— Tantalum ore is composed of both tantalum and non-tantalum containing minerals, and the Ta 2 O 5-equivalent content is typically 0.02–0.04 percent. Low-grade tantalum ore is physically concentrated (beneficiation) to a concentrate of 20–40 percent Ta 2 O 5-equivalent at the mining site before sale to smelters (Linnen et al., 2014).