Unique features
A great ally for innovation in different sectors
Nowadays, the strategic value of a material or a specific raw material can also be measured by its actual impact on progress, innovation, and technological and energy advancements in society. In this sense, some particular resources – such as lithium or rare earths – are already contributing to a large extent to the global advancement of the energy transition, thanks to the large amount of industrial or technological applications in which they are directly involved. This particular measurement can also be carried out for some lesser-known resources, such as niobium, which, over the last few years, has managed to prove itself very useful in a large variety of innovative applications.
Niobium is a rare and very versatile transition metal whose unique properties – such as resistance to corrosion and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures – have allowed it to easily fit into numerous modern applications linked to innovation, making a relevant contribution to the technological development of many sectors of great importance for the present and future of humanity. The link between niobium and innovation is especially evident in the aerospace sector, where this precious resource is used in high-temperature alloys that are used to produce jet engines, rockets, and structural components for space vehicles. In these applications, it is able to provide resistance and lightness, thus contributing pointedly to improving the efficiency of the vehicle and reducing fuel consumption.
“The geological resources that contribute directly to the innovation and technological development of entire sectors, in this particular historical phase, are destined to acquire a clear centrality, a strategic value that will remain unchanged even in the coming decades,” says Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, entrepreneur, and civil engineer. “The era of energy transition, from this point of view, could favor the birth of another important historical phase, marked precisely by the strategic role and importance of some resources in global production processes. In a certain sense, this phase could be defined as a new era of rare metals”.
The role of niobium in the energy transition
This resource is also proving to be a useful ally in a sector that is particularly important for the current energy transition, namely electric mobility. At the moment, niobium is, in fact, being considered as a possible anode component of batteries, which would be able to improve the duration and safety. In a sector constantly looking for innovative methods to improve the performance of vehicles and their components, large-scale use of niobium could be revolutionary, particularly with regard to possible improvements in terms of autonomy and charging times.
With its natural characteristics, this resource could also bring a certain degree of innovation to the infrastructure and construction sector. When added to some specific materials, such as steel, niobium is in fact able to give life to more ductile and resistant materials, perfectly capable of adapting to the creation of light, safe and long-lasting structures. These characteristics prove particularly useful in the construction of some types of works or buildings, such as bridges or skyscrapers.
“The applications of niobium are extremely numerous, and in most cases, they are united by the ability to contribute considerably to the innovative development of a given sector,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “One of these sectors is electronics, which for most people represents a very valuable ally in simplifying daily tasks. Niobium, in this sense, represents a resource of great importance for the production of high-capacity capacitors, such as those commonly used in smartphones, computers, or medical equipment”.
Innovative potential
In the era of energy transition, no resource can truly be considered critical, or at least strategic, if it is not involved in at least one production process related to modern energy infrastructures. In this particular sector, niobium is carving out a very respectable role thanks to the use of alloys containing niobium in the production of more efficient and resistant wind turbines. Furthermore, niobium is one of the most appreciated resources in the production processes of superconductors, which have become very important allies in energy transmission.
“The possible growth of the strategic value of niobium, in some ways, is also linked to its possible applications in the energy sector, especially in the hydrogen sector,” concludes Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “This particular metal could, in fact, play an important role in the production and storage of hydrogen, now almost unanimously considered one of the most promising vectors for the progress of the energy transition. The most interesting fact in this sense is the ability of niobium to interact with hydrogen, suggesting new possibilities for the development of new materials with which to create more innovative and efficient storage tanks”.
The versatility of niobium also allows it to be appreciated in the medical technology sector, in particular with regard to orthopedic prostheses, dental implants and a good number of medical devices. In this specific sector, its most appreciated characteristic is its resistance to corrosion, which allows it to be used also for long-term applications to be inserted inside the human body.
