Critical One Energy has announced positive laboratory results from a preliminary metallurgical study on samples from its Howells Lake Antimony-Gold Project in north-western Ontario, Canada.
The project is situated in the Thunder Bay Mining Division, approximately 120km west of the Ring of Fire access corridor.
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The study was conducted by Blue Coast Research based in Parksville, British Columbia.
According to the findings, antimony in the tested samples is mainly present in the mineral stibnite.
After grinding, the primary antimony minerals were found to be highly liberated, which supports further investigation into mineral concentration and recovery processes.
Four samples from drill-hole HWL-2026-006 were assessed as part of the study.
The proportion of stibnite in these samples ranged from 10.9% to 97.1% by modal abundance, indicating notable stibnite presence.
Berthierite, another antimony mineral, was observed in three out of four samples with concentrations between 0.8% and 7.9%, alongside minor chalcostibite.
No arsenic, mercury-bearing minerals or other harmful materials were detected during the analysis.
The study measured stibnite liberation between 92.8% and 99.1%, while berthierite liberation ranged from 84.9% to 89.7%.
This suggests that, following the grinding process, the main antimony minerals were largely separated from other mineral phases.
Early results also indicate that these antimony-bearing minerals may be suitable for concentration by flotation, supporting the case for further metallurgical testwork.
Critical One founder, executive chairman and CEO Duane Parnham said: “Initial testing shows that the antimony at Howells Lake is high quality. There is no arsenic, no mercury, and none of the elements that usually make it difficult and expensive to process.”
Samples were ground to a target size of 106 micrometres and analysed using the Tescan Integrated Mineral Analyser, a scanning electron microscope-based technology applied to mineral identification and association studies.
The data is expected to inform the design of the next phase of metallurgical activities, which will examine flotation performance, antimony recovery, concentrate quality and mineral variability across a wider portion of the Howells Lake project area.
Critical One previously signed a memorandum of understanding with Green Infrastructure Partners to support work at the Howells Lake project.
