UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 25, 2021
ITRONICS INC.
______________________________________________________________________
Texas 33-18582 75-2198369
(State or other (Commission File (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of Number) Identification No.)
Incorporation)
6490 So. McCarran Boulevard, Building C,
Suite 23 Reno, Nevada 89509
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) Zip Code
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Registrants telephone number, including area code:
(775) 689-7696
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below):
( ) Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
( ) Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
( ) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b)
under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
( ) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4c under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Item 2.02: Results of Operations and Financial Condition
On June 25, 2021 the Company announced a summary of its unaudited
consolidated revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021. A copy of
the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1.
In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed to be filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 9.02: Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits:
99.1 Press release dated June 25, 2021
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
ITRONICS INC.
Registrant
Date: June 29, 2021 By: /S/ John W. Whitney
John W. Whitney
President, Treasurer
and Director
(Principal Executive
and Financial Officer)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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ITRONICS REPORTS 2021 FIRST QUARTER SALES; UPDATES CURRENT OPERATIONS AND GROWTH PROJECTS
RENO, Nevada, June 25, 2021 -- Itronics Inc. (OTC:ITRO), an emerging Cleantech Materials growth Company that manufactures GOLDn GRO Multi-Nutrient Fertilizers and produces silver, gold, zinc, critical minerals, and battery minerals recovered from industrial and mining waste, today reported its first quarter 2021 sales and updated its operations and growth projects.
Total Revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021, were $410,988 compared to $670,822 in the same period in 2020, a 39 percent decrease. The decline is primarily due to effects of Covid-19 continuing from the fourth quarter 2020.
During the second quarter of 2021 the Company has had a backlog of fertilizer orders, but raw material shortages and raw material supplier inability to timely deliver raw materials has been a challenging issue and has limited our sales due to inability to fill orders on a just in time basis. Fertilizer delivery trucking has not been affected.
Covid-19 has had a significant negative impact on Itronics fertilizer sales. In the first quarter 2020 the Company was on a path to double sales in 2020. That growth was ended by the Covid-19 shut down starting in April 2020. Late in the second quarter of 2021 demand is picking up. It appears that sales are getting back on the growth path similar to the first quarter 2020.
The 2021 outlook for full year silver sales is uncertain due to limitations on operating supplies needed to support the refining operations created by Covid-19 supply chain disruptions. One bullion shipment was settled late in the second quarter with very positive results. Silver content of the bullion significantly increased due to on-going recovery optimization. Value was also increased by sharply higher silver and gold prices compared to 2020.
The Companys research project to produce metallic zinc is successfully using the Companys experimental electro-winning cell. Smooth zinc plate is being obtained and the process is ready for expansion of a larger zinc electro-winning cell which is being assembled and is nearly ready for operational testing.
The Company has continued to move forward in planning to expand the Rock Kleen technology to a pilot scale operation, including evaluating the technical feasibility of processing the mine tailings located on Auric Fulstone claims adjacent to the former Minnesota Iron mine located in the northwestern part of the Yerington Mining District at Yerington, Nevada.
2021 First Quarter Sales Results
Unaudited Revenues for the first quarter ending March 31, 2021, together with comparative figures for 2020 are presented below:
ITRONICS INC.
For the Quarter
Ended March 31
2021 2020
REVENUE
Fertilizer $407,175 $594,129
Silver $ 26 $ 68,445
Photo Services $ 1,951 $ 4,461
Mining Technical
Services $ 1,836 $ 3,787
$410,988 $670,822
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Operations and Expansion Updates
GOLDn GRO Multi-Nutrient Fertilizers: Core sales are being maintained, but growth is being restrained by continuing Covid-19 related supply chain issues. During the first quarter the Companys distributor continued its Covid-19 retail branch access restrictions, as well as restrictions on application development activities. These restrictions were continued through the second quarter, and our expectation is that they may be continued through most of the third quarter. Company expectations are that these issues will be resolved in a positive way in the August- September time frame. This is based on information being provided to us by our suppliers.
Silver Bullion and Other Metal Production: The pilot scale computer circuit board refining operation is now able to operate reliably. Metal recovery optimization is underway and is increasing bullion silver and gold content while at the same time improving furnace efficiency and reducing the unit cost of metals being recovered. During the second quarter supplies needed to continue the pilot refining operation became unavailable due to Covid-19 related supply chain issues, so the refining operation is temporarily on hold. The Company is expecting to resume the refining operation late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter, but this is dependent on being able to obtain the required operating supplies.
