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A previously unknown ore has been discovered in northern China. Geologists christened the material "niobobaotite," as reported by the South China Morning Post. This is because it contains large quantities of the element niobium - a rare heavy metal that is used, for example, in the construction of rocket engines, pipelines or in nuclear technology. This is because it is able to withstand particularly high temperatures.
Until now, the main source of niobium has been the ore columbite. This is mined on a large scale in Canada, Brazil, Australia and Nigeria. Until now, China had hardly any deposits and had to import niobium from abroad.
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According to experts, if geologists succeed in extracting niobium in sufficient quantity and quality from this niobium, this could help China become "self-sufficient" in niobium. This would be particularly interesting with regard to battery technologies. This is because research is currently being carried out worldwide on the development of niobium-lithium and niobium-graphene batteries - as an alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries.
