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Critical raw materials
Published in Natalia Yakovleva, Edmund Nickless, Routledge Handbook of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, 2022
Judith A. Kinnaird, Paul A.M. Nex
In contrast, for tantalum, 70% is used in manufacturing capacitors which are found in virtually all types of consumer electronics in computers, smart phones, medical materials, hard disc drives and ink-jet printer heads. These are small items and often with a mix of metals in their components that are hard to separate and recycle, so less than 1% of tantalum is recycled. Based on current extraction rates, it has been estimated that there are less than 50 years of raw tantalum remaining on the planet (Ramon et al., 2020) and currently tantalum recycling in Florida is one of the few places where the element which is used in capacitors is being recycled.
Choice of materials and processes
Published in William Bolton, R.A. Higgins, Materials for Engineers and Technicians, 2020
Glass has an excellent resistance to all chemical reagents except hydrofluoric acid (used for etching stained glass) as does vitreous enamel. ‘Glass' coated steel tanks are widely used in the chemical industries for containing corrosive liquids. If a heavy spanner is accidentally dropped on to such a vitreous-coated surface, the chipped area can be ‘drilled through’ and the surface sealed by carefully hammering in a tantalum plug. Tantalum is a very soft, ductile heavy metal with an extremely high resistance to corrosion for, like aluminium and chromium, its surface seals itself with an adherent, impervious oxide film.
Conflict minerals and the politics of stuff
Published in Jonathan Chapman, Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design, 2017
Tantalum is a relatively scarce metal that is best known for its corrosion resistance. It is frequently used as a minor component in alloys and due to its inertness has many applications in lab equipment and also notably in medical implants and bone repair. It has two main uses in electronics; capacitors and integrated circuits. Tantalum capacitors are regarded as the very best in-class by electronic engineers. Largely because, among other benefits, they have no known wear-out mechanisms and have the best volumetric efficiency available which is very important when space is at a premium as it often is in portable equipment. Its other use is in semiconductors is as a barrier layer to prevent copper spoiling the microelectronics when it is used as bond wire or for component interconnection. The global share of tantalum in consumer electronics is estimated to be 15 per cent (Fitzpatrick et al., 2015) and its recycling rate is estimated to be less than 1 per cent (UNEP, 2011).
A four-parameter generalized van der Waals equation of state: theoretical determination of thermodynamic stability boundary and vapor–liquid equilibrium of vanadium, niobium and tantalum
Published in Phase Transitions, 2023
Ramesh Arumugam, Balasubramanian Ramasamy
Vanadium is used in the production of steel, non-ferrous metals, alloys, batteries [1]. Non-metallic applications of vanadium include catalysts, ceramics, electronics and vanadium chemicals. Vanadium is also used in green technology applications. Energy storage, thermochromic fenestration and solar water spitting are potential new applications of vanadium. Niobium and tantalum are used in steel and metal alloy industries. Niobium and tantalum are used in aerospace and nuclear energy industries [1]. Due to its good corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity, niobium is used in electronic industry [1]. Due to its good electrical conductivity, tantalum is used in the production of capacitors [1]. These facts underscore the technological significance of the study of vanadium, niobium and tantalum. In this respect, several studies have been made on the properties of vanadium, niobium and tantalum. The thermodynamic properties of vanadium [2–4], niobium [5–7] and tantalum [8,9] in the solid state have been studied. And, the thermodynamic properties of vanadium [10], niobium [11] and tantalum [12] in the liquid state have been studied. However, the studies of vanadium, niobium and tantalum in the metastable state are scarce. This fact necessities the study of these metals in the metastable state.
Evaluation of mining and mineral processing methods’ impact on tantalite concentrate in Kenticha open pit mine, southern Ethiopia
Published in Applied Earth Science, 2020
Weldegebrial Haile, Bheemalingeswara Konka, Zerihun Desta
Tantalum is one of the rare metals used in high technology applications. Reported global tantalite ore reserves are more than 90,000 metric tons and the countries producing tantalite ore are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Rwanda, Nigeria, Russia, Ethiopia, Congo, Burundi and others. Tantalite mineral resources of Africa are estimated to be >50,000 tons accounting for about 16% of the world resources. According to 2019 global mine production data for Ta, about 77% (1392 t) is from Africa i.e. 740 t from Congo, 370 t Rwanda, 210 t Nigeria, 40 t Ethiopia and 32 t Burundi (USGS 2020). The demand for Ta has increased gradually from 660 metric tons in 2010 to 1800 metric tons in 2019 (USGS 2013, 2020). Important Ta mining districts in Africa are located within the Kibara Belt (Rwanda and the DR Congo), Adola Belt (Kenticha mine, Ethiopia) and Alto Ligonha Province (Mozambique) (Melcher et al. 2017). Kenticha mine is located about 550 km south of Addis Ababa in Oromia region, southern Ethiopia (501920–502440mE longitudes and 602640–603640mN latitudes) (Figure 1). Ta production in Ethiopia is quite fluctuating from 90 t in 2010 to 40 t in 2019 (USGS 2013, 2020).
Tantalum, Titanium, and Zirconium Neutron Total Cross-Section Measurements from 0.4 to 25 MeV
Published in Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2019
M. J. Rapp, D. P. Barry, G. Leinweber, R. C. Block, B. E. Epping, T. H. Trumbull, Y. Danon
The three materials measured—tantalum, titanium, and zirconium—have characteristics that are desirable for use in nuclear systems. As such, a precise knowledge of their neutron cross sections and uncertainties is essential for accurate neutron transport calculations. Tantalum is a dense metal with extremely high melting temperature (3017°C), only exceeded by osmium, rhenium, and tungsten. Because of this high melting temperature, as well as good mechanical properties, it has been investigated for use in fusion applications as a first-wall and structural material.1 Titanium has a low density and high strength-to-weight ratio as well as a high resistance to corrosion. These properties make it desirable for nuclear systems concerned with transport and storage containers.2 Zirconium and zirconium alloys possess a mix of good mechanical properties and low thermal absorption cross section. For these reasons, they are a common choice for fuel cladding as well as primary systems structural material in both light and heavy water reactors.3