The experimental work to produce zinc metal using electro- winning technology was started in early January 2021 using a laboratory scale electro-winning cell developed by the Company. Small amounts of zinc metal have been produced while the operating parameters were being developed. The Company plans to expand zinc output in stages starting at laboratory scale and expanding to pilot scale at the Companys 35,000 square foot Reno, Nevada manufacturing and R&D facility. The Company already owns most of the equipment needed to do this. The equipment is on site and can be put into operation with only minor modifications. This work was put on hold in the second quarter to free our research lab to start work on the Auric Fulstone tailings evaluation for suitability for Rock Kleen processing. The Company plans to restart this research later in the year.
Processing zinc bearing flue dust is one of the technologies in the Companys portfolio of Zero Waste Energy Saving Technologies that are being prepared for expansion to commercial scale. Activating this technology development starts the process of establishing the ability to produce pure metals using electrochemistry and opens the door to processing alkaline battery paste which contains zinc, manganese, and potassium. Some of the new EV battery technologies use manganese, one of the four most important battery metals, and this technology development may enable the company to process Electric Vehicle (EV) battery pastes in the future. In addition, the Companys Rock Kleen technology has shown the ability to recover the battery metals nickel, manganese, and zinc from mine tailings, all of which will need to be separated and recovered using electrochemistry.
Rock Kleen Technology and Business Plan Development: During the first quarter 2020 the Company announced completion of a detailed three-year growth plan for Reno manufacturing operations. A 10-year growth plan for consolidated operations that include expansion to the new Itronics Cleantech Materials Campus was completed in the second quarter. This plan was updated in the third quarter to factor in the 2020 impacts of Covid-19 on the growth plan. The expected impacts of expanded materials recoveries using the Rock Kleen technology were also incorporated into the plan. Itronics is anticipating rapid growth over the next several years, to be driven by GOLDn GRO fertilizer sales and to be supported by development of the new Rock Kleen technology which was selected from the Companys portfolio of Zero Waste Energy Saving Technologies for commercial development as a major new line of business.
A long-term objective for Itronics is to become a leading producer of high purity metals, including the U.S. critical metals manganese and tin, using the Companys breakthrough hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, and electrochemical technologies. Additionally, Itronics is also strategically positioned with its portfolio of Zero Waste Energy Saving Technologies to help solve the recently declared emergency need for domestic production of Critical Minerals from materials located at mine sites.
Auric Fulstone Polymetallic Gold Project: Early in the first half 2021 the Company began developing a modified business plan for Auric Gold & Minerals that envisions that Auric would become a tailings supplier for the Itronics Rock Kleen pilot plant that is being planned. This update of the business plan is expected to be completed in the third quarter.
If you would like to be added to our e-mail list for all updates on our emerging clean technologies, please call us at 775-689-7696, e-mail investor@itronics.com, or leave a message in our message box on our website at www.itronics.com so that we can get a profile report to you. The Company thanks its supporters as it expands its technologies to make the world cleaner and greener while continuing to expand revenues and drive towards profitability.
About Itronics
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Itronics Inc. is a Zero Waste
Energy Saving Technology Company which produces GOLDn GRO
specialty liquid fertilizers, silver bullion, and silver-bearing
glass. The Company is an emerging critical mineral and battery
materials producer. The Companys goal is to achieve profitable
cleantech materials technology driven organic growth in specialty
GOLDn GRO fertilizers, silver, gold, zinc, critical minerals,
and battery minerals. The Companys technologies maximize the
recovery and uses of metals and minerals and by doing this
maximize sustainability.
The Companys growth forecast centers upon its 10-year business plan designed to integrate its Zero Waste Energy Saving Technologies and to grow annual sales from $2 million in 2019, to $100 million in 2025.
The Companys environmentally friendly award winning GOLDn GRO liquid fertilizers, which are extensively used in agriculture, can be used for lawns and houseplants, and are available at the
Companys e-store on Amazon.Com at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_ sr_lawn-garden?ie+UTF8&field-brandtextbin=GOLD%27n+GRO&node+2972638011. Due to expanded retail customer interest, GOLDn GRO fertilizer may now be purchased in Reno, Nevada at Buy Nevada First Gift Shop, 4001 S. Virginia St. |
Follow Itronics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itronicsinc
Follow Itronics on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itronicsinc
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VISIT OUR WEB SITE: http://www.itronics.com
(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 Companys 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 Companys 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.)
Contact: Paul Knopick
888.795.6336