Vital’s Tardiff PFS will provide further technical and commercial understanding of niobium potential and payability at Nechalacho.
Niobium (Nb) is a ductile refractory metal that is highly resistant to heat and wear. It is resistant to corrosion owing to the formation of a surface oxide layer.
Approximately 90% of niobium use is attributed to the steel industry, predominantly as a micro alloy with iron. The addition of small, relatively cheap, amounts of niobium (much less than 1%) significantly increases the strength and decreases the weight of steel products. This results in more economic, beneficial products for use in the construction industry (e.g., beams in buildings, bridges, oil rigs, railway tracks), in gas and oil pipelines, and in the automotive industry where weight savings result in increased performance and fuel reduction.
Niobium, along with other refractory elements such as tantalum, is also used in nickel and nickel-iron superalloys, particularly for applications requiring strength and heat resistance. Uses for such superalloys include turbine blades in jet engines within the aeronautic industry, and gas turbines in the energy industry. Niobium is also used in advanced military applications where its resilience against thermal stress (withstanding temperatures of more than 2400° centigrade) makes it a key component of hypersonic missiles and broader space applications.
Niobium becomes a superconductor at very low temperatures. When alloyed with titanium (NbTi) or tin (Nb₃Sn), it produces the superconducting magnets used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) equipment and particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Other uses for niobium include in glass for applications such as corrective spectacles and camera lenses; within jewellery; prosthetics and medical implants; Niobium capacitors in electronic circuits; in sodium vapour lamps; and in cutting tools.
Reference: Geoscience Australia, https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/minerals/mineral-resources-and-advice/australian-resource-reviews/niobium
