Larvotto Completes Metallurgical Testwork of Hillgrove Tailings

Why It Matters

Reprocessing the Hillgrove tailings provides a near‑term source of antimony and gold while mitigating environmental liabilities, strengthening the economics of the plant restart. It also showcases a scalable model for legacy tailings valorisation in the broader mining sector.

Key Takeaways

• 80‑95% antimony recovery from Hillgrove tailings
• 40‑75% gold recovery achieved via flotation
• 1.4 mt tailings hold antimony, gold, tungsten
• Reprocessing supports plant restart by Aug 2026
• Tailings rehab aims to stabilize gorge‑adjacent facility

Pulse Analysis

The mining industry is increasingly turning to legacy tailings as a low‑cost, low‑environmental‑impact source of critical metals. Larvotto’s Hillgrove project exemplifies this shift, leveraging conventional sulphide flotation to extract both antimony—a metal essential for flame retardants and electronics—and gold, a perennial store of value. By achieving recovery rates comparable to primary ore processing, the company demonstrates that older waste deposits can be economically viable feedstocks, especially when integrated into a broader plant upgrade.

From a strategic perspective, the 1.4 million‑tonne tailings inventory offers Larvotto a dual advantage: immediate revenue generation and a pathway to address a long‑standing environmental footprint. The material’s gold‑antimony association suggests that further cleaner‑flotation stages could unlock higher‑grade concentrates, improving overall project economics. Moreover, blending tailings with fresh ore can smooth feed variability, reducing operational risk as the Hillgrove plant ramps up in 2026.

Beyond the balance sheet, reprocessing tailings aligns with tightening regulatory expectations and community pressure for sustainable mining practices. Restoring the Tailings Storage Facility adjacent to a 500‑meter gorge not only mitigates potential failure hazards but also creates a positive narrative around resource stewardship. As global demand for antimony and gold remains robust, Larvotto’s approach may serve as a blueprint for other operators seeking to monetize historic waste while delivering environmental remediation.