: a dull black ore that consists of a mixture of columbite and tantalite and is a minor source of tantalum
Examples of coltan in a Sentence
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Increasing demand for coltan has led to increasing habitat destruction, zoo officials said.
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Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 July 2025
The species faces threads from habitat destruction, bushmeat (wild animal meat) hunting, and the mining of coltan, a mineral commonly used in smartphones and laptops, Tanganyika Wildlife Park continued.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 July 2025
The Central African nation is also endowed with the world’s largest reserves of cobalt – used to produce batteries that power cell phones and electric vehicles – and coltan, which is refined into tantalum and has a variety of applications in phones and other devices.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The mines produce coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted.
—David Yusufu Kibingila, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
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Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 July 2025
The species faces threads from habitat destruction, bushmeat (wild animal meat) hunting, and the mining of coltan, a mineral commonly used in smartphones and laptops, Tanganyika Wildlife Park continued.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 July 2025
The Central African nation is also endowed with the world’s largest reserves of cobalt – used to produce batteries that power cell phones and electric vehicles – and coltan, which is refined into tantalum and has a variety of applications in phones and other devices.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The mines produce coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted.
—David Yusufu Kibingila, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for coltan
Cite this Entry
“Coltan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coltan. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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