ANALYSIS OF PARAMETERS OF NIOBIUM METAL SYNTHESIS VIA HYDROGEN REDUCTION
niobium metal, H2, hydrogen reduction, gas-solid reaction, fixed bed.
Brazil has the world’s largest reserves of niobium (about 98%). Thanks to its special properties, niobium can be used in different industrial sectors, such as construction, oil and gas, medicine. Some applications, though, require of the metal more strict characteristics, especially regarding purity and particle size. The current methods of niobium production (carbothermic and metallothermic reductions) have difficulty in reaching said requisites. In this context, this project aims to investigate the synthesis of niobium metal via hydrogen reduction in a fixed bed reactor. Literature points out that the reduction of niobium pentoxide to niobium metal is unfeasible. Thus a niobium oxalic complex (which has been used in the synthesis of NbC and NbN with good results) will be used as precursor. The parameters of the process (gas flow rate, temperature and time of reduction) will be studied as well as how they affect the characteristics of the final product.