https://sputniknews.in/20231121/iit-researchers-discover-rare-metal-tantalum-in-sutlej-river-5515011.html
IIT Researchers Discover Rare Metal Tantalum in Sutlej River
IIT Researchers Discover Rare Metal Tantalum in Sutlej River
Sputnik India
A team of researchers from IIT- Ropar has found a rare metal 'tantalum', used for manufacturing electronic and semi-conductor parts, at the Sutlej River in India's Punjab state.
2023-11-21T17:00+0530
2023-11-21T17:00+0530
2023-11-21T17:00+0530
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In an unexpected development, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Ropar, who were working on an unrelated project at the Sutlej River in Punjab, got a shock after they discovered tantalum from the collected samples.A hard, lustrous transition metal, Tantalum, is highly corrosion-resistant and is identified as “one of the 12 critical and strategic minerals” by the Union Minister of Mines.The researchers, headed by Dr. Resmi Sebastian, assistant professor at the institute’s Civil Engineering Department, were reportedly studying the dynamic properties of soil and rocks and how these would have a bearing in case of an earthquake.According to Dr. Sebastian, the discovery of tantalum traces could potentially benefit the state's economy by promoting the mining of these valuable metals.The IIT-Ropar researchers have prepared a proposal for the Punjab government for the collection of Sutlej River samples from at least 125 locations to identify rare components.Although the actual source of tantalum in Sutlej is not clear yet, Dr. Sebastian said it could be due to the movement of tectonic plates in the Himalayan region that is likely to contain the rare metal.Dr. Tiwari also suspects that the tantalum may be coming from China because 80 per cent of the catchment area of Sutlej is in China, in Tibet. However, a detailed investigation is required to ascertain the actual source of the tantalum in the river basin.
https://sputniknews.in/20230404/rare-minerals-deposit-used-in-high-tech-devices-found-in-indias-andhra-pradesh-1422795.html
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iit researchers, rare metal, tantalum, sutlej river, iit- ropar, rare metal, tantalum, manufacturing electronic, semi-conductor, punjab samples, corrosion-resistant, union minister of mines, dr resmi sebastian, civil engineering department, earthquake, punjab mining and geology department director abhijeet kaplish, punjab government, rare components, tectonic plates, himalayan region, china, river
iit researchers, rare metal, tantalum, sutlej river, iit- ropar, rare metal, tantalum, manufacturing electronic, semi-conductor, punjab samples, corrosion-resistant, union minister of mines, dr resmi sebastian, civil engineering department, earthquake, punjab mining and geology department director abhijeet kaplish, punjab government, rare components, tectonic plates, himalayan region, china, river
IIT Researchers Discover Rare Metal Tantalum in Sutlej River
A team of researchers from IIT- Ropar has found the rare metal tantalum, used in the manufacture of electronic and semi-conductor parts, at the Sutlej River in India's Punjab state.
In an unexpected development, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Ropar, who were working on an unrelated project at the Sutlej River in Punjab, got a shock after they discovered tantalum from the collected samples.
A hard, lustrous transition metal, Tantalum, is highly corrosion-resistant and is identified as “one of the 12 critical and strategic minerals” by the
Union Minister of Mines.The researchers, headed by Dr. Resmi Sebastian, assistant professor at the institute’s Civil Engineering Department, were reportedly studying the dynamic properties of soil and rocks and how these would have a bearing in case of an
earthquake.According to Dr. Sebastian, the discovery of tantalum traces could potentially benefit the state's economy by promoting the mining of these
valuable metals.
“The discovery of tantalum in Sutlej is not only significant for Punjab but for India, given its value in terms of its use in electronics and semi-conductors. We are curious to know the quantum of the metal in the river. Detailed studies are likely to shed more light on that,” Punjab Mining and Geology Department Director Abhijeet Kaplish said.
The IIT-Ropar researchers have prepared a proposal for the Punjab government for the collection of Sutlej River samples from at least 125 locations to identify rare components.
Although the actual source of tantalum in Sutlej is not clear yet, Dr. Sebastian said it could be due to the movement of tectonic plates in the
Himalayan region that is likely to contain the rare metal.
Dr. Tiwari also suspects that the tantalum may be coming from
China because 80 per cent of the catchment area of Sutlej is in China, in
Tibet. However, a
detailed investigation is required to ascertain the actual source of the tantalum in the river basin.
