Antimony

According to proven reserves of antimony Tajikistan ranks third (after China and Thailand) in Asia and the first among the CIS countries. Zeravshan - Hissar mercury- antimony belt of Central Tajikistan has a large metallogenic potential of antimony ore concentrated in five areas. The most significant reserves of these ores are concentrated in Dzhizhikrut and Konchochskiy ore fields. On the basis of stocks of Dzhizhikrut mercury - antimony deposit is now working on Anzob Mining plant. Currently Anzob State Reserve Committee has no permanent market for antimony raw materials produced and the plant is intermittent and not working at full capacity (700 thousand tons / year). In recent years, as a result of the survey and assessment work in the deeper horizons of the deposit it had been identified that Dzhizhikrut has rich antimony ore containing more than 15 % of the metal, industrial concentrations of gold and other valuable items. In the coming years, geologists of Geological Survey intend to significantly increase reserves of this field and bring security of Anzob to a planned output of 700 tons of ore per year. In addition, in the area of the plant, exploration of antimony- mercury rocky deposits is completed, which can be considered as a backup source of raw materials of Anzob, or as a separate entity for the construction of a major new mining venture. With a large inventory of mercury- antimony ores, Tajikistan, even today, as in Soviet times, produces concentrates of such ores, and its further processing is carried out in other countries, particularly in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The economic disadvantage of this situation is obvious, so now the question is about the organization of production of antimony metal extraction from ores and associated components - mercury, gold and other elements in the country.

Mineral resources of antimony in the country can be repeatedly extended by expanding the exploration for ore deposits of other areas, where the prospective fields are identified.