Itronics Ships Silver Bullion Produced by "Break-Through" Technology in E-Scrap Refining

RENO, NV--(Marketwired - January 17, 2017) - Itronics Inc. (OTC PINK: ITRO), a diversified fertilizer and silver producing green technology company, is pleased to announce that it has made its first shipment of silver bullion produced by its "break-through" e-scrap refining technology that is now entering Phase III, pilot scale operations development. The new "break-through" technology was described in more detail in a press release issued on November 16, 2016.

The Company has entered into a silver bullion sales agreement with a finish refiner and will be paid for silver, gold, palladium, and copper contained in the bullion. Settlement will be made seven to nine weeks after shipment and sales proceeds from this first shipment are expected to be reported in the first quarter 2017 sales report.

As previously reported, the Company has entered into a preliminary agreement to purchase personal computer circuit boards (e-scrap) from a northern Nevada computer services company that disassembles discarded personal computers and sorts the contents for sale to recyclers. The economics of a supply arrangement will be evaluated as part of the Phase III work program.

The e-scrap refining technology uses silver as a collector of the metals contained in the e-scrap. Itronics believes that it is the only company in the world to use this method of recovering the metals contained in the e-scrap. The silver used in the e-scrap refining is recovered from spent photographic liquids. Significant value is added to each ounce of silver used in e-scrap refining.

This break-through technology in e-scrap refining is successfully capturing all of the base and precious metals contained in the ground up circuit boards (e-scrap) that are being refined. The technology partitions the silver and copper into the bullion, copper matte, and copper and silver bearing glass slag. Virtually all of the gold and palladium are being recovered into the bullion and are in payable amounts.

The study is entering the next phase of development (Phase III) which is to optimize the process at a small pilot scale and to develop and implement operating improvements that increase production.

Itronics is aggressively advancing development of its portfolio of "Zero Waste" technologies, which now includes the "break-through" e-scrap refining technology, to establish non-seasonal sales and to diversify sales by expanding the number of metals being sold. Base and precious metals prices are expected to continue to increase, so adding gold, palladium, and copper to the sales mix will expand and stabilize revenues as e-scrap refining is expanded.