# Tantalum capacitors



## patnor1011 (Apr 9, 2012)

Found this deep inside google  Some translations are sounding weird, specially in first video I had to lower sound but great info anyway. Enjoy...

http://wn.com/tantalum_capacitor


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## maynman1751 (Apr 9, 2012)

Very Cool! Thanks! :mrgreen:


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## Marcel (Apr 10, 2012)

Let me add this link to the list:

http://www.okabe.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/japanese/for_students/parts/pdf/031113_tms_proceedings.pdf

RECYCLING PROCESS FOR TANTALUM AND
SOME OTHER METAL SCRAPS


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## maynman1751 (Apr 10, 2012)

Marcel said:


> Let me add this link to the list:
> 
> http://www.okabe.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/japanese/for_students/parts/pdf/031113_tms_proceedings.pdf
> 
> ...



WOW! A little more complex than gold or silver. Anyone ever try refining Tantalum?


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## macfixer01 (Apr 11, 2012)

This is nice information but seems like too much work for the money on a small scale. Has anybody found someone who will buy our scrap tantalum capacitors?

The video of the tantalum capacitor flaming up brought back memories. In the early 1980's when I worked at a computer store we did repair work for a local school system that owned a lot of the Commodore PET computers. Commodore tried to stop those who bought lower end computers expecting to upgrade the memory themselves to save money. They would actually drill approximately 3/8 inch holes through a couple spots on the motherboard where additional memory chips would normally be soldered in. The schools wanting to stretch money would have the electronics class solder in memory chips and bridge the missing traces with wire-wrap wire. They would also solder in the missing decoupling capacitors, quite often using dipped tantalum caps which of course are polarized. Occasionally the caps would accidentally be installed backward and might last weeks or months, then suddenly they would flame up.

macfixer01


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## cjcollyer (Apr 13, 2012)

http://www.tradekey.com/buyoffer/Need-Tantalum-Capacitors-Scrap-Quantity-400-Kg-3-MT--703790.html

there are a few places scattered around the globe but want a large quantity, maybe worthwhile stockpiling them like me! :lol:


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## Marcel (Apr 13, 2012)

400 Kg is very ambitious. That doenst sound to serious for me. You get about 1-2g of Tantalum capacitors from a (high quality) mainboard.
I buy them. If you have more than 1Kg, you can PM me.


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## macfixer01 (Apr 14, 2012)

Marcel said:


> 400 Kg is very ambitious. That doenst sound to serious for me. You get about 1-2g of Tantalum capacitors from a (high quality) mainboard.
> I buy them. If you have more than 1Kg, you can PM me.




What it would take is a middle man willing to wait for his money, who could collect them from multiple sources until he has enough to go to a refiner. You may get 1-2 grams of them from a modern motherboard that has just a few dipped tantalum capacitors. On older circuit boards there are many more of the cylindrical shaped axial-lead tantalum capacitors. They're heavy for their size and can add up quickly. One easy way to tell them apart is that they're quite a bit heavier than equally sized electrolytic capacitors. I'm pretty sure I have a couple kilograms of them in all, but shipping to Europe might cost enough to make it a losing proposition?


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## AztekShine (Apr 15, 2012)

I think I seen them at $180 a lb ?


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## macfixer01 (Apr 15, 2012)

AztekShine said:


> I think I seen them at $180 a lb ?




Wow I had no idea. I guess I should get all of them together in one pile and see what I've got.


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## AztekShine (Apr 15, 2012)

http://www.metalprices.com/pubcharts/Public/Tantalum_Price_Charts.asp

Am I reading this wrong? It looks to me like their talking about scrap.


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## patnor1011 (Apr 15, 2012)

AztekShine said:


> http://www.metalprices.com/pubcharts/Public/Tantalum_Price_Charts.asp
> 
> Am I reading this wrong? It looks to me like their talking about scrap.



That might be price for pound of tantalum powder from capacitors.


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## AztekShine (Apr 16, 2012)

I see.


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## TantalumRecycle (Nov 29, 2014)

AztekShine said:


> http://www.metalprices.com/pubcharts/Public/Tantalum_Price_Charts.asp
> 
> Am I reading this wrong? It looks to me like their talking about scrap.




*This is the price for Vacuum Grade Tantalum Scrap -- This material is de_bonded and then cut up and sold to companies producing Superalloys that contain Tantalum, Then it is used for Jet Turbine Engines for the likes of Rolls Royce, General Electric and Pratt & Whitney

I have attached a picture of this type of scrap. *

*Tantalum Recycling
1701 NW 93rd Avenue
Doral, Florida 33172 
T: 800.805.9150
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.tantalumrecycling.com*


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## Lou (Dec 1, 2014)

FYI, I am an occasional buyer of Ta sputter target materials. The material would need to be pickled, vac ready and sized. Price different if certed heats. If you do any of that material, we do occasionally use it. Let us know on bid. 

Best,


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