Sparton Resources’ 90% owned China based subsidiary, Beijing Sparton Mineral Resources Investment and Consulting has received notification from China’s State Intellectual Property Bureau that it has been granted a Patent for the ‘Extraction and Recovery of Radioactive Uranium from Coal Ash’. The company will now complete the final registration documents for the Patent and is expected to receive the final Patent Certificate within the next 30 days.

This Patent represents a major milestone in Sparton’s ongoing program to begin uranium production from waste ash sources in China. As a crucial development in the secondary uranium recovery program it now means that the company and its operating partner ARCN, the China National Nuclear Corp subsidiary, are positioned with commercial protection from competition in uranium production from waste coal ash material in China.

A new operating company, Yunnan Sparton New Environ-Tech Consulting (YSN) has been formed and is structured as an environmental solutions company which can use waste coal ash or other waste industrial material for the extraction of valuable materials including uranium. These activities are now encouraged for foreign investment by Central Government and are eligible for government and local financial institution funding assistance.

YSN will be responsible for all waste testing, development and production of uranium from waste ash material in Yunnan including the current programs evaluating the Lincang, and Xiaolongtan waste ash deposits.

This patent is a unique document and believed to be the first of its kind ever granted to a foreign company in China for the application of a specific application of process engineering technology. It reinforces Sparton’s unique position as a pioneer in the use of readily available waste material such as coal ash as a source of clean energy fuel for the nuclear power industry.