ITRONICS REPORTS EXPANDED BENEFITS OF ITS
PROPRIETARY ROCK KLEEN SILVER, GOLD AND
BASE METAL RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY
-
Rock Kleen's Potential to Expand Metal, Nutrient Material, and
Mineral Resource Availability-
-Key Technology
to Remedy the U.S. "Critical Mineral" Shortage -
RENO, NV -- August
24, 2020 -- InvestorsHub NewsWire -- Itronics Inc. (OTC:ITRO),
an emerging "Cleantech Materials" growth Company
that
manufactures GOLD'n GRO Multi-Nutrient Fertilizers and produces
Silver, today is announcing
how Rock Kleen is expected to support expanded GOLD'n GRO
Multi-Nutrient Fertilizer production by supplying nutrient raw
materials and nutrient metals for use in manufacturing the GOLD'n
GRO Fertilizers.
Itronics says
that the
Rock Kleen silver/gold mine tailings processing research is
showing that the revolutionary Rock Kleen technology neutralizes
cyanide and recovers nitrogen, silver and gold, and base and
ferrous metals and also recovers sulfur and potassium that is
naturally contained in many silver/gold deposits. The Rock
Kleen operations are proving to provide a whole new source of
virgin raw materials. These raw materials can be supplied to
the metal industries and certain nutrient raw materials can be
supplied to the fertilizer industry.
Industrial mineral materials will be supplied to industries
including the Construction and Ceramics industries and those that
use mineral fillers. Existing mines and tailings from past
operating mines will be the source of these raw materials, reducing
the need to build new mines to access these materials. Rock Kleen
technology could
revolutionize the way
some of our raw materials are recovered while at the same time
reducing the negative impacts of mining on the
environment.
Rock
Kleen technology includes a proprietary sequence of steps and
equipment in the application of an Itronics produced liquid called
Rock Kleen. Commercialization of this technology is expected to
permanently supply a portion of the recovered nutrient metals zinc,
iron, manganese and copper, and the nitrogen, potassium, and sulfur
for use as raw materials in GOLD'n GRO Multi-Nutrient
Fertilizers. Surplus recovered metals will be sold into
commercial markets.
In the
Rock Kleen mine tailings process a percentage of the liquid from
which the metals have been extracted will be removed daily and
replaced with fresh Rock Kleen liquid. Testing has shown that
after metal extraction, the Rock Kleen liquid is metal free and
still contains its nitrogen, sulfur, and potassium content.
Because of this, the Company believes that this demetallized Rock
Kleen liquid will be useable as a raw material in GOLD'n GRO
Multi-Nutrient fertilizers.
Itronics' business development plan is to establish a joint venture
for each Rock Kleen project going forward. In each of the projects
Rock Kleen liquid that is removed daily will be sold to Itronics
for use in GOLD'n GRO fertilizers.
Rock Kleen is currently progressing through the initial
optimization test work for a major silver mine tailings
project. Preliminary test work completed in November 2019
provided results showing that Rock Kleen was effective in
recovering silver, gold, zinc, manganese, copper, nickel, and lead
from the tailings. The focus of the current test work is to
optimize recovery of metals, minerals, and nutrient
materials. Itronics fully expects that significant quantities
of iron will be added to the metals recovered and that measurable
nitrogen and sulfur will be recovered as well.
Itronics'
Revolutionary Rock Kleen Technology; Multiple
Metal/Mineral/Nutrient Recovery
In prior press
releases Itronics has
discussed
how Itronics revolutionary Rock Kleen technology extracts
silver/gold from heap leach mine tailings and mill tailings being
stored in impoundments at great cost. It has been
demonstrated that Rock Kleen recovers silver, gold and base and
ferrous metals while the residual rock is sized into commercial
grades of industrial minerals for sale. Rock Kleen also recovers
manganese (if present), one of 35 listed minerals critical for U.S.
national security. Rock Kleen neutralizes all cyanide remaining
from the original mining. It also recovers nitrogen remaining from
the neutralized cyanide and from the nitrogen materials used in
blasting the rocks being mined. We
know that
sulfur and potassium (if present in the rock being processed) may
be recoverable as nutrient minerals. Potassium is
also
one of
the "critical minerals."
Novel
Chemistry – Revolutionary Technology
Historically Itronics
has used spent demetallized photographic liquids as an essential
ingredient in GOLD'n GRO liquid fertilizers. Using its more than 30
years of experience with these fluids, Itronics was able to develop
the Rock Kleen liquid. Today, the supply of liquid photographic
waste is rapidly shrinking because of advances in digital
photographic technology. Knowing this trend, and planning for
the future, more than 15 years ago Itronics developed a synthetic
equivalent which is being used to manufacture Rock Kleen and which
will be phased into use for manufacturing the GOLD'n GRO
fertilizers over the next several years. As the Rock Kleen
technology is put into use it is expected to produce clean,
demetallized liquids that will be suitable for use as low cost raw
materials in the manufacture of the GOLD'n GRO Multi-Nutrient
Fertilizers.
While
different, the unique formulations of both GOLD'n GRO and Rock
Kleen will be a result of this new 'corner-stone' chemistry, once
the transition is complete. The announcement of the transition to
synthetic chemistry has relieved GOLD'n GRO customer concerns about
the future supply of ingredients that are used in manufacturing our
products.
