Tantalum, used in plant and equipment construction, is fully available again – and will be exhibited by COMETEC GmbH at ACHEMA 2003 (19–24 May 2003). Plant constructors requiring the optimal material for their projects in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry have been faced with problems in the past three years. Tantalum was quite unaffordable from mid-2000, when the IT boom led to shortages. But these times seem to have passed, and special material processing companies like COMETEC GmbH are again able to offer the optimum at affordable costs. COMETEC specialises in treatment and processing of the special metal tantalum. The material is suitable for equipment and plants wherever utmost product purity and the avoidance of corrosion of any kind are required, particularly in the pharmaceutical and chemical production. Even strong acids and many other oxidating or reducing materials have practically no impact on tantalum, and this up to a temperature of 220 C, thanks to the thermodynamically stable tantalum pentoxide passive layer. Only hydrofluoric acids and fluoride ions can damage this passive layer and thus affect tantalum’s corrosion resistance.
