sent to Metallo-Chimique for electro-refining or fire refining
- Tin- and lead-bearing solder alloys [8]
The workforce remained stable at about 90 employees through the 2010s.
Corporate succession
| Period | Corporate name | Parent company | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 – 2017 | Elmet S.L.U. | Metallo-Chimique N.V. (Beerse, Belgium) | Iberian smelter within Metallo Group |
| 2017 – 2020 | Metallo Spain S.L.U. | Metallo Group Holding B.V. (owned by TowerBrook Capital Partners) | Unified under Metallo branding |
| 2020 – present | Aurubis Berango S.L.U. | Aurubis AG (Germany) | Integrated following acquisition of Metallo Group (29 May 2020) |
Elmet was taken over by Aurubis AG in 2020. Berango continued to operate as part of Aurubis’s recycling division, still focussing on low-grade residues.[9][10]
See also
- Metallo-Chimique
- Chemetco
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chemetco Petition Documents (Report). Illinois Pollution Control Board. 1998–1999.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Case Summary: Settlement Reached at the Chemetco Superfund Site". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ Jones, Peter Tom (2017-03-07). "MetalloChimique NV and Elmet SLU become "Metallo"". SIM². Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Las monedas de peseta inician en Bilbao su último viaje". El País (in español). 6 March 2002.
- ↑ (Illinois Pollution Control Board 11 March 1997). Text
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Matter Under Review 3541" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. 1994.
- ↑ "Federal Election Commission News Release" (PDF) (Press release). Federal Election Commission. 20 December 1994.
- ↑ "Metallo simplifies its name". Recycling Today. 17 May 2017.
- ↑ "Aurubis completes Metallo acquisition". Invest in Spain. 29 May 2020.
- ↑ "Aurubis AG: Acquisition of Metallo Group fully completed" (Press release). Aurubis AG. 2 June 2020.
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