Lead smelters in the us View 15 listings for Lead Smelting and Refining (Secondary) in the United States. Rather than producing new lead from raw ore—a practice that U. This is when lead ore gets put inside a sintering machine along with a Sep 16, 2014 · Comparison of the U. 9 million tons refined lead 2020 Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of the mineral commodity lead Aug 25, 2024 · BACKGROUND AND AIM[|]Metal smelters are facilities that manufacturing lead, copper or other metals. In the United States, hundreds of industrial facilities that involved in primary and secondary metal processing flourished between 1930s and late 1960s; while majority of these Oct 29, 2013 · Last U. Lead Smelter to Close, Ammunition & Fishing Manufacturing to Feel Effects NRA – ILA Charlotte, NC – - (Ammoland. Wilburn Apr 3, 2014 · Lead bullets will have to come from overseas after EPA closed smelter, chain email says "We, the American public have been blindsided again by the Obama crowd!!!" warns a chain email. 4 There are currently only three primary lead smelters operating in the United States. Nov 20, 2023 · SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing amendments to the new source performance standards (NSPS) for secondary lead smelters pursuant to the periodic review required by the Clean Air Act (CAA). The plant closing on Dec The Herculaneum smelter is currently the only smelter in the United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore that is mined nearby in Missouri’s extensive lead deposits, giving the smelter its “primary” designation. Missouri’s Lead Belt has been the primary Lead Smelting Lead Pollution Estimated Population at Risk: 1. These facilities often release toxic chemicals including lead (Pb) as lead dusts and deposit in soils nearby. Mar 27, 2025 · Secondary lead smelting facilities recycle lead-bearing scrap material, mainly lead acid batteries, into elemental lead or lead alloys. This will undoubtedly affect the price of lead, since the lead that is mined in Viburnum MO will now be sent out of the US for smelting. "Last Lead Oct 23, 2025 · The secondary lead smelting industry consists of facilities that recycle lead-bearing scrap material, typically lead acid batteries, into elemental lead or lead alloys. Is there a lead smelter in the United States? Lead Smelting & Refining in the US industry This industry smelts and refines lead, either in raw form or from lead scrap, to produce lead products and lead-based alloys for downstream manufacturers. Our smelter network enables us to offer flexible, reliable solutions designed to your specifications, no matter the size of your business. Dec 23, 2013 · We've the news today that the last remaining primary lead smelter in the US is to close. The plant is called a secondary lead smelter because it doesn’t actually produce new lead from ore; it recycles lead that already exists. ) The recycling process works like this: used batteries are broken open, the lead is extracted and then melted in Aug 27, 2022 · Are there any smelters in the US? The Herculaneum smelter is currently the only smelter in the United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore that is mined nearby in Missouri’s extensive lead deposits, giving the smelter its “primary” designation. How many lead smelting plants are in the US? Lead produced by secondary smelting accounts for half of the lead produced in the U. Smelter and Lead (USS Lead) Refinery Superfund Site is located on a 79-acre tract of land in East Chicago, Ind. Apr 10, 2025 · Information about the U. Lead smelting companies were once prevalent throughout the United States and other countries in the world, and lead is still required in a number of day-to-day tasks. manufacturers with the metal they need for batteries, radiation protection, ammunition and other uses. Image courtesy of WorstPolluted. 24, 2021 What does Gopher do? Gopher Resource recycles lead-acid batteries. The opacity of these gases is limited to 20 percent. The process of smelting separates lead from other metals and nonmetallic contaminants. 2 Lead Lead smelting explained Plants for the production of lead are generally referred to as lead smelters. The facility has been in operation since 1892. Expect the costs of batteries, ammunition, and hundreds of other lead-dependent products to climb. 5 Primary and secondary lead smelters produce the same product (i. Lead Recycling Industry in 1998 and 2011 By David R. Probably a good idea and the reason it's closing is simply because we don't need it any more. Please note, changing industry conditions may see the scope of this report vary from the provided definition. e. Children under the age of six are at risk of developing cognitive health effects even at very low blood lead levels. Our recycled lead and lead metal alloys provide U. ” The company says the Herculaneum plant is its last primary smelter in the United States. , refined lead); therefore, they tend to compete for the same markets. 9 Million Description Lead processing and smelting plants work with both primary and secondary lead. May 18, 2021 · Estimates of the aggregate lead production in Missouri since mining began in the early 18th century, top 17 million tons, at a value of nearly $5 billion. May 5, 2021 · United States – Lead Mining, Smelting and Refining 1995 • 11 mines produce lead 0. Lead Top-quality results, sustainable production. All of our lead smelting operations are certified to ISO 9001. Rely on the most reputable secondary smelter in the United States - ECS Refining. Rising energy costs for smelting and China's COVID-19 recovery Domestic production of secondary lead decreased by 4% from that in the previous year owing to a reduction in production of several secondary lead smelters and a closure of one secondary lead smelter in South Carolina in 2021. The affected source for this subpart is any of the following sources at a secondary lead smelter: Blast, reverberatory, rotary, and electric furnaces Oct 20, 2013 · Suddenly the US Army’s obsession with lead-free ammunition makes perfect sense, it was about security not the environment. Browse our list of Lead Smelting and Refining (Secondary) with reviews, directions, and phone numbers in the United States. The Doe Run Company, the last remaining lead smelter in the US, employs 220 people at its Herculaneum, Missouri lead smelting plant. Aug 20, 2025 · Since 1991, our secondary smelter has met our customers’ needs with high-purity secondary lead and numerous custom lead alloys. The American Lead Environmental Advisory Area is