Avaliação do mercado brasileiro de ligas metálicas: perpectivas e inovações no uso do nióbio

Abstract

The metallurgy sector is an important branch of the development of a nation's industry. The production of metal alloys stands out as a fundamental activity within this branch, meeting the demands of various industries. However, this sector is codependent on mineral raw materials to ensure continuity of production, which makes countries with good mineral reserves promising producers of metal alloys. Brazil has a monopoly in the mining and production of metal alloys with niobium (Nb), which makes it a pioneer in the creation of products with added value with this ore. The COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed several productive sectors of the metallurgical industry, forcing the metal alloy market to create new mechanisms to adapt to the new requirements of the time. Now, with the return to normality and the reheating of the economy in the productive sectors, there has been the natural return of production to pre-pandemic patterns. However, the Brazilian metal alloy sector was not affected when compared to other markets. Thus, the following study aimed to evaluate the market of metal alloys with niobium and its perspectives and innovations. For this purpose, a qualitative methodological approach known as an integrative literature review was employed to collect and evaluate articles spanning a period of 10 years. The final sample was composed of thirteen (13) articles that were distributed into three categories (production, market and application). The analysis of the sample allowed us to conclude that the Brazilian market was able to successfully circumvent the limitations imposed by the pandemic, investing in restructuring of its production chain and optimizing the consumption of raw materials with the use of artificial intelligences, however there are still challenges to be overcome; such as the diversification of the use of niobium in other segments of the alloy market.