Resource Distribution of Tantalum
Tantalum is one of the rare metal mineral resources and an indispensable strategic raw material for the development of the electronics industry and space technology.
The physical and chemical properties of tantalum and niobium are similar, so they coexist in minerals in nature. The division of tantalum ore or niobium ore is mainly based on the content of tantalum and niobium in the mineral. When the niobium content is high, it is called niobium ore, and when the tantalum content is high, it is called tantalum ore. Niobium is mainly used in the manufacture of carbon steel, super alloy, high-strength low-alloy steel, stainless steel, heat-resistant steel and alloy steel; tantalum is mainly used in the production of electronic components and alloys. The occurrence form and chemical composition of tantalum-niobium minerals are complex. In addition to tantalum and niobium, they often contain rare earth metals, titanium, zirconium, tungsten, uranium, thorium and tin. The main minerals of tantalum are: tantalite [(Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)2O6], heavy tantalite (FeTa2O6), fine spar [(Na,Ca)Ta2O6(O,OH,F)] and Black rare gold ore [(Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6] etc. The slag of tin smelting contains tantalum, which is also an important resource of tantalum. The world's tantalum reserves (in terms of tantalum) have been identified at about 134,000 short tons, with Zaire taking the lead. In 1979, the world production of tantalum mineral (in terms of tantalum) was 788 short tons (1 short ton = 907.2 kg). China's process of extracting tantalum from minerals with low tantalum content has achieved success.
Capacitors are the main final consumption area of tantalum, accounting for about 60% of the total consumption. The United States is the country with the largest consumption of tantalum. In 1997, the consumption amounted to 500 tons, of which 60% was used in the production of tantalum capacitors. Japan is the second largest country in tantalum consumption, with a consumption of 334 tons. At the beginning of the 21st century, with the rapid development of capacitor production, the market was in short supply. It is estimated that the world's production of tantalum capacitors will reach 250 million pieces, and 1,000 tons of tantalum will be consumed. According to the statistics of the US Geological Survey, the natural reserves of tantalum in the earth's crust are 150,000 tons, and the recoverable reserves are more than 43,000 tons. In 2004, the world's tantalum mining volume was 1,510 tons, including 730 tons in Australia, 280 tons in Mozambique, 250 tons in Brazil, 69 tons in Canada and 60 tons in Congo. China's resources are mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Fujian, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Hunan and other provinces. From the perspective of future development needs, capacitors are still the main application field of tantalum. If it is calculated based on the reserve base of 24,000 tons, it can only guarantee the demand for 24 years. Nevertheless, the prospect of tantalum resources is still optimistic. First of all, in the world's very rich niobium deposits, there are a lot of tantalum resources associated with them. Among them, the tantalum resources of Gadar niobium and tantalum mines in southern Greenland amount to 1 million tons. Secondly, the West has begun to use a large amount of tin slag containing Ta2O5 less than 3%. In addition, the research and utilization of substitutes have also developed rapidly. For example, aluminum and ceramics can replace tantalum in the field of capacitors; silicon, germanium, and cesium can be used in electronic instruments to replace tantalum to make rectifiers.
