Hunan Shizhuyuan Nonferrous Metals tendered today for 800 mt in physical content of bismuth concentrates in July [SMM Bismuth Market Tracking Report]

[SMM Flash] Rwanda is seeking greater Indian investment in its critical-minerals sector, highlighting tin, tungsten and tantalum (3Ts) among potential areas for cooperation. The opportunities were presented at an investment event hosted by the High Commission of Rwanda in India in Bengaluru. Rwanda is seeking to expand domestic mineral processing and capture greater value from its resources, while India is strengthening overseas critical-mineral supply chains through initiatives including its National Critical Minerals Mission. The initiative follows the first India-Rwanda Joint Trade Committee meeting held in New Delhi on July 30–31, where critical minerals were identified as a priority area for bilateral cooperation. Potential collaboration could include geological exploration, processing, investment and supply-chain development. However, no specific tantalum mine investment, financing package or offtake agreement was announced, meaning the development currently represents investment promotion rather than committed new supply. Greater Indian participation could eventually diversify investment and downstream channels within Rwanda's 3T industry.

[SMM Flash] Researchers have reported new experimental measurements of tantalum under extreme pressure and temperature conditions in a study accepted by the American Physical Society's Physical Review B on September 1. The researchers combined temperature measurements with simultaneous X-ray diffraction after shock compression and release. The body-centred cubic tantalum phase was observed at 142 GPa, while the experiments constrained melting behaviour at pressures up to 142 GPa and temperatures reaching approximately 5,880 K. The research does not indicate an immediate change in tantalum supply, demand or prices, but improves understanding of the metal's behaviour under extreme operating conditions. Tantalum's high melting point, corrosion resistance and thermal stability support its use in demanding technological applications, and more accurate phase-boundary data can improve material modelling under extreme environments. The study provides a framework for further temperature measurements of materials subjected to laser-driven dynamic compression.

[SMM Flash] Zimbabwe’s Gwanda Lithium Mine has invested US$5 million in a tantalum and niobium beneficiation plant designed to recover lithium, tantalum and niobium from the same ore stream. According to the company, the new processing circuit is expected to produce approximately 300 tonnes of tantalite and niobium concentrate annually, creating an additional mineral revenue stream from material previously subject to limited local beneficiation. The investment aligns with Zimbabwe’s broader strategy to increase domestic mineral processing and reduce reliance on exports of unprocessed mineral products. For the tantalum market, the development is notable because it could introduce additional beneficiated African tantalum-bearing material into the supply chain while demonstrating the potential for recovering tantalum as a co-product from lithium operations. Actual market impact will depend on realised production, concentrate grades and commercial sales once the processing circuit operates at scale.