Columbite Mineral Resources Information And Its Deposits In Nigeria

Columbite is one of the natural solid minerals which is deposited in Nigeria, West Africa in a large quantity, and prior to the discovery of crude oil in the country, Nigeria has been a major exporter of these mineral resources.

Columbite is found mostly in the northern part of Nigeria and the states with these deposits include; Plateau, Kogi, Kano, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Bauchi states.

 

Occurrence Of Columbite In Nigeria

Columbite occurs in Plateau state, Jos Nigeria, mainly in the placers deposits of cassiterite usually found only a few of 10km from the granitic parent rocks.

It occurs as an accessory mineral in the northern parts of the country in smaller quantities, but the richest deposits occur on the Plateau. 

The occurrence was later noticed in other northern areas, and one location in the western part. In the 1960s, the installation of smelters for producing columbite from its ore was done in Jos, Plateau state. 

Generally, Jos became widely known for the accumulation of valuable minerals, including columbites which are formed by gravity separation from the specific source rock.

 

Columbite Exploration and Mining in Nigeria

Nigeria was among the developing countries that were liberalized, following the global economic recession of the late 1980s and 90s. Prior to that period, the country was specialized in petroleum mining alone.

The federal government of the country diversified the nation’s economy to mining and exploration of many solid minerals resources, including columbite ore.

Mining of this mineral ore began properly and became crucial during the Second World War, and many Nigerian companies were officially licensed to carry out the operations.

Columbite Mining Machine 

Flotation Machine: this machine is used in the actual extraction of columbite from the soil or mine site.

Shaking Table: 

Used by mining and recycling industries for separating columbite ores.

In Nigeria, West Africa, we have various exploration and mining companies that specialize in Columbite, niobium, and tantalite mining, such as 

 

Bic Budservice Limited, Bauchi

Topwide Ventures Ltd in Plateau

Rock Wa Continental Nigeria Ltd, Plateau

Felmont Commodities Limited in Oyo State

Saltire Mineral Resources Nigeria Limited, Lagos

Osukuvo and Sons (Nigeria) Ltd, Nasarawa

Can Miners and Investment Limited, Bauchi

K. Pillars Energy Services Nigeria Limited, Nasarawa

Nigeria has been among the major producers of columbite, alongside other minerals such as tin and coal. Today, it accounts for up to 95% of the world’s output. 

And up till the present time, the mining and exploration of columbite in Nigeria have made it one of the highly important strategic minerals occurring in the country.

You can also find many buyers, exporters, and buying centers for columbite mineral trading in Nigeria, some of which include: 

Coltan Minerals Ltd, Plateau

Amarmines Nig Limited, Plateau

Astro Minerals Limited, Plateau 

A.S.U Deba Enteprise Ltd, Plateau

Cerkines Nigeria Limited, Plateau

D.D Balang Concepts Ltd, Plateau 

C.J & Joebech Global Limited, Plateau

AC& C Priceless Trading Limited, Plateau

Don And Chyke Nigeria Limited, Plateau

Dachong Mineral Separation Nigeria Ltd, Plateau

And if the government is fully involved in this mining sector, it will once again boost the country’s economy and will make Nigeria once again the largest producer of Columbite in Africa, and among the top leading producers in the world.

 

An Overview of Columbite Mineral

Columbite is a black, crystalline mineral group, and the main ore of niobium which is also called columbate, niobite, and niobite-tantalite [(Fe, Mn)Nb2O6], it is also a niobate of iron and manganese.

It is found in granite, pegmatites, and placer deposits together with tantalite, but has less density.

Columbite has the same mineral structure as tantalite, their chemical characteristics are similar which is why they are mostly grouped as a semi-singular mineral otherwise known as “coltan” or "columbite-tantalite".

But irrespective of their similarities, they have a slight difference in terms of colour, transparency, streak, and specific gravity.

Brief History of Columbite

The discovery of the columbite mineral group is accredited to Charles Hatchett (1765-1847), a British mineralogist and analytical chemist.

He noticed the mineral group from the samples he collected in Haddam, formerly known as Nautneague, Connecticut, in the United States during the mid-seventeenth century.

As recorded in history, Hatchett got his specimen from the collections of John Winthrop’s mineral group; John Winthrop the Younger (1606-1676), was the colonial governor of Connecticut.

Charles Hatchett, in 1801, name the element from the mineral he collected columbium (now referred to as niobium), which is the root of the current species, columbite-(Fe).

Columbite became the second species that took its name from the United States of America, after celestine (q.v.).

 

Associated Minerals with Columbite

Columbites often form in particular locations and are usually associated with specific minerals. Typically, this mineral forms in association with several minerals, which include:  

Tourmaline

Albite

Rutile

Apatite

Cassiterite

Muscovite

Amblygonite

Lithiophilite

Microlite

Goethite

Triphylite

Magnetite

Lepidolite

Microcline

Triplite

Samarskite

Beryl

Spodumene

 

Coltan Production by Country

Columbite, also called niobite, niobite-tantalite, columbate or coltan, in short form, is an ore source of niobium produced globally. 

The countries listed below are the important players in columbite-tantalite production.

Western Australia

Brazil

Canada  

Mozambique

Rwanda

China

Nigeria

The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, or DR Congo 

Up to 80 percent of the world's coltan is largely produced by Australia, Brazil, Mozambique, and Canada.

However, according to the 2018 record on coltan production, the countries the accounted for the highest production value around the world is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Brazil, Rwanda, China, and Nigeria. 

Major Columbite-Tantalite, Coltan Exporting Countries

The countries that are known for top supply and export of columbite ore and its concentrates to international buyers in several countries across the globe are: 

Rwanda (world’s single largest exporter)

The DR Congo

Uganda

Burundi 

 

Coltan (Columbite Tantalite Ore) Buyers

Many individuals buy and import columbite-tantalite ore and its concentrates in different parts of the world, but a few countries are singled out for the most of importation of this commodity.

These countries include: 

The United States of America, USA

Russia 

China 

South Korea

Price of Coltan per Kilo Today

The price of coltan mineral commodities was $60 US dollars per kilo before it declined to the recent cost. 

Today, a kilo of coltan is sold at a price between $40 and $45 US dollars.

 

Uses of Columbite

Is used in industries as an ore to most of the metals useful for industrial purposes. 

It is used to form weldable steel when used as an alloy for heat-sensitive detective devices and radio transmitting valves.

Columbite which has been widely spread across the globe as a niobium mineral is a superconductive metal used in alloys to improve their strength.

Coltan, which is the short form for columbite–tantalites, industrially known as tantalite is used in producing tantalite capacitors. These capacitors are further used in several electronics of all kinds, including mobile phones.

In addition to the technological uses of columbite-tantalite, it’s also used in automotive systems and health products, such as the pacemaker (a healthcare device used in controlling abnormal heart rhythms).

 

Summary

The numerous use of columbite has led to the steady increase and demand of the product, and its mining has contributed greatly to the provision of local raw materials for industries, and wealth to rural areas.

Currently, Nigeria has projected exponential growth of five years in the mining sector with columbite ore being one of the minerals that contributed to the growth. 

So far, the federal government of the country creates several establishments and sub-sectors for columbite mining management to accelerate socio-economic growth; improve national income and provide gainful employment to all residents.