The stagnant waters of the world of geology have been shaken by China, which has announced the discovery of a mineral found for the first time on Earth that looks capable of changing the economic and technological balances. In particular, geologists identified in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of northern China an ore they called “niobobaotite” that contains the rare hard, soft, malleable and ductile, silvery-white metal niobium used in the production of engine alloys. jets and rockets, while it has also been shown to have excellent current-conducting properties at low temperatures.
Niobovaotite has been recognized by the Committee on New Minerals and Mineral Nomenclature of the International Mineralogical Union, under the number IMA 2022-127a. China is the country that has been leading the research race on niobite, focusing – among other things – on its use to make batteries, while some scientists argue that batteries made from niobium are significantly superior to lithium-ion batteries that are known to incorporate and electric cars.
Niobium-graphene batteries are safer than lithium batteries, charge faster and last up to 10 times longer, meaning they can last up to 30 years.
Understandably, the mass production of niobium-graphene batteries could bring tectonic changes to the world of electric mobility, dramatically improving the cars in question. It is noted that to date, the main source of niobium has been from the mineral columbite which is widely mined in Canada, Brazil, Australia and Nigeria, with China utilizing almost 95% of the element for the steel industry through imports.
