The results of bench-scale gravity and flotation tests were used in the design of the proposed flowsheet. Batch tests combined with computer modeling indicated that a 25.6% WO3 concentrate can be made with a tungsten recovery rate of 83.3%. The findings also indicated that modifications to the flowsheet will be needed for the optimum production of tin concentrate.
Separately, Adex commissioned leaching tests on the tungsten gravity concentrate. In bench tests employing a bake/leach/single-stage autoclave process, tungsten recovery was in the range of 95% to 99%. The results will be used to assess the possibility of producing ammonium paratungstate, used in the production of tungsten carbide.
For three years in the mid-1980s, Billiton (now part of BHP Billiton) produced tungsten at Mount Pleasant. A few photos are posted at www.AdexMining.com.
ADE- TSX.v
Largo Resources Ltd. has agreed to sell 5.1 million flow-through units at a price of 10 cents per unit. Each unit will comprise one flow-through common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant. Each warrant shall be exercisable for one common share at a price of 15 cents at any time prior to the date that is 18 months from the date of issue.
Upon closing of the financing, Largo shall pay First Canadian Securities a 6-per-cent cash finder's fee and 180,000 compensation options. Each compensation option will entitle First Canadian Securities to acquire one compensation unit at a price of 10 cents per compensation option exercised at any time prior to the date that is 18 months from the date of issue. Each compensation unit shall comprise one non-flow-through common share and one-half of one warrant.
Closing of the offering is anticipated to occur on or before July 30, 2009, and is subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
The flow-through shares will be subject to resale restrictions for a period of four months plus one day from the closing date.
The gross proceeds from the offering will be used for eligible Canadian exploration expenses that qualify as Canadian exploration expenses (as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) and will be renounced for the 2009 taxation year.
For Full release see www.LargoResources.com
LGO TSX.v
North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has negotiated a Private Placement of 40,000,000 common shares at a price of CAD$0.15 per share with insiders and private investors for proceeds of CAD$6,000,000, subject to regulatory approval. The proceeds of the private placement will be used for repayment of the US$3,000,000 convertible debenture and the balance for working capital. The Private Placement is subject to regulatory approval. The Company further announces the renewal and increase to its credit facilities with HSBC ("Bank"). The completed credit facility renewals and increases include; for full release Click Here North American Tungsten NTC - TSX,v www.NorthAmericanTungsten.com |
NEWCREST has put the wind up China's tungsten industry by revealing that its O'Callaghans tungsten discovery near the Telfer gold/copper mine in Western Australia is shaping up as a world-class find.
Managing director of Melbourne-based Newcrest Ian Smith said an initial resource estimate for O'Callaghans would be about 60 million tonnes. He did not give an indicative grade but said it was a deposit of "world significance".
China controls the world tungsten market through production dominance from mines in Jiangxi, Hunan and Yunnan. It may bid for O'Callaghans to maintain its hold.
Newcrest is open to exploiting the situation. Mr Smith said Newcrest had a team in China talking to "people who are very interested in O'Callaghans because China's companies control the tungsten market at the moment".
"But just as importantly, some of the companies to have shown intense interest have been from Japan and northern Europe," Mr Smith said.
While relishing the interest in the strategic discovery, Newcrest has yet to decide whether to hold on to O'Callaghans. "What we're confident of is that we're sitting on a pretty important and strategic resource. There is no shortage of people interested in what is … a world-class deposit outside of the control of the country that now dominates that whole industry," Mr Smith said.
He was speaking at the release of Newcrest's June-quarter/June-year production report. Gold production rose 9 per cent to 397,826 ounces in the June quarter compared with the preceding quarter. That took annual output to 1.63 million ounces for the June year, in line with previous company guidance that output would be 1.62 million ounces. Annual copper production was higher than guidance at 89,900 tonnes.
Newcrest shares closed down 57¢ at $30.39, in line with general share price weakness in the sector due to easing inflation concerns that have sent gold prices lower.
