Perpetua Resources, a gold-antimony-silver producer, announced on Monday that it had been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Defense. The contract, worth up to $15.5 million, aims to demonstrate a fully domestic supply chain for antimony trisulfide.
The Importance of Antimony Trisulfide
Antimony trisulfide is a metal sulfide that plays a vital role in various products, including pyrotechnics, matches, and explosives. It is considered essential to U.S. national defense. However, the U.S. currently relies on China, Russia, and Tajikistan for approximately 90% of its supply, as there is no domestically mined source for antimony trisulfide.
Demonstration of a Domestic Supply Chain
The primary objective of the contract awarded to Perpetua Resources is to demonstrate a fully domestic supply chain for antimony trisulfide. To achieve this, Perpetua plans to utilize ore from its Stibnite gold project site in Idaho for the production of munitions.
Steps Towards a Domestic Supply Chain
Perpetua Resources will begin by producing additional core samples from the project site. These samples will then undergo a pilot plant study aimed at producing military-grade antimony trisulfide.
Furthermore, Perpetua plans to design a full-scale process circuit and deliver a modular pilot plant to the U.S. Department of Defense. These tools will aid in further investigations related to the development of a domestic supply chain for antimony trisulfide.
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