A promising new project is set to secure the future supply of niobium—a rare but essential metal for carbon recycling technologies. Spearheaded by the University of Birmingham in partnership with Brazil’s CBMM, this initiative is targeting significant emission cuts in energy-intensive and high-carbon industries. Under the guidance of Professor Yulong Ding, the team is working to optimise production methods and reduce the cost of niobium compounds, which play a key role in creating closed-loop carbon recycling systems, particularly in steel production.
Professor Ding explains that industries like steelmaking, which supply vital materials across various sectors, are among the top CO2 emitters and some of the most challenging to decarbonise. He believes the project could offer practical and sustainable decarbonisation solutions that might just ease the burden of industrial emissions.
This research introduces innovative processes like carbon looping and recycling. Rather than releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, these methods capture it for either storage or transformation into valuable products such as fuels and materials, helping build a circular carbon economy. The technique uses niobium-based perovskites to convert CO2 from industrial emissions into carbon monoxide (CO), which then gets fed back into the production cycle to complete a closed loop.
Simulations conducted by the Birmingham team indicate that this perovskite technology could reduce steelmaking emissions by up to 90%. A notable advantage of such an approach is its compatibility with existing industrial systems, eliminating the need for extensive new infrastructure. The process also runs at lower temperatures compared to traditional methods, which not only cuts costs but also improves energy efficiency.
The project is a stepping stone towards the commercialisation of niobium-based decarbonisation technology, bolstered by PeroCycle—a spin-off supported by both the University of Birmingham and Anglo American, with strategic backing from Cambridge Future Tech. Meanwhile, CBMM’s role is crucial for scaling up the production of niobium-based perovskites to meet industrial demand.
Leonardo Silvestre, CBMM’s Executive Innovation Manager, commented, “This partnership represents an important step in the search for viable and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing global industry.” His words underline the technology’s potential to transform decarbonisation, not just in steel but across multiple sectors.
