About Antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51.
Key facts
- Symbol: Sb
- Melting point: 630.6 °C
- Atomic number: 51
- Atomic mass: 121.76 u
Criticality
Most of the targeted by-products elements are Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). CRMs combine raw materials of high importance to the EU economy and of high risk associated with their supply.
Antimony is part of the EU 2020 Critical Raw Materials List. Its criticality is considered to be high.
Main uses
Flame retardants: Antimony is used to prevent ignition and pyrolysis in numerous everyday objects, including plastics, cable coatings, upholstered furniture, car seats, fabrics and household appliances.
Lead acid batteries: the use of Antimony improves the charging characteristics and prevents the production of hydrogen during charging.
And also: in lead alloys in a wide range of applications (in the automotive sector, the manufacture of household items, the electronics industry, the defence sector), the plastics industry, and in glass and ceramics manufacturing.
Map of kernel density of weighted Antimony scores in Europe by DBQ geostatistical method
The map below indicates few areas of potential interest for Antimony prospection in Europe. It is part of the “Mapping of by-product potential evaluation” (Deliverable 2.1) led by consortium member BRGM.
This map was made based on the current available data and the DBQ geostatistical method, performing a kernel density calculation. The kernel density calculation is a statistical tool which estimates the probability density function of a random variable.
