--- title: "China Says It’s Discovered a Cache of a Strange New Ore" description: "A massive cache of niobium-packed \"niabobaoite\" discovered in China may have broad implications for the global battery race." date: "2023-10-16" modified: "2023-10-16" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-discovered-new-ore" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "batteries" - "electric vehicles" - "superconductor" - "the digest" --- # China Says It’s Discovered a Cache of a Strange New Ore ![A massive cache of niobium-packed "niabobaoite" discovered in China may have broad implications for the global battery race.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Niobium Cache China claims to have discovered a vast trove of "niobobaotite," a never-before-seen ore that may have incredible superconductive promise. According [to the *South China Morning Post*](), the rare Earth deposit comprises niobium, barium, titanium, iron, and chloride. Noibium, a soft and ductile transition metal, is a critical component of steel as well as a lauded superconductor able to transmit electrical currents at low temperatures. Because of this low-temp electrical efficacy, scientists around the world have been experimenting with niobium-laced batteries, which [may be safer and faster charging]() than traditional lithium-ion ones. In other words? Considering that China currently imports 95 percent of its niobium, according to the *SCMP*, the discovery could be a very big deal for the nation, as well as the [intensely competitive global battery market]() as a whole. The "discovery is significant for China since most of the niobium China uses in the steel industry is imported," Antonio Carlos Neto, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the National University of Singapore, told the *SCMP.* "Depending on the volume and quality of this niobium," he added, "it could make China self-sufficient." ## Tipping the Scales Lithium-ion batteries are prone to catching fire, and can take hours to charge. Some experimenting with niobium-lithium batteries, on the other hand, [claim]() that the rare Earth metal could allow batteries to be recharged without fire risk in ten minutes or less, a discovery that could have game-changing implications for the [future of electric vehicles]() in particular. Per the *SCMP*, the deposit was discovered in the Bayan Obo mining district in Inner Mongolia, with the China National Nuclear Corporation, the country's state-run nuclear oversight arm, claiming the ore has received an official approval number from the International Mineralogical Association's classification committee. As it stands, [according to the 2022 US Geological Survey](), Brazil is the world's largest niobium exporter, controlling just under 70 percent of the global niobium marketplace at the time of the report. Canada, meanwhile, was noted to export roughly 30 percent of global niobium, while the US is planning to open its first and only niobium mine in Nebraska. China, notably, was Brazil's top niobium buyer, as the survey reported. If the niobium within the newly-discovered niobobaotiteis indeed high-quality, this could mean that the world's largest importer of niobium might suddenly become the world's largest reservoir of the compound — likely tipping the scales in the global marketplace at a critical juncture in the world's ongoing battery race. **More on batteries:** [*Colossal Cache of Lithium Found in Us May Be World's Largest*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()