Despite these successes, there are growing concerns that the entire iTSCi Program, as well as local communities and businesses across the region, are being disrupted by the disengagement of the downstream tungsten industry from Africa; there is now a very limited market for conflict-free and traceable
wolframite, which is becoming of low value and stocked in different locations, program officials said.
Along with gems and other precious metals, the DRC has a rich supply of gold, cassiterite,
wolframite, and coltan.
Zone III (scheelite/molybdenite) and the adjacent Zones I and II (chalcopyrite,
wolframite) of the Sisson deposit were discovered by Texasgulf Sulphur/Kidd Creek Mines Ltd.
The term "conflict minerals" refers to several highly lucrative and commonly mined metallic ores including coltan,
wolframite, and cassiterite, all of which are refined into precious metals (tantalum, tungsten, and tin, respectively) that form essential components of cell phones (Mineral Information Institute, 2010).
Mined largely in the DRC under questionable human rights standards,
wolframite, cassiterite, coltan and gold are then processed for the manufacture of electronic components found in cellphones around the world.
wolframite), Cote d'Ivoire (cocoa and coffee), Ethiopia (hand-woven
The following conflict minerals are defined in the SEC's final rule: columbite-tantalite (coltan), cassiterite, gold,
wolframite, and their derivatives (currently limited to tantalum, tin, and tungsten, which are extracted from coltan, cassiterite, and
wolframite, respectively), "or any other minerals or their derivatives determined by the Secretary of State to be financing conflict in the Covered Countries" (SEC Final Rule 34-67716, p.
Rwanda, too, which is rich with coltan, cassiterite and
wolframite, is currently reviewing its mining laws and licences.
Dunphy, "Morphological and phase controlled tungsten based nanoparticles: synthesis and characterization of scheelite,
wolframite, and oxide nanomaterials," Chemistry of Materials, vol.
Records show that during the main production period from 1822 to 1893, metal production from this group of mines was approximately 3,900 tonnes of copper, 5,400 tonnes of lead, 400 tonnes of Cassiterite (tin ore), 37,300 ounces of silver and 5 tonnes of
Wolframite (tungsten ore).
Wolf is expected to supply a 65% tungsten trioxide,
wolframite concentrate based upon standard commercial terms.
In Wednesday's resolution the Council also recommended that all countries, but particularly those in the region, publish regular statistics for the import and export of natural resources such as gold, cassiterite, coltan,
wolframite, timber and charcoal.
The report also says that Apple is working with the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GESI) and the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) to ensure that their suppliers are using conflict-free sources of extractives, namely "The mining of columbite-tantalite, cassiterite,
wolframite, and gold which are refined into tantalum (Ta), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), and gold (Au), respectively [that] is believed to fuel political strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring regions."
The central African region has been a particularly sensitive nexus of civil conflict and valuable minerals, with rare materials such as casserite (used in laptops), coltan (mobile phones) and
wolframite (light bulbs) being mined, and much smuggled abroad.
