El uso de coltan

Coltan is a dull metallic ore. When it is refined becomes a heat-resistant powder that can hold a high electrical charge. It´s properties make it a vital element in creating devices, the electronic elements that control current flow inside miniature circuit boards. In modern society there are many uses of coltan like: laptop computers, cellular phones, cutting tools, x-ray films, hearing aids, airbags protection system, etc. It is found in major quantities in the Congo. The Congo possesses the 80 percent of the world´s coltan. Coltan mining is very well paid in Congo terms. Dozens of men work together for it´s production, a good worker can produce one kilogram of coltan a day.

The recent technology boom caused the price of coltan to skyrockets to as much as $400 a kilogram at one point, as companies such as Nokia and Sony struggled to meet demand. In recent months many electronics companies have publicly rejected the use of coltan from anywhere in Central Africa, instead relying on their main suppliers in Australia. The world´s largest maker of tantalum capacitors has asked its suppliers to certify that their coltan ore does not come from Congo or bordering countries. Much of the coltan illegally stolen from Congo is already in laptops, cell phones and electronics all over the world. There are reports that forces from neighboring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi are involved in smuggling coltan from Congo, using the revenues generated from high price of coltan to sustain their efforts in the war.

Coltan is a source of global controversy. A big part of the world´s supply already comes from conflict zones in Central Africa, where armed factions control many mines, extort miners and profit from the sale of illegal ore.

The mining process of coltan is environmentally hazardous. It´s mining process poses a direct threat to the environment via the destruction of steam beds and the surrounding forest. Experts have stated that the cost of mining on the environment can cause nearly permanent environmental damage.

Even in the legal markets, coltan mining is environmentally dangerous. Developing nations often go through with mining operations because they need the capital these operations bring without thinking of the environmental impacts.

It is difficult to stop these problems because there is a high demand of all electronic devices in the entire world. The world starts depending on current technology; our daily life would not be possible without it. That´s why one major solution to stop all this global controversy about coltan is regulating the ethical coltan. What I mean by this is not purchasing Coltan from war zones. There are some methods to find where coltan comes from that involves scanning the ore and matching it from known coltan mines. Also in the environmental problems mining should only be offered in countries that have a clearly defined plan for using

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