Niobium is one of the important strategic mineral resources, with a density of 8.57g/m3, a melting point of 2477 ℃, and a boiling point of 4744 ℃. It is a silver gray, soft, and ductile rare metal with a high melting point. Niobium does not react with inorganic acids or bases, nor is it soluble in aqua regia, and has strong corrosion resistance.

It is understood that niobium is widely used in the steel industry, aerospace industry, superconducting materials, and other fields. About 85% to 90% of niobium in the world is used in iron and steel production in the form of niobium. Simply adding 0.03% to 0.05% niobium to steel can increase the yield strength of steel by more than 30%, and adjust the toughness level of steel. Niobium containing steel is widely used in automobiles, bridges, oil transmission pipelines, natural gas transmission pipelines, oil drilling, offshore oil drilling platforms, railway tracks, and steel bars for civil construction.

High purity niobium is widely used in the aerospace field, mainly for the production of rocket and spacecraft engines and heat resistant components. Almost all thermal components of jet fighter engines use niobium alloys.

Some compounds and alloys of niobium have high superconducting transition temperatures, which are widely used in the manufacture of various industrial superconductors. Currently, almost all industrial superconducting devices use NbTi and Nb3Sn as superconductors, such as superconducting generators, high-power magnets for accelerators, superconducting magnetic energy storage devices, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment, and so on.

Currently, the vast majority of niobium needed globally comes from Brazil and Canada. The proven reserves of niobium deposits in China are relatively large, ranking among the top in the world. However, most of them are of low grade, with fine mineral particles, and are difficult to beneficiate. Therefore, there are not many economic resources. There are no independent niobium mines in China, and 99% of the niobium resources needed by industry depend on imports. Currently, the niobium deposits discovered in China are mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia and Hubei provinces. The niobium resources in the three major mining areas of Inner Mongolia, Baiyunebo, Balzhe, and Hubei Zhushan Miaoya, account for about 96% of the national niobium reserves. The Baiyunebo and Miaoya niobium deposits belong to the carbonate rock type, while the Balzhe belong to the alkaline granite type. Due to the large dispersion of niobium minerals, fine particle size distribution, and complex composition of niobium bearing minerals, these ultra large deposits have not been well developed and utilized, except for the small amount of niobium recovered from the Baiyunebo deposit as an associated resource.

Currently, the main types of niobium deposits used in China are pegmatite type and granite type tantalum niobium deposits, which have low niobium grade and small scale and are associated resources of tantalum.