Phoenix Refining

08/28/2026

Iridium is one of the most difficult metals to assay, with its extreme melting point, density, chemical resistance, and brittleness creating challenges throughout the testing process. Conventional furnaces cannot fully liquefy iridium, while standard fire assay and acid digestion methods also face significant limitations. As iridium supply remains constrained and secondary recovery becomes increasingly important, accurate analysis is essential for fair valuation of iridium-bearing scrap.

Iridium is one of the rarest, densest, and most chemically resistant metals on Earth. A member of the platinum-group metals, it is valued for its ability to survive conditions that destroy conventional engineering materials.

08/25/2026

Platinum and iridium alloys can look nearly identical, making accurate identification of valuable industrial scrap a challenge. While density testing and XRF offer useful initial screening, neither method reliably determines the exact composition of complex or heterogeneous material. The article explains why representative bulk analysis remains the strongest method for confirming composition and avoiding costly valuation errors.

Platinum and iridium belong to the platinum group metals, a family that also includes palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and osmium. Demand for these metals continues to grow across emission-control systems, advanced energy technologies, electronics, aerospace equipment, medical devices, and chemical ma

08/19/2026

Iridium supply faces a structural challenge as demand from semiconductors, telecommunications, aerospace, chemical processing, and green hydrogen grows while primary production remains near 248,000 ounces a year. Because iridium is primarily recovered as a byproduct of other metals, higher iridium prices alone cannot drive a comparable increase in mine output. The article highlights recycling, material efficiency, longer equipment lifespans, and recovery rates of 95% or more as key parts of addressing the supply gap.

As the global economy accelerates toward deep decarbonization, demand for critical minerals is exposing structural weaknesses across renewable-energy and advanced-manufacturing supply chains. Few materials illustrate the problem more clearly than iridium an exceptionally dense, corrosion-resistant a

08/13/2026

US tungsten scrap exporters are facing a major shift as new export controls require domestic sellers to allocate 100% of their monthly sales to US buyers for one year starting August 27. With US processors already operating near capacity, the article raises an important question: does restricting exports without expanding domestic processing risk creating a surplus of scrap and putting further pressure on prices?

US tungsten market participants are seeking clarity on the scope and implementation of new export controls, warning that limited domestic processing capacity could leave scrap stranded in the country, pressure prices, and blunt the policy’s near-term impact. The US Bureau of Industry and Security ...

08/06/2026

The distribution of precious metal reserves tells an interesting story about the future of global supply.

Australia and Russia account for nearly 40% of the world's known gold reserves. Peru leads in silver, while South Africa holds more than 80% of global platinum group metal reserves. As demand for these metals continues across investment, electronics, clean energy, and industrial applications, the countries controlling these reserves will play an increasingly important role in global supply chains.

At Phoenix Refining, we keep a close eye on these trends because understanding where metals come from is as important as knowing where they are needed.

07/22/2026

While many buyers have paused their silver purchases, Phoenix Refining continues to actively buy. We remain committed to maintaining strong, transparent relationships with our suppliers and are currently purchasing silver in all forms for refining and recovery.

If you have silver material available, send us a message today, let’s discuss how we can work together.

07/18/2026

For the quarter ended June 30, silver fell $16.57 per ounce, a decline of 22.04%, marking its worst quarter since the first quarter of 2020, according to Paul Wong, managing partner and market strategist at Sprott Inc. June alone saw silver's largest monthly decline since September 2011. "Silver's selling wave in June tracked gold's plunge and was driven by the same macro forces: an expectedly hawkish Fed raising short-term rates and the U.S. dollar," Wong noted in a recent analysis. "Silver easily broke below support levels in a near-waterfall pattern, suggesting capitulation-driven selling sentiment."

For the quarter ended June 30, silver fell $16.57 per ounce, a decline of 22.

07/18/2026

US President Donald Trump’s fixation with acquiring Greenland resurfaced forcefully at the NATO summit in Ankara, where he used the issue to criticize European allies and question the value of the transatlantic alliance. Speaking on Wednesday beside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said he...

07/09/2026

We are currently looking to purchase iridium-bearing materials from suppliers worldwide. Phoenix Refining works with industrial companies, recyclers, and metal traders to recover value from high-grade iridium-containing scrap and residues. Reach out to us if you have material available and would like to explore a partnership.

07/08/2026

The precious metals market often focuses on prices, inventories, and supply chains, but the infrastructure that supports physical delivery receives far less attention. The SILVER Act brings that issue into focus by questioning whether a national market should continue relying on a vaulting network concentrated in a single region. As geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruption, and demand for physical metals continue to grow, the debate is expanding beyond storage locations and into a broader discussion about resilience, competition, and the future of America's precious metals infrastructure.