Tantalum

Current data indicates that recycling accounts for approximately 25% to 30% of global tantalum supply, while the global tantalum recycling market was valued at USD 1.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 2.5 billion by 2032.

Tantalum recycling feedstocks

72% of recycled tantalum originates from pre-consumer scrap, referring to the internal recycling of process residues and scrap produced during hydrometallurgical operations, refining, and manufacturing. In contrast, end-of-life recycling rates for tantalum remain low, falling below 1%.

The strategic importance of tantalum recycling has intensified due to geopolitical supply concentration, as over 37% of primary production originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is further projected that within the next 50 years, all accessible raw ore deposits will have been exhausted. Scaling up tantalum recycling can therefore provide crucial supply diversification while reducing the substantial costs and risks associated with primary mining operations in unstable regions.

Tantalum can be recycled using both pre- and post-consumer feedstocks, with distinct characteristics.

Pre-consumer tantalum scrap includes material generated during the manufacturing of tantalum-containing products (such as off-cuts, trimmings, and rejected parts from the production of electronic components, cemented carbides, and superalloys). This material is typically high purity, easy to collect, and is almost fully recycled due to its value and ease of reprocessing. Pre-consumer recycling does not necessarily contribute to enhancing supply diversity, as it typically involves internal recycling loops within industry.

Post-consumer scrap recycling, by contrast, strengthens supply diversity by augmenting primary production and supplying an alternative material source. Post-consumer tantalum scrap refers to tantalum recovered from end-of-life products, especially used electronics.

However, as it currently stands, the share of tantalum recycled from post-consumer scrap sources is very limited. This is due to a number of technical and economic barriers, including the fact that only very small amounts of tantalum content is contained in finished products. It is also very complex and expensive to recover tantalum from mixed waste streams. Products such as sputtering targets or superalloys used in aerospace applications exemplify these issues: they contain low tantalum concentrations (3% to 11%) and often feature other valuable metals such as rhenium and platinum. Therefore, the economic viability of recovering tantalum from these products often hinges on the simultaneous extraction of higher-value elements. In these arrangements, tantalum concentrations generally need to exceed 5% to achieve profitability.