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(Facility) Baia Mare Smelter/Refinery

Plant in Maramures, Romania with commodities Copper, Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  8. Mining district
  9. Mineral rights holdings
  10. Land status
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10182780
MAS/MILS ID 4850551001
Record type Site
Current site name (Facility) Baia Mare Smelter/Refinery
Alternate or previous names Baia Mare Smelter, Baia Mare Refinery, Baia Mare Complex, Baia Mare Enterprise

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: 23.3353, 47.66526 (WGS84)
Elevation 750
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Maramures(province)

Romania(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Romania Maramures

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid Secondary

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) 23.3353, 47.66526
ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Processing Plant
Development status Plant
Commodity type Both
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1907
Year of first production 1907
Plant type Smelter/Refiner
Plant subcategory Smelter-Pyrometallurgy

Mining district

District name Baia Mare District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Government Of Romania
    Interest 100
    Home office Romania
    Year 1991
  • Type Operator
    Owner Department Of Non-Ferrous Metals
    Home office Romania
    Year 1991

Comments on the ownership information

  • AS OF 1991, THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA WAS THE SOLE OWNER OF THE SMELTER. THE DEPARTMENT OF NON-FERROUS METALS WAS IN CHARGE OF ALL OPERATIONS.

Production statistics

  • Year 1987
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Refined Copper (Estimated) 27000 Metric Tons
  • Year 1988
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Refined Copper (Estimated) 30000 Metric Tons
  • Year 1989
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Refined Copper (Estimated) 28000 Metric Tons
  • Year 1990
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Refined Copper (Estimated) 25000 Metric Tons

Comments on the production information

  • AS OF 1990, THE PRODUCTS AT THE BAIA MARE SMELTER CONSISTED OF COPPER CATHODES, COPPER WIREBARS, AND SULFURIC ACID.

Comments on the workings information

  • THE BAIA MARE OPERATIONS HAVE MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. THE NEARBY TOWN WAS 4 KM FROM TYHE SMELTER AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION BUT HAS SINCE EXPANDED SO THAT THE SMELTER IS NOW MORE OR LESS IN THE TOWN. THE MILL IS OLD AND THERE ARE SEVERE GAS AND DUST LEAKS. THIS IS SERIOUS BECAUSE THE CONCENTRATES THAT ARE TREATED HERE CONTAIN A LOT OF HEAVY ELEMENT IMPURITIES SUCH AS LEAD, ZINC, AND CADMIUM. AS A RESULT OF THESE EMISSIONS THERE ARE HEALTH PROBLEMS BOTH IN THE TOWN AND IN THE SMELTER ITSELF. THE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED WITH OUTOKUMPU, AND FILTERS AND ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS CAN BE ADDED REASONABLY EASILY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN CALCULATED THAT A 270 M HIGH STACK MUST BE BUILT IN ORDER FOR EMISSIONS TO CLEAR NEARBY TOWNS. THIS IS ALL BEING PROPOSED DUE TO THE ANTICIPATION THAT MORE EXTENSIVE REGULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FORTHCOMING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    MINERAL FACTS AND PROBLEMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF

  • Production

    THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 675, 1985 EDITION.

  • Geology

    HURLBUT, CORNELIUS S., DANA'S MANUAL OF MINERALOGY,

  • Geology

    EIGHTEENTH EDITION, 1971.

  • Deposit

    ATLAS OF EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY,

  • Deposit

    AUGUST 1990.

  • Deposit

    THE TIMES WORLD ATLAS, TIMES BOOKS, 1983.

  • Deposit

    MET RESEARCH CORPORATION, EVALUATION OF THREE COPPER

  • Deposit

    SMELTERS IN EASTERN EUROPE, NOVEMBER 1990.

  • Deposit

    COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED, THE BASE METAL

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE, NOVEMBER 1990.

  • Deposit

    BOMSEL AND VON HIRSCHHAUSEN, THE MINING AND

  • Deposit

    METALLURGICAL INDUSTRIES IN EASTERN EUROPE, CERNA,

  • Deposit

    JULY 1991.

  • Deposit

    METALLGESELLSCHAFT AG, DEVELOPMENT TRENDS OF THE

  • Deposit

    NON-FERROUS METALS INDUSTRY IN EASTERN EUROPE,

  • Deposit

    DECEMBER 1991.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE FERNEZIU FIRIZA LEAD AND MNO2 PLANT PREVIOUSLY OPERATED AS PART OF THE BAIA MARE COPPER SMELTING ENTERPRISE. SINCE 1989, IT HAS OPERATED AS A SEPARATE ENTERPRISE AND A SEPARATE PROFILE CAN BE FOUND UNDER SEQUENCE NUMBER __________.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-SEP-96 Porter, Kenneth E. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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