Tantalum
is a hard, bluish grey, transition metal. Previously it was known as
tantalium and is a rare earth metal. It is characterized by its
incredibly high melting point which is bettered only by tungsten,
rhenium, osmium and carbon. Tantalum along with similar metals such
as Neobium, can be found in minerals such as coltan, columbite and
tantalite. Most of the tantalum is derived from hard rock mines;
however it can also be obtained from tin slags, and artisanal mines.
Tantalite is highly resistant to corrosion and is a part of the
refractory metals group.
The
main application of tantalum is in the electronics industry where it
is employed in manufacturing capacitors and high power resistors. In
this application, tantalum has to compete with low cost ceramic and
aluminum capacitors. As a result tantalums’ use is mostly limited
to high end capacitors where stability and high volumetric capacity
is of paramount importance. Other electronic applications of tantalum
are sputtering targets and target acoustic wave filters. Apart from
that tantalum finds application in medical devices, chemical
processing and manufacturing of super alloys. Tantalum-oxide is used
in camera lenses as well as X-ray equipments, while tantalum carbide
is used to manufacture cutting tools.
One
of the major drivers of tantalum
market is the growing importance and demand for electronic
gadgets and equipments. Tantalum alloys are used extensively in
aviation and land based gas turbine, and the demand from this sector
is expected to rise at a brisk pace in the near future owing to the
high growth in aviation and aerospace industries. The same is true
for land based gas turbines as well. The highest quantity of tantalum
demand is expected to come from tantalum powder/ wire application,
followed by its application in super alloys.
Most
of the tantalum that is mined globally comes from Africa, where the
largest resource of tantalum is present. Tantalum is widely available
in Central Africa as well as other parts of the region. Countries
such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Gabon, Zimbabwe and
Namibia have huge tantalum deposits and cumulatively account for over
50% of the global production. Tantalum is also abundant in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and the metal from DRC is called
conflict tantalum, as the metal mined in the conflict region is sold
to perpetuate warfare. A ban on importing or trading conflict metals
has been imposed, which is expected to hurt the Central African
economy and the local people. The blanket ban is also expected to
affect other regions of Africa which are not conflict zones. Other
than Africa, tantalum is mined in South American countries such as
Brazil and Argentina; European countries such as Germany and Austria;
and Asian countries such as Australia, Japan, Thailand and China. The
mining of tantalum in North America is almost negligible; however
mining activities are expected to commence in the near future. The
Central African crisis and ban on tantalum imports are expected to
drive demand from the Asia Pacific and South American countries.
Some
of the restraints of this market are the demand supply imbalance due
to the ban on Central African imports and price fluctuation of
tantalum ores in different mining locations. For instance, the price
of tantalum imported from South America is slightly lower as compared
to the mineral mined in Australia. Supply chain and inventory are
some of the other concerns for end use industries. However, long term
supply agreements are expected to substantially reduce the price
compared to spot rates and also guarantees supply.
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Some
of the top tantalum producing companies are Talison Minerals Pty
Ltd., Cabot Corp., China Minmetals Corp., and Ethiopia Mineral
Development Share Company among others. Some of the top tantalum
producing mines are located at Wodgina, Greenbushes, Nanping and
Kenticha among others.
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