China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Mineral economics
Published in Francis P. Gudyanga, Minerals in Africa, 2020
Tantalum is extracted from columbite-tantalite (coltan). It is used primarily for the production of tantalum capacitors, particularly for applications requiring high performance, a small compact format and high reliability, from hearing aids and pacemakers, to airbags, GPS, ignition systems and anti-lock braking systems in automobiles, through to laptop computers, mobile phones, video cameras and digital cameras. In its carbide form, tantalum possesses significant hardness and wear-resistance properties. As a result, it is used in jet engines/turbine blades, drill bits, end mills and other tools.
Magnetic separation of tantalum ore
Published in Vladimir Litvinenko, Innovation-Based Development of the Mineral Resources Sector: Challenges and Prospects, 2018
Holger Lieberwirth, Filipp Zolotarev, Tim Hühnerfürst
The main ore mineral for tantalum extraction is columbite-tantalite (coltan). Coltan is a heavy mineral with density varying between 5.15 g/cm3 and 8.20 g/cm3 due to variations in its chemical composition. For such minerals, the principal technologies for tantalum- bearing concentrate recovery rely on gravitational methods (Foord, 1982; Cerny and Ercit, 1989; Habashi, 1997). However, concentrates with complex mineral compositions require additional advanced schemes�such as floatation and acid treatment�together with gravitational and electrostatic processing methods to produce high-grade concentrates (Agulyansky, 2004; Emsley, 2001). In the case of concentrates containing magnetic minerals, the preferred method for further beneficiation is magnetic separation. Against this background, the focus of the investigations presented in this paper is to evaluate the benefits of magnetic separation of a low-grade tantalum tailings material and to develop a model to predict the recovery of the valuable component. In this context, dry and wet magnetic separations were investigated to establish parameters for optimized tantalum recovery.
Geology and genesis of the Musha-Ntunga Sn-Ta-Li-Nb vein-pegmatite deposit, Rwanda: first results from deep drilling of a coltan mine in Rwanda and first detailed description of Li minerals
Published in Applied Earth Science, 2019
A. Goodship, A. Dace, P. O’Hare, J. Uwiringiyimana, R. Siddle, C. Moon
Coltan deposits in central Africa are well known for artisanal production of tantalum as well as niobium, tin and wolfram. However most have only been worked to the water table and their geology is often not well understood as a result of deep weathering and a lack of systematic exploration.