Itronics Develops Breakthrough Technology That Separates Copper and Silver Recovered by New E-Waste Refining Process

RENO, NV--(Marketwired - November 15, 2016) - Itronics Inc. (OTC PINK: ITRO), a growing and diversified fertilizer, silver, and minerals producer, today announced that it has developed a new refining process that uses silver to capture gold and other metals contained in scrap personal computer circuit boards (e-waste). The refining process produces silver bullion containing gold and other precious metals recovered from the e-scrap, copper matte that contains silver and is similar in copper content to high grade copper concentrate produced by copper mines, and copper and silver bearing glass slag.

Several aspects of the new technology put it in the "Breakthrough" category. This represents the first time silver is used to collect precious metals from e-scrap. The furnace technology is able to utilize most of the heat generated from combustion of the organic compounds contained in the waste circuit board materials, reducing the amount of purchased electrical power required to complete the process. Itronics separates a significant portion of the copper contained in the circuit boards into a separate saleable copper concentrate equivalent. The Company believes that simultaneous production of a separate copper product has never been done before, thus creating value that did not previously exist. The gold from the circuit boards and a small amount of copper are captured in the silver bullion simultaneously produced as a separate product.

This new refining technology is a "zero waste" process because all of the feed material is converted to useable products and the energy content is used by the process. This technology is both "cost reducing" and "energy saving" and is environmentally "green" because it recovers materials for sale that were previously wasted, maximizing sustainability. This remarkable new fire refining technology is expected to significantly enhance the Company's profitability as it is expanded from "minimum economic scale" operation to a meaningful commercial scale.

The new refining process utilizes the high grade silver concentrates the Company's expanded leaching circuit is now producing, along with personal computer scrap circuit boards as feed materials. The refining operation is now being scaled up to five times the scale of the test refining used to do the initial process development. Itronics anticipates making its first shipment of silver bullion produced by this process in January 2017 and to re-establish regular bullion sales in 2017.

"We are proud of Itronic's innovative research and development team that is continuing to use its chemical, science and engineering skills to develop new approaches to extract valuable metals and materials from different liquid and solid waste streams for purposes of returning them to productive use," said Itronics President John Whitney.

About Itronics
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Itronics Inc. is a "Creative Green Technology" Company that produces GOLD'n GRO specialty liquid fertilizers and silver bullion. It owns a large Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mineral property (the Auric Fulstone Project) in the prolific Yerington Copper Mining District in northwestern Nevada. Within the Auric Fulstone project area, the Company has discovered surface high grade silver, zinc, and lead mineralization that contain anomalous molybdenum in a large area that is geochemically anomalous for zinc. It has also discovered high grade copper mineralization that contains anomalous gold and molybdenum in a separate area that is anomalous for copper. The Company's goal is to achieve profitable clean technology driven growth in specialty GOLD'n GRO fertilizers, silver, zinc, and minerals. The Company's technologies maximize the recovery and use of metals and minerals and maximize sustainability.

Through its subsidiary, Itronics Metallurgical, Inc., Itronics is the only company with a fully permitted "Beneficial Use Photochemical, Silver, and Water Recycling" plant in the United States that converts 100 percent of the spent photoliquids into silver bullion, silver bearing glass, and GOLD'n GRO liquid fertilizers. The Company is developing environmentally compatible waste processing and mining technology. Itronics has received numerous domestic and international awards that recognize its ability to successfully use science and engineering to create and implement new environmentally clean "zero waste" recycling and fertilizer technologies.

The Company's environmentally friendly GOLD'n GRO liquid fertilizers, which are extensively used in agriculture, can be used for lawns and houseplants, and are available at the Company's "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

Follow Itronics on: Facebook at www.facebook.com/itronicsinc and on Twitter at twitter.com/itronicsinc

* * * * * * * * * *

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 Company's 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 Company's 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.)