located on the northeast side of downtown Indianapolis and is made up of industrial, commercial and residential properties, community centers, playgrounds, parks, churches, and schools. (There are no more primary lead smelters in the United States. Sep 4, 2022 · Gun owners are wondering what that will do to the cost, supply and availability of ammunition. Our secondary lead smelting facility is also in California, Indiana, and New York. In the US there are 400 forgotten lead smelting firms that operated in the 1930s to 1960s and may have deposited dangerous levels of lead contamination in nearby soil. RSR Corporation is a pioneering Lead Acid Battery Scrap recycling company located in Dallas, Texas, United States. Jun 18, 2024 · Here are the five largest lead mines by production in the US, according to GlobalData’s mining database. The final rule applies to owners and operators of secondary lead smelters. and includes both the former USS Lead facility and nearby contaminated commercial, municipal, and residential properties. Nov 5, 2013 · EPA regulations are shutting down the last lead smelting plant in the United States. The Process of Smelting Producing lead first begins with sintering. . Mar 29, 2023 · There used to be hundreds of smelters in the U. The Company is a fully integrated miner, smelter and refiner of copper in the United States. (PDF; 13 pages; 6. 6MB) Garfield Smelters -- Information about the smelters at Garfield, including the ASARCO (later Kennecott) smelter. 39 million tons production 3 primary smelters 0. Smelting is a key process in Dec 29, 2013 · The email is also wrong when it says the Herculaneum plant is the “last lead smelting plant in the US. Lead poisoning from deteriorating old paint is the primary source of elevated blood lead levels in children. Pregnant women or those who might become pregnant must avoid lead exposure because it is toxic to the fetus. Recent research found evidence that studies of lead smelter/refinery Apr 5, 2012 · Secondary lead smelters, often known as battery recyclers, extract and process lead from scrap material and old batteries, exposing communities to lead, cadmium, arsenic and other toxic air pollutants. 022 gr/dscf). Lead smelter/refinery workers in the US have had significant exposure to lead and are an important occupational group to study to understand the health effects of chronic lead exposure in adults. S. 5 days ago · EPA regulations have forced the nation's only remaining primary lead smelter to close - and we could soon feel its absence. 37 million tons refined lead 18 secondary refineries 0. Map of polluting lead smelting plants. The process occurs in blast, reverberatory, and rotary kiln furnaces. In a move that could affect ammo production, the last remaining US lead smelter is slated to close in December, courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Concentrated lead ore is fed into a sintering machine with iron, silica, limestone flux es, coke, soda ash, pyrite, zinc, caustics or pollution control particulates. Jun 5, 2025 · Early History of Lead Smelting -- A PDF of an article in Ax-I-Dent-Ax magazine, May 1929, published by United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company. Dec 23, 2013 · Q: Did “Obama and the EPA” shut down the nation’s last lead smelting plant as part of a “back door gun control” plan to reduce the supply of ammunition? A: No. There are 42 companies Sintering machines, blast furnaces, and refining kettles are used to process the ore and refine the recovered metal. ECS Refining and its affiliates provide a variety a smelting services for materials containing lead (Pb), tin (Sn), gold (Au), silver (AG), and Antimony (Sb). Today, Missouri has the largest active primary lead smelter in the United States (Herculaneum) and the largest secondary lead smelter in the world (Buick). Our environmental performance and worker safety and health protections are second to none. Recent research found evidence that studies of lead Lead smelting in the United States occurs at secondary lead smelters. Now, there are fewer than a dozen of these secondary smelters because public health agencies Sep 26, 2023 · Secondary lead smelting facilities recycle lead-bearing scrap material, mainly lead acid batteries, into elemental lead or lead alloys. smelters no longer engage in due to environmental regulations—secondary smelters recycle lead that already exists, mostly from lead-acid batteries. A reader writes …The last remaining lead smelter, in Herculaneum MO, is closing down. Feb 18, 2025 · The promulgated standards of performance for new and modified primary lead smelters limit emissions of particulate matter contained in the gases discharged into the atmosphere from blast furnaces, dross reverberatory furnaces and sintering machine discharge ends to 50 mg/dscm (0. Smelter and Lead Refinery Superfund Site The U. Primary lead production begins with sintering. Historic operations at the smelter contaminated the surface soil of the surrounding community with lead. com)- In December, the final primary lead smelter in the United States Dec 5, 2013 · Companies like Doe Run will continue to manufacture the lead used in ammunition because most ammunition in the United States is made from recycled lead that comes from secondary smelters. May 7, 2024 · The process manufacturing plants use to create lead is referred to as lead smelting. Primary lead is mined, separated from ore, and refined into various products, whereas secondary lead is recovered from used objects – such as used lead-acid batteries – for reuse in other products. that recycled the lead in old car batteries. org. S. Smelting uses suitable reducing substances that will combine with those oxidizing ASARCO was organized in 1899 as American Smelting And Refining Company. Originally a consolidation of a number of lead-silver smelting companies, the Company has evolved over the years into an integrated producer of copper, and other metals. Mar 24, 2021 · Mar. Jun 7, 2023 · The lead price surged past the US$2,500 per metric ton (MT) level in early 2022, and the rest of last year saw periods of volatility. Specifically, the EPA is finalizing revisions to the NSPS that applies to affected secondary lead smelters constructed, reconstructed, or modified after December 1, 2022 (NSPS Sep 21, 2021 · Here are the five largest lead mines by production in the US, according to GlobalData’s mining database. Ecobat is a leader in the production of lead and lead alloys, mainly from recycled sources. gacn ltpf yif b7p d0gm 78iv0k 6kysn1p fl3zao cjxoq tkxxwi