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Horne Smelter
The Horne Smelter
Location	Rouyn-Noranda, Québec,  Canada
Coordinates	48°15′12″N 79°00′49″W / 48.25328°N 79.01358°W / 48.25328; -79.01358
Industry	Metallurgy
Products	Copper, Precious metals, Sulfuric acid
Employees	650
Address	101 Av. Portelance, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5B6
Owner(s)	Noranda (1927-2005), Falconbridge (2005-2006) Xstrata (2006-2013), Glencore (since 2013)
Website	https://www.glencore.ca/en/horne/

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The Horne Smelter (French: Fonderie Horne) is an industrial complex in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. It is Canada's only copper smelter, and the largest processor of metals from electronic scrap in North America.

History

The smelter is named after prospector Edmund Horne. The first copper pour took place on December 17, 1927.

Operations

The smelter produces copper anodes of 99.1% purity. Its feedstock consists of both copper concentrate sourced from mines and shredded electronic waste. Copper from electronic scrap comprises 15% of its production.

In addition to copper and other metals, the facility also produces sulfuric acid. Commissioned in 1989, production from the sulfuric acid plant amounts to 640,000 metric tons per year, recovering some 96% of the sulfur generated by the smelting process.

Economic impact

The smelter employs around 650 people. Its economic benefit has been placed at $500 million per year.

Environmental issues

A June 2022 study published by Quebec's public health body, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec [fr], showed that the smelter had exposed the town of Rouyn-Noranda to harmful levels of arsenic and cadmium for decades, resulting in elevated levels of lung cancer.

References

1. ^ Coulton, Marisa (7 Oct 2022). "Controversy over Canada's last copper smelter highlights bumpy green transition". Financial Post. Postmedia. Retrieved 8 Jan 2025.
2. "Fonderie Horne" [Horne Smelter]. Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec (in French). Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec. Retrieved 8 Jan 2025. Associée à la fondation de la ville de Noranda, la fonderie Horne est considérée comme l'un des plus importants producteurs mondiaux de cuivre et de métaux précieux ainsi que le plus grand recycleur de matériaux électroniques d'Amérique du Nord. [Associated with the founding of the town of Noranda, the Horne Smelter is considered to be one of the most important producers of copper and precious metals in the world, as well as the largest recycler of electonics materials in North America.]
3. Reguly, Eric (9 May 2023). "Canada's Li-Cycle and Glencore plan European battery recycling hub in Italy". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 8 Jan 2025. Glencore's Horne smelter in northern Quebec is North America's largest recycler of metals, such as copper, that are removed from electronic scrap.
4. Glencore. "Horne Smelter: Notre histoire" [Horne Smelter: Our History]. Glencore Canada. Retrieved 10 Jan 2025.
5. ^ "Our operations". Glencore Canada. Retrieved 8 Jan 2025.
6. ^ Beauchemin, Genevieve; Dabu, Christl (2 Mar 2024). "W5 investigates as Quebec town's residents fear harmful health effects linked to historic smelter". CTV News. Retrieved 9 Jan 2025.
7. Valcke, Mathieu; Ponce, Gabriela; Bourgault, Marie-Hélène (June 2022). "Évaluation du risque cancérigène attribuable aux concentrations d'arsenic et de cadmium dans l'air de la ville de Rouyn-Noranda" [Evaluation of carcinogenic risk attributable to concentrations of arsenic and cadmium in the air of the town of Rouyn-Noranda] (PDF) (in French). Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Retrieved 9 Jan 2025.

• Pollution in Canada
• Air pollution
• Environment of Quebec
• Economy of Quebec
• Casting (manufacturing)