This project has been developing the business case and roadmap for recycling niobium. This metallic element is used in many applications and manufactured products. It also has an increasingly important role in developing new green technologies. With the UK and Europe wholly reliant on niobium imports, the outputs from Circular Niobium will lay the ground for technology developers and manufacturers to mitigate against supply risks and develop more sustainable products.
Circular Niobium has developed a detailed understanding of the niobium material flows into and around Europe. It has developed a cost model that supports the opportunity for recycling the material from niobium based batteries and is working with the recycling value chain to develop the business model for recycling niobium from other niobium-rich products such as superconducting wires and superalloys. The project is now moving into a development phase.
What is niobium?
Niobium is a transition metal and is used in many types of materials, in varying amounts. One of its primary uses is as an alloying element in steel products, where the addition of a very small amount (~0.1%), produces a large improvement in performance, enabling stronger and safer steel structures. High-content niobium products such as superconductors can contain over 50% niobium, and niobium-titanium wires used in medical imaging can contain 66% niobium. Niobium has recently been used in new applications, including energy storage. Niobium-containing materials are proving to have a significant impact on the performance of batteries, greatly enhancing their storage and power capacity. However, recycling rates of niobium are currently very low, just 0.3% is recycled back into a niobium product globally. The increasing amount of materials and applications with a higher niobium content offer the potential to develop a sustainable recycling value chain.
The consortium
An expert team in the UK, led by Beta, with battery materials developer Echion Technologies and the British Geological Survey, started the 12-month feasibility study in April 2022. The team were successful in receiving funding for Circular Niobium from a competition managed by Innovate UK in conjunction with the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metals (Met4Tech). As the feasibility study ends the project is moving into the next stage by developing the chemical recycling process and engaging with the value chain in support of growing the use and recycling of niobium based products.
The project team will establish a business model for recycling niobium and a roadmap for the development of a secondary niobium market. This important output will also be linked to a broader materials roadmap for technology metals being drawn up by Met4Tech. Beta Technology has established a virtual knowledge and innovation centre, to support the development of the circular economy for niobium in the UK and Europe
Circular Niobium Project Lead and Managing Director of Beta Technology Richard Wrigley said:
“The project partners have worked hard to understand issues of material flows where data is incomplete and to develop a cost model for the recycling of niobium rich batteries. The global network that the project partners have been able to access has enabled a solid base to be established for developing the business case for a circular economy for niobium”.
Find out more
If you would like to find out more, please contact the project lead Richard Wrigley at Beta Technology, you can also join the Circular Niobium LinkedIn Group to network with other stakeholders and share your views.