Production of valve metal powders with improved physical and electrical properties

The invention relates to a process that involves (1) feeding (a) a first valve metal powder component containing valve metal particles and (b) reducing component into a reactor having a hot zone; and (2) subjecting the first valve metal powder component and the reducing component to non-static conditions sufficient to simultaneously (i) agglomerate the first valve metal powder component particles, and (ii) reduce oxygen content in the valve metal powder component particles, and thereby form a second valve metal powder component containing oxygen-reduced valve metal particles, in which the reducing component is selected from the group consisting of magnesium reducing components, calcium reducing components, aluminum reducing components, lithium reducing components, barium reducing components, strontium, reducing components, and combinations thereof.