U.S. Antimony to Supply Zeolite for Nuclear Remediation

Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010

United States Antimony Corporation announced that Bear River Zeolite Co., Inc (“BRZ”), a wholly owned subsidiary, was issued a purchase order by West Valley Environmental Services, LLC, a contractor to the Department of Energy, to supply a minimum of 1,500 metric tons of BRZ zeolite for remediation of radioactive isotopes from the former Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC). Between 1966 and 1972 WNYNSC reprocessed 705 tons of spent nuclear fuel and generated 660,430 gallons of “high level nuclear waste” that has in part leaked into the environment. The BRZ zeolite will be placed in a three to four foot wide trench that will be an “engineered barrier” to the migration of radioactive isotopes in the groundwater. See http://www.westvalleyeis.com/final/EIS-0226_F-Summary.pdf.

BRZ zeolite is a natural occurring volcanic mineral that is mined in southeastern Idaho by the Company. The mineral removes radioactive isotopes from water by exchanging them in the mineral lattice where they are held and are no longer water-soluble. The use of zeolites for nuclear remediation has long been recognized. Some 400,000 metric tons of zeolite were used for the remediation of the Chernobyl nuclear site in Russia. The BRZ zeolite was chosen over other zeolites due to its high purity, its high capacity to exchange with the radioactive isotopes, and its low clay content that makes it more resilient to weathering.

USAC also reports that revenues from antimony and BRZ zeolite sales for the first two months of 2010 are robust compared to those of 2009.

Source: Businesswire