Trading Symbols - ASX : NCM & NTSE - ADRs: NCMGY
The drilling portion of the program was completed ahead of schedule and within budget. Core logging and assay analysis of the core are continuing. The assay results will be available by early October for incorporation into an updated resource tonnage block model that is planned to follow immediately thereafter.
The goal of the drill program was three-fold. The main purpose was to upgrade a portion of the current inferred resource to the measured and indicated category, for inclusion in the prefeasibility study in the company's development plan. Secondly, identify better-grade, near-surface resources, which will be mined early in the life of the mine to improve the recovery of mine capital costs. Drilling was also completed for targets adjacent to the Zone III and Ellipse zones, the two most economically important zones in the Sisson Brook deposit.
Geodex completed an encouraging preliminary economic study earlier this year that demonstrated the Sisson Brook deposit is a large tungsten-molybdenum resource amenable to low-cost, open-pit mining methods. A prefeasibility study is the next stage and will consist of updating the resource calculation based on the current drill program, advancing the metallurgical work that has successfully identified an effective preconcentration process, as well as advancing the mine design, engineering, infrastructure and continuing environmental studies.
GXM on The TSX.v
Adex Mining Inc. ("Adex" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: ADE) is pleased to provide a progress report on metallurgical test programs that were carried out by the Company in relation to its Mount Pleasant Mine Property ("Mount Pleasant" or the "Property"). The results of the metallurgical test programs provide the Company with valuable information required to develop an optimal commercial extraction and recovery process for the principal metals hosted at Mount Pleasant, being tungsten, molybdenum, tin and indium. This information will also help guide the Company in developing production options for the Property.
GRAVITY-FLOTATION SEPARATION TEST PROGRAM
SGS Lakefield Research Europe Ltd. of Cornwall, United Kingdom ("SGS Europe") has completed initial bench scale testing of a multi-stage grinding and gravity-flotation separation process (the "Gravity Process"). The Gravity Process is being considered by the Company as an innovative approach to improving the grade and recovery (by pre-concentration) of the metals hosted at Mount Pleasant's two mineralized zones - being the tungsten-molybdenum bearing Fire Tower Zone (the "FTZ") and the tin-indium-zinc bearing North Zone (the "NZ").
The Gravity process was designed by Thibault & Associates Inc. of Fredericton, New Brunswick and was tested using bench scale techniques by SGS Europe to quantify its metallurgical performance for the production of tungsten concentrate from the FTZ deposit. The Company is evaluating the use of tungsten concentrate from the Gravity Process and a hydrometallurgical Process for possible production of ammonium paratungstate ("APT"). APT is considered the primary intermediate for the production of tungsten carbide which is used primarily for hard steel applications.
The Gravity Process was bench scale tested for conceptual design of the concentrator. The results of the bench scale test were also used to model the performance of the proposed flowsheet. Bench scale batch test results combined with computer modeling of a fully integrated flowsheet for continuous concentrate production has indicated that a recovery of 83.3% for tungsten with a concentrate grade of 25.6% tungsten tri-oxide (WO3) may be achieved. A continuous pilot test of the proposed Gravity Process will be required to verify the overall grade and recovery of processing the ore from the FTZ.
The Gravity Process tested on ore samples from the FTZ was also used to assess tin concentrate production from the NZ deposit. The results of the Gravity Process test program indicate that modifications to the flowsheet developed for tungsten production will be required for the production of tin concentrate.
TUNGSTEN GRAVITY CONCENTRATE LEACHING TEST PROGRAM
Development of the Gravity Process: a representative sample of ore from the FTZ zone was processed by the Minerals Engineering Centre of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia to produce a low grade tungsten concentrate.
Research and Productivity Council ("RPC") of Fredericton, New Brunswick then completed a bench scale test program to improve on the quality of the gravity concentrate for APT production. Bench scale flotation tests on the low grade gravity concentrate achieved up to 70% reduction of the arsenic bearing minerals prior to tungsten leaching, thereby improving feedstock for APT production.
