Locksley Resources (ASX:LKY) advances Mojave strategy with 99.5% purity antimony trioxide milestone

Locksley Resources (ASX:LKY | OTCQX:LKYRF | ADR:LKYLY) has reported a metallurgical milestone at its Mojave Project in California, producing a 99.5% purity antimony trioxide sample from feedstock sourced from the Desert Antimony Mine.

The result forms part of an optimisation program designed to establish downstream processing pathways for antimony, a mineral classified as critical by the United States and allied governments due to its role in defence systems, electronics and industrial applications.

Highlights

• 99.5% purity antimony trioxide produced from Desert Antimony Mine feedstock at the Mojave Project in California.
• Bench scale trioxide sample confirmed using X ray diffraction analysis.
• Metallurgical optimisation program initiated in Q4 2025 to refine pyrometallurgical processing pathways.
• Program runs alongside the DeepSolv solvometallurgical technology pathway, providing dual processing routes.
• U.S. annual demand for antimony estimated at approximately 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes, with limited domestic refining capacity.
• High purity material targeted for qualification with strategic offtake partners, metals traders and government supply chain participants.

The metallurgical work forms part of Locksley’s broader mine to market strategy aimed at establishing integrated mining, processing and refining capability for antimony in the United States.

According to the company, global supply of the metal remains heavily concentrated in China, while domestic U.S. processing capacity is limited, creating a structural gap in the Western supply chain.

The optimisation program, which commenced in Q4 2025, is focused on evaluating pyrometallurgical processing routes capable of producing high purity antimony products from mineralisation at the Desert Antimony Mine.

The technical work has involved iterative metallurgical testing across a range of temperature regimes and oxidative and reductive conditions in order to improve concentrate upgrading techniques and maximise product purity and recovery.

These test campaigns ultimately produced a 99.5% purity antimony trioxide sample, with X ray diffraction analysis confirming the dominance of the antimony phase in the final product.

While the result represents an early stage technical milestone, the company notes that further validation work is required to confirm impurity thresholds and the repeatability of the processing method at larger scales.

Locksley managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews said the result demonstrated the ability to upgrade feedstock from the Desert Antimony Mine into refined material suitable for specialised markets.

“This achievement marks an important milestone for Locksley. Demonstrating that feedstock from the Desert Antimony Mine can be upgraded to 99.5% purity antimony trioxide validates the potential to produce high value refined, 100% American made antimony products from our Mojave Project.”

The company is also pursuing a parallel development pathway through its DeepSolv solvometallurgical technology, providing an alternative processing route designed to reduce development risk while progressing toward potential commercialisation.

From a broader market perspective, the milestone sits within a global push by Western governments to secure supply chains for critical minerals used in defence technologies.

High purity antimony trioxide is an input for munitions primers, military electronics and flame retardant systems, with the United States currently reliant on foreign processing capacity despite ongoing demand estimated at approximately 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes annually.

Next phases of work will focus on confirming product purity through inductively coupled plasma testing, expanding metallurgical trials to larger batch sizes and assessing engineering and economic parameters for potential pilot and commercial scale refining options, including early pathways via toll processing arrangements.

The company also plans to engage metals traders, strategic partners and government supply chain participants as part of product qualification efforts.

For Locksley, the metallurgical milestone represents an incremental step in demonstrating the technical potential of Mojave Project feedstock to support a domestic refining pathway for antimony in the United States, while further testing will determine the scalability and commercial viability of the process.

Please note the following valuable information before using this website. 

Independent Research 

Market Open Australia is intended to be used only for educational and informative purposes, and any information on this website should not be taken as investment advice or guidance. It is important to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions, which should be based on your own investment needs and personal circumstances. Any investment decisions based on information contained on this website should be taken in line with independent financial advice from a qualified professional or should be independently researched and verified.