Business · Companies · 6 hrs ago
AT4 begins testing tungsten supplies for proposed Nevada refinery
American Tungsten & Antimony is testing tungsten samples at its Del Sol refinery site in Nevada.
The samples came from a global producer and are part of a program to assess potential suppliers and partners.
The company will test each supply for its mineral content, impurities and suitability for processing.
Tungsten is used in tools, electronics and defence equipment, but the United States has not mined it commercially since 2015 and relies on imports for more than half its consumption.
AT4 says refining is a supply-chain bottleneck and aims to build a US processing hub that could serve industrial and defence customers.
Its first proposed step is a circuit capable of processing 100 tonnes a year, while a larger expansion of up to 5,000 tonnes a year is under study.
Both projects remain proposals, with engineering, permits and product qualification still needed.
American Tungsten & Antimony has received tungsten concentrate samples from a global Tier 1 producer for testing at its proposed Del Sol refinery in Nevada.
The company’s Mineral Intelligence Engine will assess the samples as part of a new feedstock qualification program.
AT4 says the program is intended to identify suppliers and potential processing and offtake partners.
The proposed first stage is a 100-tonne-per-year ammonium paratungstate circuit to produce samples for prospective customers and defence-sector qualification.
The circuit and a larger proposed expansion remain subject to further engineering, permitting and qualification work.
- Who
- American Tungsten & Antimony (AT4) and a global Tier 1 producer that supplied concentrate samples.
- What
- AT4 has begun assessing tungsten feedstocks for its proposed Del Sol refinery.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Del Sol, Nevada, United States.
- Why
- To assess potential feedstocks and identify suppliers and partners for proposed US tungsten-processing operations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Wet table trials at Del Sol assessed tungsten-bearing material from Dutch Mountain and third-party sources.
AT4 received concentrate samples from a global Tier 1 producer and began assessing them through its Mineral Intelligence Engine.
AT4 plans a 100-tonne-per-year APT circuit at Del Sol, subject to further development work.
- Sample source
- Global Tier 1 producer
- Testing site
- Del Sol refinery, Nevada
- Initial proposed circuit
- 100 tonnes per annum
- Potential expansion
- Up to 5,000 tonnes per annum under study
- Testing system
- Mineral Intelligence Engine
What people are saying
Del Sol is being developed as a U.S. processing hub for tungsten and antimony, supported by a network of qualified domestic and allied suppliers.
Refining is a key chokepoint in the U.S. tungsten supply chain.