Concentrations of Tantalum, Niobium, and Associated Elements in Tantalite Ore from Mozambique
Abstract
In Mozambique, mining is one of the main drivers of the economy, boosting investment and contributing significantly to public revenue generation. This study aims to evaluate the concentration of tantalum, niobium, and associated elements in tantalite ore. The country hosts significant occurrences of tantalite, the primary source of metals such as tantalum, niobium, iron, oxygen, and manganese. Tantalum is a metal of high technological relevance, widely used in the manufacture of electronic devices. For this investigation, tantalite samples from two distinct references (Reference I and II), as well as from tantaliferous pegmatites, were analyzed. Morphological and elemental characterization was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), enabling the observation of surface morphology, roughness, and chemical heterogeneity through atomic contrast between different mineral phases. The results were complemented by calculations of sample standard deviation and relative standard deviation to assess the precision of the measurements. EDS spectra confirmed the presence of predominant elements such as tantalum, iron, oxygen, aluminum, titanium, silicon, and manganese, consistent with the typical composition of tantalite and associated minerals.
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