Abstract
To remain competitive and sustainable the pyrometallurgical industry had to continually innovate. The drivers of this innovation have been: environmental compliance, reduction in energy and material consumption, cost reduction and adaptation to feed materials. The industry has developed many innovations in process design, reactor design, and process control. The author has been involved in many of these developments in the last 50 years. The author developed a long-term collaboration with Dr. Bert Wasmund in this endeavor; This paper highlights these developments and their impact on the industry. Circular economy is a part of the sustainability for the pyrometallurgical industry. Going forward, there is going to be an increasing emphasis on decarbonization of the processes. Some of these developments are discussed.