Pirdop copper smelter and refinery
Encyclopedia
Pirdop copper smelter and refinery is the biggest facility for smelting and refining of copper
in South-Eastern Europe. The factory is situated between the towns of Pirdop
and Zlatitsa
in the Sofia Province
, western Bulgaria
. The plant, which was founded in 1958, had an initial annual capacity of 160,000 tons, which has been expanded to 340,000 tons at present.It's 2 metres taller than the Eiffel tower.
In addition, it produces 830,000 tons of sulphuric acid and small amounts of silver
, gold
and selenium
. The number of employees is 800.
Pirdop copper smelter and refinery was privatised in 1997 for $80,000,000 and belongs now to the German company Aurubis
.
The main chimney of the smelter is 325 metres tall,0,4metres taller than the Maritza East power stations chimneys.
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
in South-Eastern Europe. The factory is situated between the towns of Pirdop
Pirdop
Pirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...
and Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa is a town in southern Bulgaria located in the Zlatitsa-Pirdop valley, between Stara Planina to the north and Sredna Gora to the south at 680 meters above the sea level. It is situated immediately south in the lap of the Zlatitsa -Teteven Mountain...
in the Sofia Province
Sofia Province
Sofia Province is a province of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia however remains its administrative center...
, western Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. The plant, which was founded in 1958, had an initial annual capacity of 160,000 tons, which has been expanded to 340,000 tons at present.It's 2 metres taller than the Eiffel tower.
In addition, it produces 830,000 tons of sulphuric acid and small amounts of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and selenium
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
. The number of employees is 800.
Pirdop copper smelter and refinery was privatised in 1997 for $80,000,000 and belongs now to the German company Aurubis
Aurubis
Aurubis AG is the largest copper producer in Europe. The company is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.- History :In 1866 Norddeutsche Affinerie was incorporated as a stock company....
.
The main chimney of the smelter is 325 metres tall,0,4metres taller than the Maritza East power stations chimneys.