The "China Speed" promotes win-win cooperation in lithium battery technology between China and Brazil

The global development of electrification, urbanization, sustainability, and digitization provides a broader market space for the application of environmentally friendly and efficient new material technologies. The "Chinese speed" that can quickly transform business concepts into commercial practices is helping China and Brazil achieve win-win cooperation in the field of new lithium battery materials.

"Today, China has the world's top technology research and development laboratories and countless high-quality talents, so we can quickly transform our business philosophy into products and provide them to end customers." Rogério Ribas, the battery product project director of Brazil Mining and Metallurgy Corporation, the world's largest niobium product manufacturer, said in an exclusive interview with reporters at the company's headquarters in Arasha, Sao Paulo.

Niobium is a soft metal with ductility, plasticity, and high corrosion resistance, which can enhance material properties and functions. It is widely used in alloy steel and oxides and is an important material in infrastructure construction, transportation, aerospace, medical, and energy fields.

For a long time, niobium products have been mainly used in the steel industry, and the addition of niobium can make steel products more resilient and corrosion-resistant. In recent years, Brazil Mining and Metallurgy Corporation has set foot in the field of new energy batteries. By adding niobium oxide products to lithium batteries, it can enhance battery conductivity, improve use efficiency, strengthen chemical stability, reduce use temperature, improve energy density, enhance safety and accelerate charging speed.

In 2019, Brazil Mining and Metallurgy Company decided to launch a product research and development project based on battery technology. Starting from 2021, it collaborated with China to research the use of niobium in the manufacturing of positive and negative electrodes for batteries and other related product technologies.

We have established cooperative relationships with Chinese battery material manufacturers, battery manufacturers, universities, research institutions, and others to jointly research the application of new niobium technology in lithium batteries, "Ribas said.

He stated that China is very important to the core business of Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies. In 2022, the sales of niobium raw materials in the Chinese market accounted for about 40% of the global sales of Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies, achieving a growth of nearly 10% compared to 2021.

Ribas believes that a major feature of the Chinese market is its ability to quickly translate business concepts into business practices. On the one hand, China has ready-made infrastructure and industry talents, making technology research and development more convenient; on the other hand, the Chinese government regards electrification as an important development goal. The combination of these two creates an overall atmosphere, greatly promoting the development of electrification technology in China

Tiago Amaral, Manager of the Environmental and Technical Support Department of Brazilian Mining and Metallurgy Company, said that the speed at which Chinese industry adapts to new technologies and its open attitude towards rapid adoption of these technologies are very important. "The Chinese market has opened the door for us to adopt new technologies.

Currently, 90% of Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies' business is concentrated in the steel market. Given the increasing electrification, urbanization, sustainability, and digitization of the global market, Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies plan to significantly increase their non core business, that is, the share of non steel products in corporate revenue.

Amaral believes that Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies have highly complementary advantages in technology, application, and market with the Chinese market. China is a major global producer and consumer of steel, and the development and application of niobium related technologies have broad prospects. At the same time, China is vigorously promoting the development of electric vehicles, creating huge market space for Brazilian mining and metallurgical companies to develop new lithium battery materials.

Amaral said that the complementary advantages of cooperation between China and Brazil in industrial products and other fields will enable the two countries to achieve a win-win situation.