Tantalum

Tantalum

News: Recently, IIT-Ropar researchers discovered rare metal tantalum in Sutlej which is used in electronics and semiconductors.

About:
• Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. It is a hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant.
• Tantalum is found combined in rare minerals such as tantalite and columbite.
• It is used in electrical capacitors in most circuit boards and in alloys to increase hardness and chemical resistance, especially in surgical instruments.
• Rwanda is one of the world’s largest producers of tantalum.
• Uses of Tantalum: It is widely used in electronic components, such as capacitors and high power resistors, in the production of alloys and superalloys, in making high refractive index glass, vacuum furnace parts and orthopedic material.

About River Sutlej:
• The Satluj originates in the Rakas lake near Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m in Tibet where it is known as Langchen Khambab.
• It flows almost parallel to the Indus for about 400 km before entering India, and comes out of a gorge at Rupar. It passes through the Shipki La on the Himalayan ranges and enters the Punjab plains. It is an antecedent river.
• It meets the Beas River in Harike-Patan in Punjab, India and flows to Pakistan to join the Chenab River, creating the Panjnad River (Five Rivers Of Punjab).
• The total length of the river is about 1550 km of which 529 km is in Pakistan.
• The Sutlej River has many tributaries, including Baspa, Beas, Nogli Khad, Soan and Spiti.
• It is a very important tributary of Indus and it feeds the canal system of the Bhakra Nangal project. There are various hydroelectric powerand irrigation projects over the river like the Kol Dam, Bhakra Nangal Dam, Baspa Hydroelectric Power Project, and Nathpa Jhakri Project.