The text:
Capacitors work on the same principle as a rechargable
battery. In order to feed a photographic flash sufficient
power, electricity has to colonize the capacitor, only to
leave it again almost instantly.
A Tantalum-capacitor differs from an ordinary capacitor in
having a greater capacity and taking up less space. This
makes tantalum capacitors particularly suitable for
cellphones, computers and game-consoles. Speculation in the
global tantalum consumption during the .com boom made the
price of tantalum go up several hundred percent around the
turn of the millennium.
Eastern Congo holds huge deposits of tantalum in the form
of the ore Coltan. In the late 1990’s, a bloody war
escalated in Congo. At the hands of the Rwandan, Ugandan
and Congolese military - as well as local militia - the
conflict ravaged Eastern Congo and its people. As the
millennium rolled in, the warlords had both war diamonds
and the valuable coltan to finance their killings.
Many industry organizations, leading producers and
governmental organizations publicly distance them selves
from tantalum from Congolese ore. Unfortunately it is
nearly impossible to see where the ore that was the origin
of a manufactured capacitor comes from, and – in spite of
official statements – a demand remains, for the production
of bloody tantalum to produce data and communication
technology.
---
TANTALUM FLASH 2007 Photographic paper, Digitalt camera,
Photographic flash driven by 5 Capacitors from a PS2
from 2000.
