Minas Gerais bets on niobium to lead sustainable hydrogen production

In an international scenario in which hydrogen is emerging as a key player in the energy transition, Minas Gerais is taking a strategic and innovative step by investing in its own technology based on niobium — a mineral of which the state holds the largest exploitable reserves in the world. With funding from the Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation (Fapemig), the Minas Gerais Hydrogen Network brings together seven higher education institutions in Minas Gerais and three international partners in a cutting-edge scientific effort: to produce clean, safe hydrogen on demand, elevating the state to the forefront of energy innovation.

The project, which has already received approximately R$1.3 million in state funds, focuses on developing niobium-based catalysts to accelerate the chemical reaction to obtain hydrogen, using biomass such as sugarcane bagasse. “Our technology aims to release hydrogen on demand, by varying the temperature and speed of catalysis, in a safe and controlled manner,” explains Renata Moreira, general coordinator of the Network and professor at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV). Hydrogen, with an energy value three times greater than that of gasoline, is highly flammable, and its storage represents one of the sector’s greatest challenges. Minas Gerais’ innovation seeks to resolve this obstacle with a scalable and safe solution.

The Network has already reached the scale-up stage — with tests in a business environment — and also incorporates complementary projects, such as the one at the Federal University of Itajubá (Unifei), which uses photocatalysis (a reaction caused by light) to extract hydrogen from water. “Minas Gerais is structuring its leadership position in the use of strategic minerals for sustainable technologies, based on applied science and coherent public policies,” says Fabrício Vieira de Andrade, vice-coordinator of the Network and professor at Unifei.

Niobium: from the mining subsoil to the energy future

Minas Gerais’ leading role in the niobium chain is not recent — but it has never been so evident. In 2024 alone, the state exported more than US$ 2.1 billion in products related to the mineral. The largest industrial complex in the world dedicated to the production of niobium is located in Araxá, in the Triângulo Mineiro region, operated by Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM), which has acted as a hub for technological solutions in electric mobility and energy storage.

“The niobium produced in Araxá has been the basis for the development of high-tech and sustainable solutions,” says Alexandre Reple, industrial director of CBMM. The unique properties of the mineral allow, for example, ultra-fast recharges and greater durability in lithium batteries, already applied in electric vehicles such as the bus launched in Minas Gerais last year.

With public investments exceeding R$ 11 million since 2019 in research related to niobium alone, the Minas Gerais government articulates science, industry and environmental strategy in an integrated manner. “Minas Gerais was the first state in Latin America to join Race to Zero and has taken on concrete decarbonization goals. Scientific innovation is at the heart of this transformation,” emphasizes the Secretary of Economic Development, Mila Corrêa da Costa.

Research into sustainable hydrogen driven by niobium is part of a broader plan that has already attracted more than R$100 billion in green investments and generated 30,000 jobs, leveraging historically less developed regions, such as the Jequitinhonha Valley. By transforming mineral resources into technological assets, Minas Gerais is positioning itself not only as an energy powerhouse, but also as a laboratory for a new development model: sustainable, sophisticated, and anchored in cutting-edge science.