The tungsten leach is the initial step of the APT hydrometallurgical process developed by Thibault & Associates Inc. and the test program was conducted by RPC to assess the technical viability of the proposed leaching process. Two stage atmospheric bake-leach and single stage autoclave leach tests were carried out on the arsenic (arsenopyrite, loellingite) flotation tails (tungsten concentrate) to assess processing alternatives for the extraction of tungsten from low grade concentrates. The results of the leach test program indicate a selective process for optimum tungsten extraction (using an autoclave leach) in the range of 95% to 99% may be achieved based on bench scale batch testing.
The arsenic flotation and tungsten leach tests will assist the Company in the design of a hydrometallurgical process for the production of APT from a gravity concentrate. Continuous piloting of the leach and solution purification unit operations will be required to confirm the purity of the APT.
MINERALOGY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
SGS Lakefield Research Limited of Lakefield, Ontario ("SGS Lakefield") has completed a detailed mineralogy assessment (the "Mineralogy Assessment") of ore from both the FTZ and NZ. The initial results of the Mineralogy Assessment, which were first reported in the Company's press release dated December 23, 2008, provide information on grain size for various minerals, liberation or grind requirement and theoretical grade-recovery relationships for the beneficiation of various metals. The results of the Mineralogy Assessment also suggest that sphalerite is the predominant host of indium at Mount Pleasant.
The foregoing series of metallurgical programs that have been completed by the Company at its contract laboratory facilities, being SGS Lakefield, SGS Europe, Dalhousie University and RPC, were necessary in order for the Company to move forward in developing various production options for the Property. In addition, the information obtained from the metallurgical programs will assist the Company in designing and developing a future pilot plant program which may lead to commercial-level production of tungsten, molybdenum, tin and indium at Mount Pleasant.
SGS Lakefield and SGS Europe are leading mineralogy research and metallurgical testing firms. RPC is an independent R&D firm situated in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Thibault & Associates Inc. - Applied Process Chemical Engineering of Fredericton, New Brunswick serves as an independent consulting firm to the Company with respect to Mount Pleasant metallurgical and environmental process development, design and planning.
QUALIFIED PERSON:
Mr. J. Dean Thibault, M.Sc., P. Eng., is the Senior Process Chemical Engineer of Thibault & Associates Inc., and is an independent qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Thibault has managed the metallurgical test programs and supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this press release in compliance with National Instrument 43-101.
ABOUT ADEX:
Adex Mining Inc. is a Canadian junior mining company with an experienced management team. The Company is focused on developing its flagship Mount Pleasant Mine Property, a multi-metal project that is host to promising tungsten-molybdenum and tin-indium-zinc-copper mineralization. Located in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Mount Pleasant is situated approximately 80 kilometres south of Fredericton, the provincial capital, and is 65 kilometres from the United States border. The common shares of Adex trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the stock symbol "ADE".
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Adex, its subsidiary or the industry in which they operate to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "may", "should", "will", the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current expectations of the management of Adex with respect to future events based on currently available information and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time, including, without limitation, under the heading "Risk Factors", in reports filed by Adex with the Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario Securities Commissions which are available at www.sedar.com and to which readers of this press release are referred for additional information concerning Adex, its prospects and the risks and uncertainties relating to Adex and its prospects. New risk factors may arise from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of those risk factors or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results, performance and achievements of Adex to be materially different from those contained in forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Adex cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.
