OUR PRODUCTS

Tantalum is a refractory metal. It possesses a very high melting point and has a high resistance to chemical corrosion making it well suited to chemical processing and high performance mechanical applications such as aerospace alloys.

It is best known for its use in electronics where its properties make it a leading choice in capacitor manufacturing, often being used in applications where failure is not an option in such things as pace makers, automotive air bags, charging systems and space exploration.

With every electric vehicle, charging station, 5G device and base station, tantalum is required and demand is increasing constantly.

The African sources of DRC and Rwanda are associated with legacy issues of conflict minerals but much has been done in recent years to address these problems.

Traceability programs have been established to ensure material provenance and help mitigate these issues.

A highly reactive and inflammable element, lithium (Li) is the first alkali metal in the periodic table which consists of elements such as sodium (Na). Present all over the world, lithium does not exist in its pure state in nature but can be extracted in small quantities from spodumene and amblygonite.  It is highly-requested by various industries for its very light weight and its outstanding properties used in electrochemical energy storage technologies.

Today, more than 30% of its production worldwide is used to manufacture batteries but it is also needed for the manufacture of heat-resistant glass and ceramics, lubricants, steel and aluminium, rubber, etc.

Notably with the development of electric cars, lithium is needed more and more and is currently enjoying 25% growth in demand every year. It is one of the highly strategic elements used in energy storage.

Geologically associated with tantalum, niobium is also a refractory metal and is most widely used as an additive in the steel industry where just one kilogram per tonne can substantially increase strength.

The relevance to our focus on sustainability is not just to maximise the use of elements associated with tantalum extraction but to ensure that niobium is made available to the steel industry supplying EV manufacturers.

Around 80% of all automotive steel sheet contains niobium as a means of steering the industry to lighter cars for better fuel efficiency or range. 

With further developments in this sector, it is not unreasonable to expect vehicle light-weighting efforts focus on niobium to help address the EV cost/range compromise.

Its other uses are in high performance alloys for turbine blades, aerospace metals, and specialist optics.