en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian-listed company Locksley Resources (ASX: LKY), in collaboration with Rice University in the United States, has made progress in antimony processing technology, recovering antimony products with a grade of 89% from raw ore containing 9%-12% antimony. The ore sample was processed directly using DeepSolv technology without the need for flotation or pre-concentration steps.
After further process optimization, the antimony concentration in the recovered product increased to 93%. Tests on concentrates with antimony grades of approximately 65%-70% yielded recovered products with grades of approximately 91%-96%. The Rice University research team also successfully recovered pure-phase antimony oxide from raw ore under laboratory conditions, which Locksley stated is a significant step toward processing higher-value antimony products from its own raw materials.
Locksley Resources Managing Director Kerrie Matthews stated that these latest results represent another technological milestone in the collaboration, indicating that the processing technology has the potential to open a cleaner and more flexible path for antimony recovery. LKY's Mojave project in California is targeting rare earth elements and antimony to build a "Made in America" supply chain and provides raw materials for the collaboration with Rice University.
The related research has moved beyond simple leaching tests, demonstrating the ability to recover antimony oxide and metallic antimony products from ores and concentrates. Matthews stated that this is meaningful progress for shareholders, supporting the company's strategy to advance domestic antimony processing capabilities amid the growing importance of a secure domestic supply chain for critical minerals in the United States. The collaboration with Rice University will also evaluate pilot equipment options, including reactors and filtration systems that may support larger-scale leaching and recovery tests.
Additionally, electrodeposition tests have demonstrated the ability to recover pure metallic antimony directly from dissolved raw ore using DeepSolv technology. LKY stated that this result is particularly important, supporting the potential for an integrated processing pathway from ore leaching to antimony metal recovery. The company noted that these results collectively demonstrate an increasingly integrated processing pathway, advancing from laboratory dissolution of antimony-bearing ores to the recovery of high-purity antimony oxide and metallic antimony products.
Rice University is internationally leading in advanced materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable process engineering. The collaboration between Locksley and Rice forms a key pillar of the company's broader "Mine to Market" strategy, combining resource development at Mojave with downstream processing innovation for the domestic critical minerals supply chain.
The next phase will focus on further optimizing the DeepSolv process and refining antimony product recovery, including further purification, production of single-phase antimony oxide products at higher solid-to-liquid ratios, solvent recyclability, recovery testing, deposition rate determination, and ongoing optimization of the underlying processing chemistry. Meanwhile, the team will evaluate pilot equipment, including reactors and filtration systems, to support larger-scale leaching and recovery testing efforts, and will continue to assess potential downstream applications for the recovered antimony products.
