Niobium Production

Niobium hlau tuaj yeem tsim los ntawm electrolysis ntawm molten potassium niobium heptafluoride, los yog txo cov poov tshuaj niobium heptafluoride nrog sodium hlau los yog niobium pentoxide nrog txhuas hlau. Ntshiab niobium yog siv rau hauv cov raj hluav taws xob kom tshem tawm cov roj seem. Doping steel nrog niobium txhim kho oxidation tsis kam ntawm hlau ntawm qhov kub thiab txias thiab txhim kho cov khoom siv vuam ntawm cov hlau. Niobium kuj tseem siv rau hauv kev tsim cov cermets kub.
Cov mined ore tau dhau los ua cov txheej txheem sib cais kom cais cov tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) thiab niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) los ntawm lwm cov minerals. Thawj kauj ruam hauv cov txheej txheem yog cov tshuaj tiv thaiv nrog hydrofluoric acid:
Ta2O5+ 14 HF → 2 H2[TaF7] + 5 H2O
Nb2O5+ 10 HF → 2 H2[NbOF5] + 3 H2O
Jean-Charles Galisa de Marinha tau tsim cov txheej txheem kev lag luam sib cais uas ua kom zoo dua qhov sib txawv ntawm cov dej solubility uas muaj fluoride complexes ntawm niobium thiab tantalum. Txoj kev tshiab ces siv cov organic hnyav zoo ib yam li cyclohexanone los rho cov tshuaj fluoride los ntawm cov kua aqueous, thiab tom qab ntawd dej kom rho tawm cov niobium thiab tantalum complexes cais los ntawm cov organic hnyav. Qhov sib ntxiv ntawm poov tshuaj fluoride precipitates niobium rau hauv cov poov tshuaj fluoride complex, thaum ntxiv ntawm ammonia precipitates niobium pentoxide:
H2[NbOF5] + 2 KF → K2[NbOF5] ↓ + 2 HF

Tom qab ntawd:
2 H2[NbOF5] + 10 NH4OH → Nb2O5↓ + 10 NH4F + 7 H2O
Muaj ntau txoj hauv kev txo qis los ntawm qhov sib xyaw rau hauv lub xeev hlau. Ib qho yog electrolysis ntawm molten sib tov ntawm K2 [NbOF5] thiab sodium chloride, thiab lwm yam yog txo cov niobium fluoride nrog sodium. Txoj kev no yields niobium hlau ntawm siab purity. Hauv kev tsim khoom loj, qhov txo qis ntawm Nb2O5 feem ntau yog ua los ntawm hydrogen lossis carbon. Lwm txoj kev siv cov tshuaj tiv thaiv aluminothermic uas cov hlau oxide thiab niobium oxide hnov ​​​​mob nrog txhuas:
3 Nb2O5 + Fe2O3 + 12 Al → 6 Nb + 2 Fe + 6 Al2O3
Ib qho me me ntawm oxidizing additive zoo ib yam li sodium nitrate tuaj yeem txhim kho cov tshuaj tiv thaiv saum toj no. Qhov no ua rau aluminium oxide thiab ferro-niobium alloys, tom kawg uas tuaj yeem siv rau hauv cov hlau ntau lawm. Ferro Niobium feem ntau muaj 60% mus rau 70% niobium. Yog tias tsis muaj qhov sib ntxiv ntawm cov hlau oxide, cov tshuaj tiv thaiv aluminothermal tsim cov niobium hlau, tab sis tsuas yog tom qab cov txheej txheem purification los tsim cov high-purity niobium alloys nrog superconducting zog. Txoj kev siv los ntawm lub ntiaj teb ob qhov loj tshaj plaws niobium distributors yog nqus electron beam melting.
Raws li xyoo 2013, Brazilian Metallurgical thiab Mining Company Limited (Portuguese: Cia. Brasileira de Metalurgia & Mineração) tswj 85% ntawm lub ntiaj teb niobium ntau lawm. US Geological Survey kwv yees tias niobium ntau lawm tau nce los ntawm 38,700 tons hauv 2005 mus rau 44,500 tons hauv 2006. Cov khoom lag luam thoob ntiaj teb ntawm cov khoom siv niobium kwv yees li ntawm 4.4 lab tons. Nyob nruab nrab ntawm 1995 thiab 2005, ntau lawm ntau dua ob npaug ntawm 17,800 tons, thiab ntawm 2009 thiab 2011, kev tsim khoom tseem nyob ruaj khov ntawm 63,{17}} tons hauv ib xyoos.