The Phase I project will demonstrate the technical feasibility of innovative hydrothermal processing techniques for the recovery of antimony and tin values from three separate secondary resources materials that are currently disposed of without any metals value recovery. The hydrothermal processes being examined include oxidizing and reducing conditions and tests under neutral-atmosphere hydrolysis conditions. High purity metal oxides and metals are the preferred products of these processes. The products may be recovered in purities and with physical characteristics that cannot be achieved with competing hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processing routes. In addition to recovering tin and antimony in high purity and directly marketable forms, the hydrothermal processing may also greatly reduce or wholly eliminate process issues of pollutant emissions or effluents. In cases where non-metal byproducts of the hydrothermal reactions have economic values, the hydrothermal process may also allow their recovery more effectively than can competing technologies. The Phase I effort is a necessary building block to defining specific hydrothermal processes that will next be demonstrated at pilot scale in Phase II and, finally, reduced to commercial scale implementation in Phase III. Chemical & Metal Industries, Inc., will be a primary developer or partner in the development of successful technologies through Phase II and Phase III completion.
