Metso Outotec did not disclose the customer or the value of the order, only stating that this type of an order was "typically" in the range of €8-15 million (US$9.7-18.2 million).

"This order will strengthen our position in treatment of secondary raw materials. Our DC furnace technology is well suited for secondary smelting applications, including precious metal recycling. This delivery is well in line with our strategy to grow in circular economy," said Jyrki Makkonen, vice president, Smelting business line at Metso Outotec.

Metso's DC smelters use a continuous electrical direct current supplied by transformer and rectifier for direct smelting of ores with fine particle sizes.

A graphite electrode forms the negative cathode and the bottom of the furnace the positive anode, with smelting energy supplied by an open plasma arc.   

Raw material reduced at high temperature using a carbon reductant such as anthracite or coal.

"One of the biggest benefits of DC smelting technology lies in recycling applications," the company explains on its website. "It can be used to process and recover valuable metals from materials such as the dust resulting from the production of steel and other metals. "