Locksley Resources targets full slice of ‘Made in America’ antimony market

• LKY measures up to 85.9% antimony recoveries in testwork on Mojave project ore
• Company sending ore to Rice University for processing using DeepSolv™ extraction tech
• Further testwork anticipated to further improve recoveries

Special Report: Excellent metallurgical testwork results flag the potential for Locksley Resources to deliver ‘Made in America Antimony’ from its Mojave project in California.

Demand for antimony in the US has skyrocketed since China effectively cut off exports, especially as geopolitical tensions continue to rise globally.

The critical mineral plays an essential role in defence systems, semiconductors and metal alloys.

Recoveries ranging between 82.9% and 85.9% have been received, validating that the Mojave project can deliver the feedstock required to underpin a 100% U.S. domestic mine-to-market antimony supply chain.

Notably, recoveries at this level confirm Locksley Resources’ (ASX:LKY/OTCQB:LKYRF) pathway to delivering full “Made in America” antimony, in directly alignment with U.S. government priorities for securing onshore critical mineral supply.

There is also potential for greater recoveries as the composite sample collected from the surface were oxidised and fresh rock samples from drilling are likely to yield  better results.

Domestic American antimony

Options to use concentrate in a pilot test to produce antimony metal ingot, antimony oxide and antimony trisulphide are being assessed.

In addition, concentrate will be sent to Rice University for incorporation into the development of DeepSolv™, an ore-agnostic processing technology that promises much lower energy requirements compared to traditional pyrometallurgy methods, as well as reduced emissions, higher metal recoveries and scalable, modular plants.

“This is an excellent milestone to have achieved for the Mojave project, which demonstrates that conventional flotation technology is suitable to produce a stibnite concentrate from the Desert Antimony mine prospect,” LKY technical director Julian Woodcock said.

“What is also remarkable is the success of the testwork on surface samples, which have been susceptible to oxidation.

“I am extremely encouraged by the results and optimistic that with further testwork we will be able to improve on this already high-quality first-pass outcome.

“This activity continues to rapidly advance our strategy to provide onshore supply of antimony to the U.S. market.”

Further testwork is ongoing with the aim of improving stibnite recovery and concentrate grade, with subsequent regrind and cleaning stages targeting a final concentrate grade of >50% antimony.

This article was developed in collaboration with Locksley Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.