The forward-looking information contained in this press release is current only as of the date of the press release. Adex does not undertake or assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
No securities commission or regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the contents of this press release.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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(ADEX)
Dentonia Resources Ltd. ("the Company") is pleased to announce further assay results from a quartz-garnet (skarn tungsten) showing on the Knight Inlet Area Claims (see News Release dated June 22, 2009). The samples were assayed by International Plasma Labs Ltd. of Richmond, BC. The significant results of both chip-sampling programs are given in the table below. Together with the previous results, the discovery has been extended from 22m to 32m with the following values: 1.314kg/t tungsten with 0.123% copper and 2.53g/t silver over 32m, including 4.66kg/t tungsten over 4m (16m – 20m). Eleven additional chip samples, taken at 2m intervals, were collected under the supervision and control of James A. Turner, P.Geo. Copper and silver were analyzed by the Fusion Induced Plasma Mult-acid (ICPM) Method and tungsten by the Fusion ICP Method. The Company is pleased with these results and plan to: · Continue chip sampling along the discovery · Channel sample the 32m skarn · Carry out geological mapping of the discovery area The current world price of WO3 concentrate is approximately US$25 per kilogram. Tungsten is a hard, corrosive-resistant element with the highest melting point of all non-alloyed metals. Tungsten and its alloys are used in high-temperature structural materials and many electronic applications. Skarn Tungsten "Almost 100% of Canadian tungsten production, which at one time constituted about 5% of the annual world production, has been derived from skarn deposits. Skarns are the second most important type of economic tungsten deposit after vein-stockwork deposits, and account for an estimated 30% of total world production." Dawson, K.M., "Geological of Canadian Mineral Deposit Type" |
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University at Albany and Novellus Systems Inc have formed a $20 million partnership to conduct next-generation R&D in sub-22nm semiconductor manufacturing technology.
As part of the agreement, the equipment supplier will install three advanced thin-film deposition tools -- a VECTOR plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system, a SABRE copper electrochemical deposition system, and an ALTUS tungsten chemical vapor deposition system -- at CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex.
Further, a team of Novellus researchers will be located with CNSE staff at Albany NanoTech. The team will conduct research into advanced nanofabrication processes including copper fill for interconnects, copper through-silicon via fill for 3-D packaging applications, tungsten deposition for transistor contacts, and thin dielectric film deposition.
"Novellus Systems is pleased to engage in this next-generation research and development program in collaboration with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering," said Tom Caulfield, Novellus executive VP of sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction, in a statement. "Combining the technological expertise of Novellus, with the intellectual know-how and assets of CNSE, will accelerate the development of innovations needed to drive our industry forward."
A major step towards construction of a US$339-million open-pit tungsten mine near Stanley is on hold while officials search for funding.
Vancouver's Geodex Mining Ltd. completed a metallurgic assessment at a site in Sisson Brook in April. It showed rich deposits of tungsten and molybdenum valued at US$1.18 billion over an expected 20-year mine life. Exploratory drilling began June 11.
The next step will be a pre-feasibility study, expected to take six to eight months, but Mark Fields, president and CEO of Geodex Mining, said Thursday that securing funding for the $1.3-million study has been a challenge, leaving the project temporarily stalled.
"The sooner we can start the better, but in the summertime it is always more difficult to get the financing in place for something like that," he said.
"We are having some discussions and the sooner we can start the happier we will be, but we don't have any firm timeline right now."
While a 26-hole drilling project at the site now is meant to give officials from Geodex a clearer picture of the grade and quantity of tungsten at the site, the per-feasibility study will explore how to extract the tungsten and gauge the capital and labour costs that will be incurred in doing so. It will also make preliminary recommendation on how to lay out and design the mine.
"What we are trying to do is advance the confidence level of the work that has been done from broader parameters to more detailed study, and what we would like to be doing as we do the pre-feasibility study is have some discussions with parties in the Tungsten industry," said Fields.
"One of the advantages of the Sisson Brook deposit is that it is so large that it could become quite the player on the world stage, so we want to have increasing contact with the people that actually use the tungsten."
Tungsten is a steel-grey metal often used in construction. About 85 per cent of the world's tungsten supply comes from China, but there are also large stores in Austria, Bolivia, Portugal and Russia. In Canada, it is mined only in the Northwest Territories.
Stanley Mayor Richard Storey said he's excited for the impact a major mine in nearby Sisson Brook will have on his town.
