Brought to you by BULLS N’ BEARS
Craig Nolan
Locksley Resources’ recent metallurgical testwork has forged more than 99 per cent in pure metallic antimony from material sourced at its flagship Desert Antimony Mine in the US state of California.
The company’s ongoing metallurgical optimisation program is sharpening its pathway toward defence-grade antimony, marking a critical step in anchoring a secure, fully domestic US supply chain for this strategic mineral. The metallurgical testwork is also a vital step in confirming its process flowsheet.
The company says XRD and Rietveld refinement testing have delivered antimony that is now knocking on the door of US defence specifications, spurring a series of technical and commercial meetings with strategic partners to advance its domestic mine-to-market strategy.
Last year, management engaged the servicers of the renowned US metallurgical and processing firm, Hazen Research.
‘Metallurgical testing marks an important step forward as we continue to systematically advance the Mojave project.’
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews
Hazen was tasked with producing antimony metal solely in the US from ore sourced from Locksley’s Mojave project’s deposit and processed into a concentrate, with no offshore processing an important condition of the allotted task. Mojave forms part of the wider Desert Antimony Mine project.
The outcome was significant for the potential restart of domestic antimony production, with Hazen producing a 100 per cent American-made antimony ingot from the Mojave material.
The result provided technical validation that a US supply chain reliant on local expertise and infrastructure is possible.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two firms to assess the optimal toll-treating options for the high-grade antimony-bearing material from the Desert Antimony Mine.
The company is now assessing a low-capital start-up scenario, focusing on initial production and revenue generation while longer-term development studies are completed.
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews said: “This collaboration with Hazen Industries and the advancement of metallurgical testing mark an important step forward as we continue to systematically advance the Mojave project. Advancing exploration alongside downstream processing validation strengthens our integrated development pathway and reinforces our commitment to rapidly unlocking value at Mojave”.
The company also plans to focus on the manufacture and qualification of antimony trioxide and antimony trisulphide.
Antimony trioxide is a critical component in electronics, plastics, fire retardants and energy applications. Antimony trisulphide is used as a strategic industrial material for pigments and pyrotechnics and used in defence systems, primers and specialty chemicals.
Locksley will prepare product samples for supply to potential US offtake and qualification partners. It says achieving a recognised product standard is essential to securing long-term offtake agreements and integration into industrial and defence products.
Today’s positive metallurgical results follow hot on the heels of the company’s reveal last week that it has scored a prized Affiliate Membership role with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI), a consortium focused on the security of US critical mineral supply chains.
The flagship Mojave project, prospective for large-scale antimony and rare earths resources, could now be in the box seat to benefit from a series of cutting-edge research and development (R&D) projects.
The company’s US-based subsidiary, Enigma Strategic Minerals, has been welcomed into the CMI fold, along with the potential to participate in various coveted DOE-funded R&D projects. The Critical Materials hub is a DOE innovation hub led by the Ames National Laboratory in Iowa.
Ames is a top-level national laboratory for research on national security, energy and the environment.
The CMI’s primary objective is to develop technology solutions to minimise reliance on supply chains from foreign nations for critical minerals vital for renewable energy, electric-vehicle technologies and national security.
The ability to produce greater than 99 per cent purity metallic antimony is a huge forward leap for the company’s Mojave project, as the aspiring producer eyes antimony and rare earths glory.
Locksley has its sights firmly set on commercially viable mineralisation at the Desert Antimony mine. This breakthrough could pave the way for US production-scale operations as the world’s most powerful nation scrambles to lock in a domestic supply of the munitions-critical metal.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
