Conroy Gold has announced plans to mine for the raw material antimony as well as gold at Clontibret, Co Cavan.
The Irish mining group said metallurgical testwork has revealed that potentially economic quantities of antimony may occur in the gold bearing concentrate at Clontibret following flotation.
Antimony is specified by the European Commission as a critical raw material and a large supply deficit is also forecast by the European Commission. The product is used primarily in the production of flame retardants.
Conroy said work has been conducted to identify flowsheet options to allow for the extraction of the antimony from the gold bearing concentrate. Several process options have been identified, and future metallurgical testwork will include testing these options and optimising extraction to provide a saleable antimony product.
The group's chairman Richard Conroy described the decision to mine for antimony as a welcome development for the comapny.
Conroy Gold last week announced positive results from an independent structural study undertaken at its Slieve Glah gold target, which is approximately 40km to the south east of Clontibret.
The study shows that the Slieve Glah target is associated with a major geological structure, the Orlock Bridge Fault, in which the potential for a concentration of gold mineralised faults is highlighted. The fault undergoes a significant bend at Slieve Glah, leading to the development of a dilation zone which is believed could hold significant mineral potential.
