Is it finally niobium’s time to shine?

Whenever reading the word “niobium,” the minds of a large part of the Brazilian population are immediately transported back to gushing statements made by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has claimed on numerous occasions that the transition metal squeezed in between zirconium and molybdenum on the periodic table could provide the country with its “economic freedom.”

But the recent announcement of innovative technologies using niobium could mean that, in the future, when Brazilians hear of this particular naturally occurring metal, they might think of electric vehicle batteries, or Covid treatments — and not President Bolsonaro fawning over niobium necklaces he purchased in Japan.

Major German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen recently signed an important partnership with the Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Inovação (CBMM) to create an ultrafast charging “superbattery” made from niobium, to be used for trucks and electric buses. CBMM is the world leader in processing and selling niobium and a reference in developing new technologies using the metal — and the Volkswagen deal for niobium technology is unprecedented in the global vehicles market.

Of the entire demand for Brazilian niobium, 80 percent is supplied by CBMM. The company is controlled by the wealthy Moreira Salles family, who are also shareholders in Itaú Unibanco, Brazil’s largest private bank and the biggest financial institution in Latin America. In a statement divulging the strategic partnership with Volkswagen, CBMM said that it has the potential to “provoke profound transformations in the industry over the coming years.”

According to the company, the technology to be used in the batteries is the result of over three years of research and development in partnership with Japanese conglomerate Toshiba. 

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