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Vanadium - Critical Metal
Vanadium is a critical metal predominantly utilized in steel applications. As global mandates shift to more sustainable practices and materials, awareness of the green benefits of vanadium continue to grow.. Vanadium mitigates the cost and carbon footprint across numerous value and supply chains. As a highly versatile metal alloy, vanadium imparts up to twice the strength in many steel applications. Vanadium is also considered invaluable in aerospace and many emerging applications. A renewable energy storage technology known as the vanadium redox flow battery “VRFB”, was invented in 1985 by Maria Skyllas-Kazacos and her team at the University of New South Wales, and represents a compelling green application for vanadium in the future.
Vanadium was officially discovered by the Swedish scientist Sefstrom in 1831. He named it after Vanadis the “Swedish Goddess of Beauty and Fertility” because of the attractive brilliant colors of the chemical compounds in which it was first found. It was well named for it has provided many discoveries for scientists and technologists who, for over 150 years, have developed and continue to develop new materials for the benefit of humanity.
The use of vanadium goes as far back as the 3rd Century BC when super strength “Damascus steel” was first manufactured. The first wide-scale use of vanadium in the industry was in 1905 when Henry Ford realized that the Model-T could be stronger and lighter if he used vanadium-enriched steel. The need for stronger, lighter-weight steel emerged with the need for higher safety.
Vanadium is a grey, soft, and ductile high-value metal with several unique characteristics that position it strongly in the steel, alloys, and chemical sectors. The metal also acts as a battery material that is 100% reusable.
More than 85% of vanadium is recovered from magnetite and titano-magnetite ores, either as the primary product or more commonly as a co-product with iron processed for steel production. It can also be recovered as a secondary product from fly ash, petroleum residues, alumina slag, and from the recycling of spent catalysts used in some crude oil refining.