Itronics Develops New Silver Refining Process That Will Allow for Significant Expansion, Less Expensive Operations.

Business Editors

RENO, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 2000

Itronics Inc. (OTCBB:ITRO) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Itronics Metallurgical, Inc., has developed a new silver refining process that will allow for a significant expansion of its refinery in Stead, Nevada. The successful process follows more than 16 years of research and development.

"The new process not only allows substantial expansion of our refining operations at the Stead facility, it also will cut the cost of silver refining by approximately 50 percent," said Dr. John Whitney, Itronics President. "This means we can significantly increase silver sales in upcoming quarters."

"Other significant events have occurred recently that impact our silver refining operations," Dr. Whitney said. "Handy & Harman, the world's fourth largest silver refiner and our refining and sales agent, declared bankruptcy and closed. While this is a great loss to the industry, we have retained a replacement refining and sales agent."

Dr. Whitney said that its new silver sales agreement with the refining and sales agent includes payment for contained gold, which is recovered from photochemicals, although in small amounts. Itronics is currently investigating new silver refining technology to recover both gold and silver from refinery slags produced by mines in Nevada.

"Research is also underway to make a formulated glass product at our factory using refining slags," Dr. Whitney said. "Our goal is to manufacture an `intermediate' glass that can be sold to manufacturers of specialty glass products including decorative glass tile. Based on results of research to date, it appears that Itronics can make a very attractive glass material for commercial blending."

Itronics Metallurgical uses a proprietary method that extracts 99.997 percent of the silver from photowastes and uses the resulting demetallized liquid to manufacture a line of environmentally beneficial liquid fertilizers. More than 100 million gallons of photographic wastes are generated in the U.S. each year from photo finishers, photo labs and studios, X-ray laboratories, and printers.

Itronics Metallurgical sells its Gold'n Gro multinutrient liquid fertilizer products to more than 120 golf courses in California and Nevada and to large horticultural businesses. Information about Gold'n Gro for home use is available at the Company's Web site, www.itronics.com, as is information about the Company's popular souvenir Silver Nevada Miner bars.

Itronics Inc. is one of Nevada's leading process technology development companies and a world leader in photochemical recycling. Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, it specializes in recycling technology development, photochemical recycling, silver refining, fertilizer manufacturing, and technical services for the mining and recycling industries.

Visit Itronics' Web Site: www.itronics.com

(The statements in this news release that are not historical facts or statements of current status are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially.)