What is the name of the six-letter ore from which niobium and tantalum are extracted and whose mining is said to have fueled many modern day African conflicts?
Coltan mining and ethics Coltan mining and ethics Coltan is a metallic ore from which the very similar elements niobium, also known as columbium, and tantalum are extracted. Coltan mining specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been associated with human rights violations. The coltan industry is worth billions of dollars a year. Prices for coltan ranged between $50 and $200 per pound in 2012-and have spiked much higher in the past when supplies were scarce, when the PlayStation 2 was first introduced. In 2006, Australia, Brazil, and Canada produced 80% of the world's coltan, but as of 2012, coltan's main producers are
Mining industry of Burundi a branch of the government is responsible for peat production which is extracted notably in the Akanyara Valley near Buyongwe and in 2005 unmined resources of peat were stated by the Burundian government to total around 36 million metric tons. However Burundi has no resources of coal, natural gas, or petroleum meaning that electricity production in the country was very problematic. Hydroelectric power stations now account for most of the country’s electricity production as they do not have the natural reserves to produce it. Mining industry of Burundi Burundi is a producer of columbium (niobium) and tantalum ore, tin ore,