As
Rock Kleen projects are developed and operated, the supply of the
clean raw materials needed to manufacture GOLD'n GRO fertilizers
will increase. Over time, this is expected to reduce the cost of
manufacturing GOLD'n GRO fertilizers as compared to only using raw
materials purchased from other sources. Presently, the
Company purchases zinc, iron, manganese, and copper for use in
manufacturing the GOLD'n GRO Chelated Micronutrient
Fertilizers. The form of the zinc, iron, manganese, and
copper recovered by Rock Kleen operations is expected to be
suitable for use as raw material in manufacturing these
fertilizers. The Company plans to buy these metals from joint
venture Rock Kleen processing projects, providing substantial
revenues to the projects while lowering the cost of raw materials
for fertilizer manufacturing.
Itronics U.S. Critical Mineral Recovery
Initiative
Manganese is used
mainly in the manufacture of steel. There is no mine
production of manganese in the U.S.
Potash
is a critical mineral as it provides potassium to the U.S.
agricultural industry. Ninety percent of the potassium
consumed in the U.S. is imported.
Rock
Kleen mineral and metal recovery depends on the minerals and metals
available in the specific resource being processed. Whether
Rock Kleen is processing tailings from past mining or is being
inserted in line on a currently operating mine, and the resource
contains potassium and/or manganese, it will become a U.S. source
of those critical minerals. U.S. mineral security has become
a frontline issue as domestic vulnerabilities to foreign supply
restrictions are increasingly recognized as a rising threat to the
U.S. economy, competitiveness, and national security. At stake is
the United States' ability to maintain a robust manufacturing
sector and lead in the development of emerging technologies.
https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/6/murkowski-welcomes-administration-strategy-on-critical-minerals.
Long-Term
Objective
A
long-term objective of Itronics is to become the leading Cleantech
Materials producer of high purity metals. The Itronics Rock Kleen
mine tailings processing line of business recovers several metals
including silver, gold, zinc, copper, nickel, manganese, lead, and
iron if present in the rock being processed. The Company's silver
refining line of business extracts silver, gold, copper, tin,
antimony, palladium, nickel, lead, and iron from discarded
printed computer
circuit
boards. All these metals are present in the silver bullion sold by
Itronics to finish refiners. Itronics plans to use
electrochemistry, hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy technologies
to separate and purify metals for sale as high purity
metals.
Additionally, as resources become scarcer over time, Itronics will
be strategically positioned to benefit if the U.S. offers
incentives to increase the domestic supply of critical minerals.
For many critical metals, such as those touched upon here,
little-to-no recycling takes place in the United States. It
is often either economically or technically not viable to do
so. The U.S. capacity for secondary recovery of metals has
not grown much between 1997 and 2016. Itronics directly
addresses these challenges by removing both economic and technical
barriers. Itronics zero waste energy saving technologies makes
recycling and recovery environmentally, economically, and
technically viable.
Itronics
Rock Kleen technology not only opens the door to a new way of
addressing U.S. critical mineral accessibility but also provides
new means by which to clean up legacy cyanide contaminating
heap
leach and mill tailings. Rock Kleen projects can provide
robust economic efficiencies in recovering precious, base, and
ferrous metals and mineral nutrients while cleaning the rock and
making the cleaned rock suitable for use as industrial
minerals. Metal and mineral recovery and utilization of 100
percent of the tailings as a resource rather than a liability
addresses long-term environmental concerns while providing cash
flow to clean up the legacy issues. The Company's
technologies ensure the optimized recovery and use of metals and
minerals and in so doing maximize
sustainability.
Itronics
Inc. is an emerging Cleantech Materials Growth Company that
produces GOLD'n GRO Multi-Nutrient Fertilizers and Silver.
The Company is also an emerging "Critical Minerals" supplier.
The Company's growth forecast centers upon its 10-year business
plan designed to integrate its Zero Waste Energy Saving
Technologies and to grow annual sales from $2 million in 2019 to
$113 million in 2025.
About Itronics
Headquartered in
Reno, Nevada, Itronics Inc. is an emerging Cleantech Growth Company
that uses proprietary multi-nutrient fertilizer manufacturing
technologies to produce GOLD'n GRO multi-nutrient fertilizers and
breakthrough Zero Waste Technologies to recover fertilizer
ingredients, silver bullion, and silver-bearing glass from waste
streams that contain silver, gold, copper, zinc, tin, and other
metals. The Company's goal is to achieve profitable green
technology driven organic growth in specialty GOLD'n GRO
fertilizers, silver, zinc, and minerals. The Company's
technologies maximize the recovery and uses of metals and minerals
and by doing this maximize sustainability.
The Company's
environmentally friendly award winning GOLD'n GRO liquid
fertilizers, which are extensively used in
agriculture, can be used for lawns and
houseplants, and are available at the Company's "e-store" on
Amazon.Com at
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_lawn-garden?ie+UTF8&field-brandtextbin=GOLD%27n+GRO&node+2972638011.
Due to expanded
retail customer interest, GOLD'n GRO fertilizer may now be
purchased in Reno, Nevada at "Buy Nevada First Gift Shop", 4001 S.
Virginia St.
Follow Itronics on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itronicsinc
Follow Itronics on
Twitter:https://twitter.com/itronicsinc
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE: http://www.itronics.com
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("Safe Harbor"
Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995: This press release contains or may contain forward-looking
statements such as statements regarding the Company's growth and
profitability, growth strategy, liquidity and access to public
markets, operating expense reduction, and trends in the industry in
which the Company operates. The forward-looking statements
contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and
uncertainties, including those more fully described in the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in
risks, uncertainties or assumptions underlying or affecting such
statements, or for prospective events that may have a retroactive
effect.)
Contact:
John Key
(775) 689-7666