RENO, Nev., July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Itronics Inc. (OTC:ITRO), a diversified producer of GOLD’n GRO zinc fertilizers and silver products and a green technology development Company, today reported that it has entered into an agreement to rent, with an option to purchase, a centrifuge that will be used in its hydrometallurgical processes. The Company has obtained funding to purchase the machine if the testing demonstrates that it will work for its hydromet applications.

The hydromet (leaching) processes produce the high silver content concentrate used in Itronics’ Breakthrough “Zero Waste” E-scrap refining.

The leaching operations are a production bottleneck due to the length of time required to separate the leaching liquid from the residual silver-bearing solids using standard filtration methods. It now takes about two months to do the liquid/solid separations for both process steps.  The Company is planning to use centrifuge technology to replace the filter press and resolve the bottleneck.   
            
The Company believes that the centrifuge could shorten the two month elapsed time to less than a week. The centrifuge technology is expected to be useable for the FeLix (iron), SuLix (sulfur), and ZinLix (zinc) leaching processes, and for use in KAM-Thio silver/gold mine applications. Use of the centrifuge in the hydromet processes represents another breakthrough for Itronics that creates new opportunities for developing additional “Zero Waste” technologies. 

Laboratory centrifuge studies have been on-going and have provided technical information needed to specify a suitable type of centrifuge for this operation. This work with the centrifuge is expected to begin in early August and is planned for completion in September.

The FeLix, SuLix leaching technology pilot operation five times scale up is fully operational for use for batch leaching.  It is being used as a pilot-scale batch operation to separately leach iron and sulfur from the low grade silver concentrate produced by the Company in its photoliquid desilvering operation. This pilot plant supplies the high silver content concentrates required by the e-scrap refining operations.

The Company is acquiring a 48 acre site with 54,000 square feet of buildings at Wabuska, Nevada so that it can move the hydrometallurgy leaching operations to this site where it will have room to expand to the scale that will be required for commercial operations.  

Itronics has pioneered the development of value-added hazardous waste recycling that converts demetallized liquid photochemical waste into silver bullion and liquid ingredients used to manufacture the line of high quality GOLD’n GRO liquid fertilizers.  Itronics is now pioneering and has achieved operational proof of concept for its second “Zero Waste” technology, the breakthrough e-scrap (computer waste) refining technology.

The hydromet technology is expected to lower the operating costs of the KAM-Thio silver/gold mine recovery technology, and to make it possible to process zinc bearing flue dusts and other zinc bearing powders to recover all of the zinc and to convert the non-zinc residuals into saleable products.  This is expected to lead to the development of at least two more “Zero Waste” technologies.

About Itronics
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Itronics Inc. is a “Creative Green Technology” Company which produces GOLD’n GRO specialty liquid fertilizers, silver bullion, and silver-bearing glass. The Company’s goal is to achieve profitable green technology driven organic growth in specialty GOLD’n GRO fertilizers, silver, zinc, and minerals.  The Company’s technologies maximize the recovery and uses of metals and minerals and by doing this maximize sustainability.

Through its subsidiary, Itronics Metallurgical, Inc., Itronics is the only company with a fully permitted “Beneficial Use Photochemical, Silver, and Water Recycling” plant in the United States that converts 100 percent of the spent photoliquids into GOLD’n GRO liquid fertilizers, silver bullion, and silver bearing glass. This is internationally recognized award winning “Zero Waste” Technology.  The Company is developing a portfolio of environmentally beneficial “Zero waste” processing and mining technologies.  Itronics has received numerous domestic and international awards that recognize its ability to successfully use chemical science and engineering to create and implement new environmentally green recycling and fertilizer technologies.

The Company's environmentally friendly award winning GOLD'n GRO liquid fertilizers, which are extensively used in agriculture, can be used for lawns and houseplants, and are available at the Company's "e-store" on Amazon.Com. Due to expanded retail customer interest, GOLD'n GRO fertilizer may now be purchased in Reno, Nevada at the "Buy Nevada First Gift Shop" at 4001 S. Virginia St.

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("Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains or may contain forward-looking statements such as statements regarding the Company's growth and profitability, growth strategy, liquidity and access to public markets, operating expense reduction, and trends in the industry in which the Company operates.  The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in risks, uncertainties or assumptions underlying or affecting such statements, or for prospective events that may have a retroactive effect.)