Tantalum & Niobium

Feb 13, 2017

Tantalum & Niobium
Business Unit
AMG operates a multi-mineral mine, Mibra, which is located in Brazil. From this rich pegmatite ore body, AMG extracts mainly tantalite and microlite to produce Ta2O5 concentrates; cassiterite to produce tin ingots; feldspar, albite, quartz, micas, and kaolin which generate a mixture of material in high demand by the ceramics and glass industries; and finally spodumene to produce a Lithium Concentrate. AMG further processes some of these products at its Brazilian chemical plant to produce upgraded chemical products such as tantalum and niobium oxides.

The mission of AMG Brazil is to produce and sell tantalum concentrate, tin in ingots and feldspar with certified origin to the global market.

Products
Tantalum is a specialty metal that improves conductivity and is highly resistant to heat and corrosion. AMG has a capacity to produce 300,000 pounds of high purity tantalum oxides (Ta2O5) in concentrates annually.

Tantalum is characterized as a bluish-gray metal, and it is extremely ductile and malleable to low temperatures. It also has a higher chemical inertia in very aggressive media, due to a thin surface oxide film that covers invisible.

Tantalum concentrate is the feed source used by the processors to produce tantalum capacitor powders and metallurgical products. The concentrate is also used to produce pure tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) primarily utilized in the production of optical glass and lithium niobate. The primary feedstock is ore mined at the Volta Grande Mine operations.

AMG also produces niobium oxides. Niobium is used in specialty steel and titanium.

Tin is a malleable metal which is solid at room temperature, not easily oxidized and is resistant to corrosion. Tin ingots are bar metal and high purity blocks, used in the production of castings, forgings and rolled in general.

End Markets
Tantalum oxides are used as a material in capacitors used in electronics such as computers, smart phones and video games. Niobium, on the other hand, is used mostly in alloys, such as in specialty steel and titanium.
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