The truth about Niobium
As experts in Niobium technology, we provide reliable, accurate information. If you're looking for the facts, you've found your destination. Join us on a journey of discovery and innovation in the world of Niobium.Niobium is not extracted from the earth. It is a metal, and its production involves more than 160 chemical and metallurgical steps. Niobium is produced from minerals that are abundant in the earth's crust, such as pyrochlore and columbite-tantalite.
Ores that can serve as a basis for the production of Niobium are available on all continents. Currently, there are at least 85 mapped deposits worldwide. Brazil, however, is the world's largest producer of industrialized Niobium products.
We are a Brazilian company and our technology is entirely developed in the country. Niobium is present in your daily life in ways you might not even imagine. It is in cars, buildings and bridges, health equipment, airplane turbines, lithium-ion batteries and much more.
The use of Niobium improves the properties of other materials, making it possible to do more with less. By reducing the consumption of these elements, we avoid waste and, consequently, contribute to reducing emissions throughout the production chain.
The price of Niobium is set according to the market and follows the laws of supply and demand. To compare it with other engineering materials, the metal currently has a pricing base 10 times higher than that of aluminum and almost 20 times the price of steel on the international market.
Our industrial park, the largest in the world for the production of Niobium, is located in the city of Araxá, in Minas Gerais. We do not intend to expand our operations to other regions.
We have solid investments in the city of Araxá and in the state of Minas Gerais. Niobium technology benefits the city with more jobs, more business and with actions in education, health, sports and culture.
We have over 40 projects with universities, research centers and companies in Brazil and around the world to apply new Niobium technologies in batteries. Today, Niobium batteries are already being used in the micromobility market (bicycles, scooters and tricycles) and the ultra-fast charging battery, developed in partnership with Toshiba Corporation, is in an advanced testing phase, with a market launch scheduled for 2023.
Niobium technology is used in steel mills in Brazil that are a reference in the application of this metal. Several projects in the country already use niobium, and several other partnerships are underway to further strengthen the country's value chain.