Post by Trade Forum on Mar 20, 2023 15:48:31 GMT 1
Niobium: The Mighty Element You Probably Have Never Heard Of – A Great Metal Present In Nigeria That The World Is Looking For
- The world is bracing itself for this great element, but what position is Nigeria taking?
- This is a rare-earth metal that is mainly used in the aerospace, aviation, and nuclear power and electronics industries.
- Dubai Investment Fund Invests in Niobium Mining Project in Nigeria and Brazil:
The Dubai Investment Fund (DIF) will participate in the new ‘Ignitica Minerals’ project, which will develop deposits and mine niobium in Nigeria and Brazil – Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.
- China and Brazil are finding a common interest in niobium, a rare earth metal that’s shaping the future.
In August 2016, a video went viral on YouTube. Shot at a mine owned by Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), a privately held Brazilian company, it featured Jair Bolsonaro (former President of Brazil – 2019 – 2022), then a congressman running for president.
“The world talks a lot about Silicon Valley, right?” Bolsonaro says in the video. “I dream, who knows, that one day, we’ll also have a Niobium Valley.”
Niobium, a rare earth metal, is used in practically everything. Wind turbines, jet engines, airplane bodies, high-pressure pipelines, superconducting magnets, bridges, brake discs, and the steel frames of skyscrapers all become better, tougher, and more lightweight with a bit of niobium added. It has also become part of an unexpected geopolitical dispute between Brazil and China.
Tiny amounts of niobium can make the steel used in construction twice as strong and more resistant to cracking. It’s “the pinch of salt you put in your rice when you’re cooking,” Adalberto Parreira, the executive director of CBMM, told Rest of the World.
In the last ten years, China has started acquiring stakes in Brazil’s niobium mines. In 2011, at CBMM’s invitation, a consortium of five Chinese companies acquired a 15% stake in the company for $1.95 billion. In 2016, the Chinese company China Molybdenum Co. Ltd. acquired two nearby mines, representing 10% of global niobium production.
Niobium Ore (Nb2O5) is used principally as an additive to improve the strength and corrosion resistance of steel. Due to its refractive nature, it has gained application in jet engine components manufacture, rocket assemblies, and heat-resistant and combustion equipment.
Where You Can Find Niobium In Nigeria:
Large deposits of Niobium ore are known to occur in Nasarawa, Gombe, Plateau and Kogi States as well as the Federal Capital Territory. The deposits are both alluvial and primary in the numerous pegmatite bodies that infest these areas.
According to Statista, in 2020, the total volume of production of Niobium in Nigeria reached 80 metric tonnes.
World’s Largest Reserve Of Niobium:
As of 2022, Brazil had the world’s largest reserves of Niobium by a large margin, amounting to 16 million metric tonnes. USA has about 210,000 metric tonnes of the element.
Dubai Investment Fund Invests in Niobium Mining Project in Nigeria and Brazil:
According to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Dubai Investment Fund (DIF) will participate in the new ‘Ignitica Minerals’ project, which will develop deposits and mine niobium in Nigeria and Brazil.
Since this rare-earth metal is mainly used in the aerospace, aviation, nuclear power and electronics industries, we can assume that the company expects to diversify its profits by carving out a new niche in this market.
The Ignitica Minerals will start its operations from the year 2025 and will invest approximately $430 million dollars in the first five years. The project will aim at establishing a first-class open-cast mining facility in Minas Gerais, Brazil. In Nigeria, a new type of industrial zone will be constructed, while the newly formed company will be responsible for the mining of rare earth elements. At the end of the period of operations, the mine will produce about 5,000 tons of rare minerals per year.
Niobium, like tantalum, can act as an electrolytic valve allowing alternating current to pass in only one direction through an electrolytic cell.
Niobium is used in arc-welding rods for stabilized grades of stainless steel. It is also used in advanced airframe systems. Superconductive magnets are made with Nb-Zr wire, which retains superconductivity in strong magnetic fields. Niobium is used in lamp filaments and to make jewelry. It is capable of being colored by an electrolytic process.
Because of the numerous uses of Niobium ore, great demand exists for the commodity.
As much as 6.5% of niobium may be used in nickel, cobalt, and iron-based super alloys. These alloys are especially useful in the aerospace industry for the production of jet engine components, which can experience temperatures exceeding 1832°F (1000°C).
Superconducting Magnets – When cooled below the transition temperature of niobium, its resistance becomes negligible. Specific niobium alloys are used as type II superconductor wires for superconducting magnets. These magnets are critical components of magnetic resonance imaging equipment that is used in the medical industry.
Niobium Properties:
Here are some of Niobium's essential properties:
Symbol – Nb
Number – 41
Density – 8.57 g/cm3
Atomic Weight – 92.906 g/mol
Crystal Structure – Body Centered Cubic
Melting Point – 2750 K, 2477°C, 4491°F
Boiling Point – 5017 K, 4744°C, 8571°F
Electrical Resistivity – (0 °C) 152 nΩ·m
Thermal Conductivity – (300 K) 53.7 W·m−1K−1
Thermal Expansion – 7.3 µm/(m·K)
General Properties:
Symbol — Nb
Number — 41
Element Category: — Transition Metals
Addendum:
Our company is the foremost company in Gemstone and Solid Mineral Business in Nigeria today. We train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Gemstone and Solid Mineral Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
- This is a rare-earth metal that is mainly used in the aerospace, aviation, and nuclear power and electronics industries.
