Coltan mining in Venezuela, especially in the Orinoco Mining Arc, has led to deforestation, water contamination, and human rights violations. Issues like forced labor, Indigenous displacement, and corruption highlight broader challenges of neoextractivism and conflict mineral regulation.

Coltan (short for columbite–tantalites and known industrially as tantalite) is a dull black metallic ore from which the elements niobium and tantalum are extracted. The niobium-dominant mineral in coltan is columbite (after niobium's original American name columbium), and the tantalum-dominant mineral is tantalite. [1]

2022年5月29日 · Coltan is mined through a fairly primitive process. Miners work together digging large craters in streambeds, scraping away soil from the surface to get to the coltan underground. The...

2023年11月17日 · Extensive research has linked coltan mining in the DRC to large-scale environmental degradation, with devastating consequences for the region. The Global Forest Watch platform reveals that the DRC has lost 8.6% of its tree cover since 2000, and mining, particularly coltan extraction, is identified as a major driver of deforestation .

2024年8月22日 · Coltan is one of the mineral resources that is playing an important role in the technological revolution. As demand for coltan and the metals inside it grows, understanding its value in the...

2022年6月1日 · A new study by Oluwole Ojewale, at Institute for Security Studies examines the impacts of coltan mining and trading on the environment and local communities in north-eastern DRC and poses the ...

3 天之前 · According to Keita, coltan trade from the M23-controlled Rubaya mining site is estimated to “supply over 15 percent of global tantalum production”, and “generates an estimated $300,000 in ...

Coltan is mined by hand in the Congo. Their methods are very similar to how gold was mined in California during the 1800s. Groups of men dig basins in streams by scraping off the surface mud to get the Coltan below. Then they “sloth” the water around in large tubs, allowing the Coltan ore to settle to the bottom due to its heavy weight.

The illegal mining of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo fueled violence, destroyed ecosystems, and violated human rights, prompting the UN to seek sustainable solutions for the industry. Tantalum, a crucial metal in electronics, aerospace, and medicine, became a source of conflict and environmental devastation after a surge in demand ...

2024年1月25日 · Kenya has discovered its first deposits of the valuable mineral coltan, the mining minister has said. The rare mineral is used to manufacture electric car batteries, mobile phones and other ...