U.S. Army Funds Ore-to-Tungsten Program

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has launched a multi-stage technical program to validate a complete ore-to-metal tungsten processing pathway through partners Montana Technological University (Montana Tech) and B&N Mining Inc (B&N). The initiative targets B&N’s wholly owned Atolia Tungsten Project in the Mojave Desert of eastern San Bernardino County, California—the fourth-largest historic tungsten district in the United States.

Montana Tech’s Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department will lead laboratory and bench-scale testwork across four coordinated stages designed to de-risk and scale the process. Stage 1 will develop the mineral processing flowsheet—testing crushing, grinding, gravity separation and flotation—to define recoveries, concentrate quality and material balances. Stage 2 will validate that flowsheet and produce bulk scheelite concentrate for downstream conversion tests. In Stage 3 the program will convert concentrate to ammonium paratungstate (APT), the industry-standard intermediate. Stage 4 will complete the pathway by producing tungsten oxide and reducing it to tungsten metal powder under conditions suitable for later pilot and commercial production.

The program is already underway: B&N has delivered three 55-gallon drums of feed material to Montana Tech, comprising Black Hawk and Spud Patch placer material and hard-rock scheelite vein samples. B&N will provide additional in-kind support while ARL funding covers the staged technical program.

Tungsten’s strategic importance—used in cutting tools, aerospace, electrical systems, medical devices, radiation shielding and defense—underscores the significance of re-establishing a domestic supply chain. The Atolia district historically produced roughly 24.7 million pounds of tungsten trioxide, and B&N’s holdings include placer deposits and hard-rock targets with remaining resource potential.

By generating reliable metallurgical data and demonstrating a scalable processing route from ore to metal, the program aims to lower development risk, inform future pilot testing, and position the Atolia Tungsten Project as a potential foundation for secure U.S. tungsten production.