Larvotto Resources has conducted initial metallurgical flotation testwork on Tailings Storage Facility 1 (TSF1) at its fully owned Hillgrove Antimony-Gold Project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Results show 80–95% antimony recovery and 40–75% gold recovery using conventional flotation methods, aligning with processes planned for the Hillgrove plant’s restart in August 2026.
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The testwork highlights TSF1 as a viable supplementary feed to the processing plant, with the potential benefit of rehabilitating a legacy facility adjacent to a deep gorge.
The tailings, spanning a 20-year production period from 1982 to 2002, contain approximately 1.4 million tonnes (mt) of material, primarily from antimony production.
Alongside antimony, significant gold and tungsten quantities were identified.
A staged flotation flowsheet was assessed, involving selective antimony rougher flotation to target stibnite-rich sulphide particles, followed by gold rougher flotation to produce a gold-bearing sulphide concentrate.
Industry-standard sulphide flotation reagents were used, and multiple tests were conducted to evaluate repeatability, reagent sensitivity and rougher concentrate mass pull.
The testwork shows that some gold is present in the antimony rougher concentrate, indicating a close association between gold and stibnite-bearing sulphide particles in the TSF1 material.
This suggests potential additional value, which will be further explored through planned cleaner flotation tests and concentrate upgrades to enhance stibnite-gold selectivity and define payable metal streams.
Encouraged by initial results, Larvotto plans to advance cleaner flotation testwork to evaluate concentrate upgrade potential for both antimony and gold, and to optimise flotation conditions and grade-recovery trade-offs.
The company will also assess blending strategies between TSF1 material and primary ore sources and integrate TSF1 considerations into broader Hillgrove restart evaluations.
Environmental and regulatory assessments will also progress, alongside potential resource estimation if justified.
Larvotto managing director Ron Heeks said: “These results are a genuine milestone for Hillgrove. The testwork confirms that the legacy tailings contain commercially meaningful grades of antimony and gold, and that they respond well to the same flotation methods we are deploying in the upgraded plant.
“The pathway is becoming very clear; reprocess the tailings, recover the metals and simultaneously rehabilitate a facility that sits adjacent to a 500m gorge.”
In December 2025, the company announced that PYBAR Mining Services had arrived on-site and begun underground development at the Hillgrove project.