- Dubai Investment Fund Invests in Niobium Mining Project in Nigeria and Brazil:
The Dubai Investment Fund (DIF) will participate in the new ‘Ignitica Minerals’ project, which will develop deposits and mine niobium in Nigeria and Brazil – Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.
- China and Brazil are finding a common interest in niobium, a rare earth metal that’s shaping the future.
In August 2016, a video went viral on YouTube. Shot at a mine owned by Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), a privately held Brazilian company, it featured Jair Bolsonaro (former President of Brazil – 2019 – 2022), then a congressman running for president.
“The world talks a lot about Silicon Valley, right?” Bolsonaro says in the video. “I dream, who knows, that one day, we’ll also have a Niobium Valley.”
Niobium, a rare earth metal, is used in practically everything. Wind turbines, jet engines, airplane bodies, high-pressure pipelines, superconducting magnets, bridges, brake discs, and the steel frames of skyscrapers all become better, tougher, and more lightweight with a bit of niobium added. It has also become part of an unexpected geopolitical dispute between Brazil and China.
Tiny amounts of niobium can make the steel used in construction twice as strong and more resistant to cracking. It’s “the pinch of salt you put in your rice when you’re cooking,” Adalberto Parreira, the executive director of CBMM, told Rest of the World.
In the last ten years, China has started acquiring stakes in Brazil’s niobium mines. In 2011, at CBMM’s invitation, a consortium of five Chinese companies acquired a 15% stake in the company for $1.95 billion. In 2016, the Chinese company China Molybdenum Co. Ltd. acquired two nearby mines, representing 10% of global niobium production.
Niobium Ore (Nb2O5) is used principally as an additive to improve the strength and corrosion resistance of steel. Due to its refractive nature, it has gained application in jet engine components manufacture, rocket assemblies, and heat-resistant and combustion equipment.
Where You Can Find Niobium In Nigeria:
Large deposits of Niobium ore are known to occur in Nasarawa, Gombe, Plateau and Kogi States as well as the Federal Capital Territory. The deposits are both alluvial and primary in the numerous pegmatite bodies that infest these areas.
According to Statista, in 2020, the total volume of production of Niobium in Nigeria reached 80 metric tonnes.
World’s Largest Reserve Of Niobium:
As of 2022, Brazil had the world’s largest reserves of Niobium by a large margin, amounting to 16 million metric tonnes. USA has about 210,000 metric tonnes of the element.
Dubai Investment Fund Invests in Niobium Mining Project in Nigeria and Brazil:
According to the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Dubai Investment Fund (DIF) will participate in the new ‘Ignitica Minerals’ project, which will develop deposits and mine niobium in Nigeria and Brazil.
Since this rare-earth metal is mainly used in the aerospace, aviation, nuclear power and electronics industries, we can assume that the company expects to diversify its profits by carving out a new niche in this market.
The Ignitica Minerals will start its operations from the year 2025 and will invest approximately $430 million dollars in the first five years. The project will aim at establishing a first-class open-cast mining facility in Minas Gerais, Brazil. In Nigeria, a new type of industrial zone will be constructed, while the newly formed company will be responsible for the mining of rare earth elements. At the end of the period of operations, the mine will produce about 5,000 tons of rare minerals per year.
Niobium, like tantalum, can act as an electrolytic valve allowing alternating current to pass in only one direction through an electrolytic cell.
Niobium is used in arc-welding rods for stabilized grades of stainless steel. It is also used in advanced airframe systems. Superconductive magnets are made with Nb-Zr wire, which retains superconductivity in strong magnetic fields. Niobium is used in lamp filaments and to make jewelry. It is capable of being colored by an electrolytic process.
Because of the numerous uses of Niobium ore, great demand exists for the commodity.
As much as 6.5% of niobium may be used in nickel, cobalt, and iron-based super alloys. These alloys are especially useful in the aerospace industry for the production of jet engine components, which can experience temperatures exceeding 1832°F (1000°C).
Superconducting Magnets – When cooled below the transition temperature of niobium, its resistance becomes negligible. Specific niobium alloys are used as type II superconductor wires for superconducting magnets. These magnets are critical components of magnetic resonance imaging equipment that is used in the medical industry.
Niobium Properties:
Here are some of Niobium's essential properties:
Symbol – Nb
Number – 41
Density – 8.57 g/cm3
Atomic Weight – 92.906 g/mol
Crystal Structure – Body Centered Cubic
Melting Point – 2750 K, 2477°C, 4491°F
Boiling Point – 5017 K, 4744°C, 8571°F
Electrical Resistivity – (0 °C) 152 nΩ·m
Thermal Conductivity – (300 K) 53.7 W·m−1K−1
Thermal Expansion – 7.3 µm/(m·K)
General Properties:
Symbol — Nb
Number — 41
Element Category: — Transition Metals
Addendum:
Our company is the foremost company in Gemstone and Solid Mineral Business in Nigeria today. We train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Gemstone and Solid Mineral Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
