Texas City tin smelter

The Texas City tin smelter is a former metallurgical plant in Texas City and La Marque, United States. It was created in 1942, during the Second World War, to secure the American production of tin from imported ores. It operates until 1991, gradually diversifying.[1]

Texas City tin smelter
Map
BuiltMarch 1941 (1941-03)
Operated5 April 1942 – April 1991
LocationTexas City
Coordinates29°21′24″N 94°56′27″W / 29.356762°N 94.940918°W / 29.356762; -94.940918
IndustryExtractive metallurgy
ProductsTin
Employees850 (1946)
Area170 acres (0.69 km2)
DefunctApril 1991 (1991-04)

Founded and operated by the U.S. state as Longhorn Tin Smelter, it produced, towards the end of the war, up to 45% of the world's tin production. But deprived of access to tin ore deposits, it collapsed as soon as the international situation normalized. Privatized, it became, under the name of Tex-Tin Corporation,[2] a pioneering plant in the use of the Kaldo process for the recycling of tin-rich waste.[1]

However, this reconversion was not sufficient to overcome the low availability of tin ores, and the plant was unable to revive. When it closed, soil pollution was significant and the brownfields were taken over by the Environmental Protection Agency. The restoration plan was successfully completed in 2003.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Superfund record of decision : Texas Tin Corporation Site OU 1, Texas City, TX" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. May 17, 1999. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Superfund record of decision : Texas Tin Corporation Site OU 1, Texas City, TX". 1976. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Tin Smelter". Retrieved January 9, 2023.