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Locksley produces 99.5% purity antimony trioxide as it targets US critical minerals supply chain
Yahoo Finance· 2026-03-12 00:40
Core Viewpoint - Locksley Resources Ltd has achieved a significant milestone by producing antimony trioxide at 99.5% purity from its Desert Antimony Mine, supporting its goal to establish a domestic US antimony supply chain [1][8]. Group 1: Production and Quality - The production of antimony trioxide at 99.5% purity demonstrates that ore from the Mojave Project can be processed into a high-purity refined product suitable for industrial and strategic markets [2][5]. - The 99.5% purity result was achieved through a metallurgical optimization program focused on upgrading antimony concentrate into higher-value refined products [4][6]. - The material was analyzed using X-ray diffraction techniques to confirm the purity level of the trioxide product [4]. Group 2: Strategic Importance - Antimony trioxide is crucial for applications in flame retardants, electronics, and defense, making domestic production increasingly important as the US seeks to reduce reliance on foreign processing [3][5]. - The ability to produce a refined product domestically is viewed as strategically important for securing the supply of this critical mineral [2][3]. - Managing director Kerrie Matthews emphasized the project's potential role in strengthening the US critical minerals supply chain [7]. Group 3: Technical Validation - The metallurgical work involved testing various temperature regimes and refining pathways to maximize purity while maintaining efficient processing conditions [6]. - The achievement of 99.5% purity is regarded as a key technical benchmark for producing antimony trioxide used in defense systems and high-performance materials [5][8]. - The company is also evaluating impurity removal and purification strategies as part of its optimization efforts [6].