Our research and development efforts mainly focused on:
- improving the techniques for processing tantalum ores and niobium ores to reduce production costs; and
- enhancing technologies for producing pentoxide products and potassium heptafluorotantalate to improve the purity levels of these products and develop products with different physical properties.
We worked closely with research and academic institute and company to develop products that serve our customers’ needs. For example, from 2013 to 2016, we collaborated with the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences* (中國科學院過程工程研究所) to research on and develop technologies for the production of tantalum pentoxide and niobium pentoxide, and the recovery of ammonia during the production process of tantalum pentoxide and niobium pentoxide. From 2015 to 2019, we worked with Institute for the Comprehensive Utilisation of Resources, Guangdong General Research Institute for Industrial Technology (Guangdong Research Institute of Non-ferrous Metals)* (廣東省工業技術研究院(廣州有色金屬研究院)資源綜合利用研究所) to research on the technique for recycling the waste water produced during the tantalum and niobium production process. We received assistance from senior engineers and technicians from research institutes for research and development during the period from April 2015 to March 2019.
In addition, we are able to develop and produce products that meet the specific requirements of our customers. For example, we produced niobium pentoxide with a reduced level of antimony (銻) content and sold it to a customer in the United States in 2015, and niobium pentoxide with a reduced level of iron content and first sold it to a customer in Japan in 2017. As a result of our continuous efforts in research and development, as at the Latest Practicable Date, we owned 24 patents in China relating to production equipment and process.