30 percent of world's tungsten supply comes from recycled scrap

By Leia Michele Toovey- Exclusive to Tungsten Investing News

Scrap recycling is an important facet of the globe’s tungsten supply, with approximately 30 per cent of the world’s supply coming from recycled material.

Last Wednesday, Liquidity Services, Inc. (LSI) kicked off it’s first-ever sale for scrap tungsten. The auction is of three lots containing over 190,000 pounds of the scrap metal in the form of Tungsten Nylon Core (95 per cent tungsten, 5 per cent nylon), Completed Projectiles (inert nylon core, steel insert and copper jacket), Silver Tungsten Nylon Core (57 per cent tungsten, 43 per cent nylon).

LSI is accepting bids for this “unique” sale through its online auction marketplace. The scrap tungsten is made available through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri, and is part of the overall effort to recycle scrap that has a remaining useful life. The tungsten processing industry is able to treat and recover almost every kind of tungsten-containing scrap. Tungsten scrap, due to its high tungsten content in comparison to ore, is a very valuable raw material. The auction closes on September 12 at 8 p.m ET

Survey in British Columbia

Geoscience BC and Natural Resources Canada have announced the start of a US$542,000, airborne Geophysical Survey in the Kootenay Area of British Columbia. It will cover a 609 sq. km. area that the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources has rated as having some of the highest mineral potential in British Columbia.

The search will provide more information on the sub-surface stratigraphy in order to identify new exploration targets beyond the limits of the historic mines. According to the President and CEO of Geoscience BC, Lyn Anglin, “The aim is to provide new geoscience information to help attract additional mineral exploration investment into this region and its communities.” The survey will be flown by Fugro Airborne Surveys and is expected to commence in mid-September.

Sultan Minerals, (TSX.V: SUL), one of the largest mineral title landholders in the survey area, is also participating in the survey. Sultan is contributing to the project by funding the flying of intermediate, 100-metre spaced survey lines over its Jersey-Emerald Tungsten property within the Geoscience BC survey area. Sultan’s historic Emerald Tungsten mine, also included in the survey, is Canada’s second-largest tungsten producer.

The detailed airborne geophysical coverage is expected to identify new exploration targets outside of the seven historic mines on Sultan’s extensive property. In addition to Sultan’s Jersey Mine, the HB and Reeves- Macdonald mines will be included in the survey area. These mines are the second, third and fourth largest historic lead-zinc producers in the province respectively.

Positive drill

Peel Exploration (ASX: PEX) has announced positive drill results from its 100 per cent-owned Attunga Project. RC drilling at the Kensington Gold-Tungsten Prospect of the Attunga Project area, has encountered widespread gold mineralization.

Encouragingly, gold mineralisation was intersected in all drill holes. In July 2008, Peel completed an RC drilling program comprising 10 holes for 1,229m, discovering significant tungsten mineralization in the form of scheelite. Prior discovered tungsten anomalies have been sent to ALS Chemex with certain individual meter intervals returning up to 0.21 per cent WO3. Adding this recent gold discovery to previously targetted tungsten mineralization confirms that Kensington represents a significant gold-tungsten system.

Exploration at Kensington in the ’80s reported substantial gold and tungsten mineralization including the delineation of an historic tungsten resource. The only other drilling completed at Kensington occurred in 1987 and comprised 7 diamond drillholes for 822m. The drilling has highlighted several areas requiring follow-up with a particular focus on the near-surface gold potential. To date, drilling has been relatively shallow, and Peel believes that good potential exists for the discovery of an economic tungsten-gold system.

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