Metallurgical Testwork at Galena Complex Demonstrates Over 90% Antimony Recovery Supporting Potential Near-Term Primary Antimony Production in the United States
Paul Andre Huet, Chairman and CEO, commented: “I am very excited that results of our test work have successfully demonstrated the potential to recover antimony – which is designated as a critical mineral in
"Our technical team is moving forward with detailed technical and trade-off studies to develop a plan to rapidly capitalize on the opportunity to commercially recover and realize value for antimony already present in our concentrates.”
Historical Production & Untapped Value
Antimony at the Galena Complex is hosted in the common sulfosalt mineral, tetrahedrite, which is an antimony sulfide of silver, copper, iron and zinc. Although the Galena Complex has produced significant antimony over its life, the Company historically has not realized value for this material due to its insufficient concentration and quality for smelter acceptance.
Following a review of historical metallurgical data, the Company commissioned SGS Canada Inc. (“SGS”) to conduct flotation tests on current mill feed. There were two objectives to the testwork:
- Confirm that an antimony/silver flotation product could be achieved from the current ore being processed through the mill.
- Generate a sufficient volume of flotation concentrate for additional testing to separate the antimony from the concentrate.
Test Highlights:
-
Antimony Recovery: ~90 -
96% from ore grading ~1% Antimony -
Silver Recovery: ~98 -
99% from ore grading ~50 opt Silver -
Rougher Concentrate Grades: ~18 -
19% Antimony and ~600 opt Silver
These test results on the tetrahedrite material indicate that a marketable concentrate may now be possible using modern metallurgical processes. The results from the test work are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Galena Ore – Antimony Floatation Test Results
Test 1 |
Assays |
Distribution (%) |
|||||||||
Sb (%) |
Ag (g/t) |
Ag (opt) |
Cu (%) |
Pb (%) |
Fe (%) |
Sb1 |
Ag |
Cu |
Pb |
Fe |
|
Rougher Concentrate |
19.3 |
20,355 |
593.4 |
24.47 |
0.53 |
17.5 |
92.3 |
98.7 |
98.3 |
83.2 |
4.5 |
Rougher Tail |
25 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
0.01 |
34.9 |
1.3 |
1.7 |
16.8 |
95.5 |
||
Calculated Head Grade |
1,759 |
51.3 |
2.12 |
0.05 |
33.4 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
||
Assay Head Grade |
1.2 |
1,790 |
52.2 |
2.1 |
0.05 |
34.2 |
|||||
Test 2 |
Assays |
Distribution (%) |
|||||||||
Sb (%) |
Ag (g/t) |
Ag (opt) |
Cu (%) |
Pb (%) |
Fe (%) |
Sb1 |
Ag |
Cu |
Pb |
Fe |
|
Rougher Concentrate |
19 |
20,283 |
591.3 |
23.4 |
0.53 |
17 |
90.5 |
98.9 |
98.2 |
83.4 |
4.3 |
Rougher Tail |
22 |
0.6 |
0.04 |
0.01 |
35.6 |
1.1 |
1.8 |
16.6 |
95.7 |
||
Calculated Head Grade |
1,762 |
51.4 |
2.05 |
0.05 |
34 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
||
Assay Head Grade |
1.2 |
1,790 |
52.2 |
2.1 |
0.05 |
34.2 |
|||||
Test 3 |
Assays |
Distribution (%) |
|||||||||
Sb (%) |
Ag (g/t) |
Ag (opt) |
Cu (%) |
Pb (%) |
Fe (%) |
Sb1 |
Ag |
Cu |
Pb |
Fe |
|
Rougher Concentrate |
17.9 |
21,132 |
616.1 |
24.4 |
0.57 |
17.9 |
93.4 |
98.7 |
97.8 |
84.2 |
4.5 |
Rougher Tail |
25 |
0.7 |
0.05 |
0.01 |
35.1 |
1.3 |
2.2 |
15.8 |
95.5 |
||
Calculated Head Grade |
1,762 |
51.4 |
2.05 |
0.05 |
34 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
||
Assay Head Grade |
1.2 |
1,790 |
52.2 |
2.1 |
0.05 |
34.2 |
|||||
Test 4 |
Assays |
Distribution (%) |
|||||||||
Sb (%) |
Ag (g/t) |
Ag (opt) |
Cu (%) |
Pb (%) |
Fe (%) |
Sb1 |
Ag |
Cu |
Pb |
Fe |
|
Rougher Concentrate |
18.1 |
19,836 |
578.3 |
22.5 |
0.5 |
18.5 |
96.2 |
98.3 |
98.3 |
83.5 |
5.1 |
Rougher Tail |
34 |
1 |
0.04 |
0.01 |
34.6 |
1.7 |
1.7 |
16.5 |
94.9 |
||
Calculated Head Grade |
1,844 |
53.7 |
2.09 |
0.06 |
33.1 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
||
Assay Head Grade |
1.2 |
1,790 |
52.2 |
2.1 |
0.05 |
34.2 |
|||||
Note: 1) The antimony (Sb) distribution calculation uses the assay head grade to determine distribution. |
The test results mark a key step toward establishing Americas Gold and Silver as the only current antimony producer in
Background: Antimony as a Strategic Critical Mineral
Antimony is recognized by the
Over 18 million pounds of antimony have been produced from the Galena Complex since 2001. Americas Gold and Silver is positioned to become the only antimony producer in the
Antimony is on the
- Defense: alloys in ammunition and armor
- Energy: grid-scale battery storage
- Semiconductors: flame retardants and high-tech applications
Current
- Zero operating primary antimony mines
-
>
90% imported (mainly fromChina ,Russia , andTajikistan ) - No meaningful domestic production
Global Antimony Supply (Estimated % of World Production 2024):
Country |
Share of Global Production |
|
~55– |
|
~ |
|
~ |
Others |
~10– |
Sources: USGS, Roskill, CRU Group |
With no active domestic production, the
Galena’s Legacy and Opportunity
Since 2001, the Galena Complex has produced over 18 million pounds of antimony, making it the largest antimony-producing site in the
Recent testing suggests that modern processes can now:
- Upgrade the antimony concentrate
- Create a marketable product
- Generate new value from existing operations
Next Steps
Historically, individual lots of ore from both the Galena and Coeur mines were processed at the Sunshine Mine—located just four miles west—where antimony was effectively separated and recovered. Building on this precedent, the next phase of metallurgical testing, under the direction of Allihies Engineering, Inc., will focus on treating the current concentrate to produce multiple saleable antimony products, opening the door to monetizing a long-overlooked byproduct and reinforcing the Company's strategic value within the
About Americas Gold & Silver Corporation
Americas Gold and Silver is a growing precious metals mining company with multiple assets in
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, Americas’ expectations, intentions, plans, assumptions, and beliefs with respect to, among other things, the results recent metallurgical testing at its Galena Complex and the potential that the Company marketable antimony concentrate may now be possible using modern metallurgical processes, and are subject to the risks and uncertainties outlined below. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “goal,” “plan,” “intend,” “potential,” “estimate,” “may,” “assume,” and “will” or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions, or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of
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For further information, please contact:
Maxim Kouxenko - Manager, Investor Relations
M: +1(647) 888-6458
E: ir@americas-gold.com
W: americas-gold.com
Source: Americas Gold and Silver Corporation