Antimony: Emissions
How gold co-products shape antimony's carbon tally
How gold co-products shape antimony's carbon tally What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 12.9 t CO2e per t range not published; depends on ore grade and on gold co-product allocation · cradle-to-gate, 2008 supply mix, economic allocation Global emissions per year 1.40 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 12.9 t x 110 kt (derived, indicative)Per t of antimony metal, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: Nuss & Eckelman 2014, PLoS ONE (ecoinvent 2.2 data, economic allocation, 2008 supply mix; value read from Fig. 2, indicative). Global total: Derived from Nuss & Eckelman 2014 and USGS MCS 2026.
Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | likely the larger contributor (share not published): underground mining and concentration of stibnite | – | diesel, electricity for grinding and flotation; falling Chinese ore grades | Nuss & Eckelman note mining and concentration may matter more than refining for antimony | Nuss & Eckelman 2014 (qualitative) |
| Refining / processing | volatilisation roasting to trioxide, blast or reverberatory smelting, refining (share not published) | – | coal and coke in furnaces | Chinese smelters are largely coal-fired | Qualitative |
| Movement | small per tonne; concentrate shipped from Russia, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Bolivia to Chinese and Thai smelters | – | rail and road from Central Asia, sea freight | Overland routes from Central Asia are long | Qualitative |
| Usage | no direct emissions; in flame retardants it prevents fires, in batteries it enables lead-acid storage | – | plastics, textiles, batteries | Dissipated in flame retardants and glass | Qualitative |
| Recycling / end of life | recovered with lead from spent batteries at secondary smelters; EU end-of-life recycling input rate 28% | – | secondary lead smelting | US secondary antimony was 12% of apparent consumption in 2025; antimony in plastics is lost or incinerated | EU CRM 2023; USGS MCS 2026 |
Other environmental impacts
Arsenic-rich residues and historical pollution around Chinese mining districts such as Xikuangshan (Hunan); antimony in incinerated plastics ends up in fly ash.
Levers to cut emissions
- Move smelting from coal to electric or gas-fired furnaces
- Recover more antimony from battery scrap and from flame-retardant plastics
- By-product recovery at gold mines (e.g. Stibnite) instead of new standalone mines
- Lower-antimony battery alloys and alternative flame retardants where performance allows
India
India has no antimony mining but processes imported material and trades it (imports $29.8 million, exports $22.8 million in 2024). Its battery recycling sector also recovers antimonial lead from spent lead-acid batteries.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.