Join our daily newsletter At The Bell to receive exclusive market insights
Rare earths explorer MTM Critical Minerals (ASX:MTM) has today added to its strong run from the last few months, recovering high-grade antimony that “far exceeds” typical mined ore – to the tune of around 3.1% – from U.S. e-waste.
Listen to the HotCopper podcast for in-depth discussions and insights on all the biggest headlines from throughout the week. On Spotify, Apple, and more.
This garbage news (and that’s a good thing, mind you) highlights the “untapped value of complex e-waste streams,” the Oz company spruiked in a June 3 release.
In simple terms, MTM took relatively regular U.S. e-waste, like old telecom equipment and discarded server parts, and converted the antimony found there into water-soluble chloride. This could then be used to develop everything from semiconductors and batteries to munitions, flame retardants, and more.
Of note — atimony recovery, achieved using MTM’s proprietary Flash Joule Heating technology, clocked in at 98%; the recovered grade, 3.13% Sb, exceeded primary global antimony mine averages (often around 0.1% to 1%).
This is all particularly significant, MTM’s managing director, Michael Walshe, explained, because “the U.S. currently has no meaningful domestic antimony production.” These results suggest MTM could fill that gap.
“Combined with our recently secured, pre-permitted demonstration site in Texas, we are well-positioned to scale operations and advance commercial deployment.”
HotCopper users and the wider Oz market liked what they saw in the June 3 release: The explorer jumped as much as 12% at open on Tuesday, to 4.15cps. This comes after a slightly more humble 1.4% gain yesterday.
Looking further back, it adds to MTM’s steady gains, which were mainly helped on in April and May after the company said its e-waste char had 100 times more gold than ore.
(My colleague Jonathon Davidson and I talked about all this on the HotCopper Wire podcast some weeks ago, if you wanted a few more juicy details there.)
Things are only going to get better for MTM, too — Washington meetings await.
More market news
Forget U.S. tariff talk: Aussies just got a worrying signal from the ABS
Meet GeoGeorge: The HotCopper poster so accurate he got hired as an analyst
“The company is engaging with U.S. government agencies, including the DoD and DOE, regarding potential funding to support domestic critical metal recovery,” Mr Walshe told MTM shareholders today.
The discussions, which are still in the early stages and non-binding, “reflect strong interest in scalable U.S.-based refining technologies,” he added. “The strategic role of antimony in defence, particularly in armour-piercing alloys and flame-retardant systems, was a consistent theme during recent meetings.”
MTM shares are selling at more than 4.1 cents each this morning.
Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about MTM Critical Minerals and be part of the conversations that move the markets.
The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Viewers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
