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Due to their chemical, physical and mechanical properties, niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) are strategically used in various technical applications. About 130 different minerals contain tantalum and niobium, of which only about 80 are found in economical deposits. The remainder contains Nb and Ta as impurities. The most commercialised source of Nb and Ta is a columbite-tantalite ore often referred to as coltan containing pyrochlorite. The Central African Mesoproterozoic Kibara belt in Katanga (Democratic Republic o...