"They are not ready with their feasibility study yet, but we are hoping it is going to go forward soon," he said.
"The majority of people in town are for it as long as the environmental studies are done according to the government. So we're kind of looking forward to it."
The Village of Stanley will release a third-party study on the economic impact of the Sisson Brook mine in September.
Fields said he's excited by the mine's money-making potential, adding that a delay of several months in moving on to the pre-feasibility study stage shouldn't have much of an impact on his plan to have the mine in operation by 2013.
"The worldwide economy is a big variable right now, but if things go ahead, we will certainly see the mine in operation by 2013 or 2014," he said.
"Sisson Brook is very well located and all the infrastructure is there in terms of roads, railway and labour force, and that is important because this is a worldwide market and we will be accessing the North American market, the Asian market and the European market."
| July 08, 2009 | |
| North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd. has concluded an agreement to sell its remaining interest in the Jennings property (formerly known as Tootsie River) to its joint venture partner Agnico‐Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico"), for the sum of CAN$1.0 million cash. The Company would have held a 30% interest in the Jennings after Agnico's CAN$4.0 million work commitment. The property is located on the B.C./Yukon border approximately 85 km west of Watson Lake, Yukon. Mr. Stephen Leahy, Chairman & CEO of the Company stated "It was a pleasure working with such a professional group of people at Agnico but with the Jennings property being a non‐core asset for us, the deal made very good sense." Former Participant in TalkingTungsten.ca |
North American metal powder shipments dropped 18.4% in 2008 to 415,427 net tons and have declined further during the first half of 2009. That's the word from Mark Paullin, president of the Metal Powder Industries Federation, speaking at the PowderMet2009 Conference in Las Vegas.
Shipments in 2008 were the lowest in 25 years (426,050 tons in 1994) and could drop under 400,000 net tons this year since the continuing decrease in auto production has reduced the need for powder-metal parts and caused further reduction in metal power production, according to Paullin.
"Just like U.S. manufacturing in general, the PM industry has been impacted negatively by the current recession and plunging automotive production," Paullin says. According to a MPIF spokesman, shipment into automotive "were especially abysmal in the first quarter" and probably won't be back on track until the fourth quarter, or more likely, 2010.
The powder metallurgy industry weakened in the second half of 2008, especially in the final quarter mainly due to a sharp decrease in auto production in November and December. Iron powder production and deliveries declined 19% to 327,272 short tons, copper and copper-based powder shipments declined 13% to17,400 short tons, and stainless steel powder shipments declined about 20% to an estimated 7,750 short tons.
Declines also were registered by tin, nickel, tungsten, tungsten carbide, molybdenum, and aluminum metal powders.
ASX-listed nickel sulphide and tungsten exploration company Hazelwood Resources' Big Hill prefeasibility study was progressing ahead of schedule, following a recent A$3-million raising, the company said on Wednesday.
The study on the deposit, located in Western Australia, was likely to be completed around September.
Hazelwood stated that the project could produce between 2% and 3% of the world's primary mine tungsten.
The resource upgrade drilling was about 50% completed, and was expected to be concluded by mid-July. The objective of the programme was to increase the inventory of measured and indicated resources, thereby allowing a significant ore reserve to be estimated.
Hazelwood reported that the upgrade drilling programme continued to intersect coarse-grained scheelite at depth, with the mineralised sequence showing true widths of about 100 m.
Hazelwood has conducted a focused drilling and metallurgical testwork programme at the Big Hill deposit, but added that only a fraction of the extensive mineralised sequence at the deposit has been evaluated for resources.
The project concept was for a mining and processing operation, with a production capacity of about 220 000 t/y of tungsten concentrate. Preliminary pit optimisation indicated a life-of-mine strip ratio of less than 1:1.
The company added that recent successful x-ray sorting testwork has provided an opportunity to consider a bulk mining and processing operation that exploits the entire project and further reduced operating costs.
