877 tonnes of coltan produced in DRC by the end of September 2020, 12% less, compared to the same period in 2019
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produced 877.4 tonnes of coltan in the first 9 months of 2020 compared to 998.2 tonnes in the same period in 2019, a drop in production of 12.1%, statistics show. provided by the Central Bank of Congo.
Over the whole of 2019, the DRC produced 1,164 tonnes of coltan against 2,267 tonnes in 2018 and 1,996 tonnes in 2017, according to figures from the BCC.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, coltan is mainly produced in the Kivu region. Coltan (portmanteau for colombite-tantalite) is a black or brownish-red mineral from which niobium (first called colombium) and tantalum are extracted. It is formed by the association of two minerals, columbite (or columbite) and tantalite, in variable proportions.
Coltan is an important source for the production of tantalum and, more incidentally, niobium. Tantalum is highly prized for its high resistance to corrosion. Considered a strategic metal, it is mainly used in the manufacture of capacitors for electronic equipment but also enters into the composition of cobalt and nickel alloys in aeronautics and particularly in the manufacture of reactors. It is also used as a coating in heat exchangers and in alloys for cutting or turning tools.