Indian Minerals Yearbook 2011

(Part- II)

50th Edition

VANADIUM

(ADVANCE RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR – 440 102

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471

PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648 E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in

Website: www.ibm.gov.in

October 2012

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VANADIUM

77 Vanadium

V anadium is a scarce element. It occurs inassociation with titaniferous magnetite and

recovered as a by-product during iron & steelmanufacture. Vanadium is also concentrated inmany end-products of organic material includingcoal and oil. In addition, vanadium present inbauxite can also be recovered as vanadium sludgefrom red mud during the production of alumina.

RESOURCESIn Ind ia , vanadium is assoc ia ted wi th

titaniferous magnetite which contains 0.8 to 3%

V2O

5. I t also occurs in signif icant amounts

in association with chromite, laterite, bauxiteand fer ro-magnes ium-r ich rocks, such aspyroxenite, anorthosite and gabbro.

As per UNFC system, the total estimatedresources of vanadium ore as on 1.4.2010 areplaced at 24.72 million tonnes with an estimatedV

2O

5 content of 64,887 tonnes. Out of the total

resources, the reserves are 0.41 million tonneshaving 1,603 tonnes of V

2O

5 content while the

remaining resources are 24.31 million tonneshaving 63,284 tonnes of V

2O

5 content (Table-1).

Table – 1: Reserves/Resources of Vanadium as on 1.4.2010

(By Grades/States)(In tonnes)

Reserves Remaining resources

Proved Probable Total Prefeasibility Indicated Inferred Total Total

Grade/State STD111 STD122 (A) STD221 STD222 STD332 STD333 (B) resources

(A+B)

All India: Total

By Grades

O r e 293539 117416 410955 1720000 4000000 232000 18355933 24307933 24718888

Contained V2O5 1144.8 457.92 1602.72 2835 5600 487.2 54362.25 63284.45 64887.21

By States

Karnataka

Ore – – – 500000 4000000 – 14884430 19384430 19384430

Contained V2O

5– – – 700 5600 – 43197.55 49497.55 49497.55

Maharashtra

Ore 293539 117416 410955 – – – 58708 58708 469663

Contained V2O

51144.8 457.92 1602.72 – – – 229 229 1831.72

Odisha

Ore – – – 1220000 – 232000 3412795 4864795 4864795

Contained V2O

5– – – 2135 – 487.2 10935.74 13557.94 13557.94

Figures rounded off

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PRODUCTIONVanadium sludge is separated as a by-product

during the Bayer process for production of aluminahydrate. The vanadium s ludge obta ined atBALCO's Korba plant contains 6 to 10% V

2O

5,

Hindalco's Renukoot plant 18.2% V2O

5 and Muri

and Belgaum plants 6 to 20% V2O

5. Nalco is not

produc ing vanadium s ludge commerc ia l ly.However, it could be extracted successfully in lab-scale studies. The sludge extracted during lab-trials typically analysed 9.35% V

2O

5.

Production of ferro-vanadium during 2006-07to 2010-11 is given in Table-2.

Table – 2: Production of Ferro-Vanadium 2006-07 to 2010-11

( In tonnes)

Year Product ion

2006-07 1 1 3 9

2007-08 1 5 8 5

2008-09 1 5 0 1

2009-10 1 3 8 9

2010-11 1 5 0 0

Source: Indian Ferro-alloys Producers' Association.

USESIt is used primarily as an alloying element in

iron & steel industry and to some extent as astabiliser in titanium and aluminium alloys whichare used in aerospace applications. It impartstoughness and strength to steel, alloys and alsoacts as scavenger for oxygen. Vanadium isconsumed in the steel industry in a wide range ofproducts, from low carbon flat rolled steels, highstrength plates and structural steels to pipes,reinforcing bars, forging steels, rail steels and toolsteels. Most of the vanadium (about 80%) is usedin the form of ferro-vanadium as a means ofintroducing vanadium into steel. The content ofvanadium in ferro-vanadium varies from 45 to 50%and sometimes it is up to 80%, depending uponthe demand. The 45 to 50% grade is produced fromslag and other vanadium containing material bysilicothermic reduction of vanadium pentoxide inpresence of steel scrap or by direct reduction in

an electric arc furnace. The resultant vanadiumsteels can be divided into micro-alloy or low-alloysteels with less than 0.15% vanadium and high-alloy steels up to 5% vanadium. Non-metallurgicalapplications include as catalyst and in ceramic,chemical, pigments, health preparations andelect ron ic indust r ies . I t i s a lso used toproduce a super conductive magnet with a fieldof 175,000 gauss.

New uses inc lude vanadium secondarybatteries for power plants and rechargeablevanadium redox battery (VRB) for commercialapplications. The main advantages of the VRBare that it can offer almost unlimited capacitysimply by using sequentially larger storage tanks,can be left completely discharged for long periodsof time with no ill effect, can be recharged byreplacing the electrolyte if no power source isavailable to charge it, and suffers no permanentdamage if the electrolytes are accidentally mixed.The VRB has also been shown to have the leasteco log ica l impact o f a l l energy s toragetechnologies.

SUBSTITUTES

Substitution of vanadium in steel by niobium,chromium, titanium, manganese, molybdenum andtungsten is possible although at higher cost orwith lower performance. Heat-treated carbonsteels can replace vanadium steels in someapplications. Platinum and nickel can be used insome catalytic processes but at higher cost.Presently, there is no acceptable substitute forvanadium in aerospace titanium alloys.

CONSUMPTION

Ferro-vanadium producing units in Indiaconsume either imported V

2O

5 concentrates or

indigenous vanadium sludge. The domesticavailability of vanadium sludge from aluminiumindustry is limited for ferro-vanadium productionand gap is met by impor ts . The repor tedconsumption of ferro-vanadium during 2008-09 to2010-11 by various units in the organised sectoris given in Table-3.

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VANADIUM

Table –3: Reported Consumption ofFerro-Vanadium, 2008-09 to 2010-11

(By Industries)( In tonnes)

Industry 2008-09 2009-10(R) 2010-11(P)

Al l Indust r ies 480 569 960

Foundry 6 (2 ) 6(2) 6(2)

Alloy steel 62(5) 78(5) 68(5)

Iron & steel 412(9) 485(10) 886(10)

Data collected on non-statutory basis.F igures in parentheses denote the number o f un i tsreporting* consumption in organised sector.(*includes actual reported consumption and/or estimatesmade, wherever required).

WORLD REVIEWThe world reserves of vanadium in 2010

were about 14 million tonnes of metal located mainlyin China, Russia, South Africa and the USA and areexpected to last till next century at the current rate ofconsumption (Table-4). Most of the reserves are oftitaniferous magnetite from which vanadium couldbe extracted as a by-product of iron. The resourcesare also available in crude oil, tar sands, phosphaterock, uraniferous sandstone and siltstone. In allthese cases, extraction depends on economicrecovery of the product.

Table – 4: World Reserves of Vanadium(By Principal Countries)

(In '000 tonnes of vanadium content)

Country Reserves

World : Total (r ounded) 14000

China 5 1 0 0

Russia 5 0 0 0

South Africa 3 5 0 0

USA 4 5

Other countries N A

Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2012.

The world production of vanadium in 2010was est imated at about 67 thousand tonnesexcluding vanadium recovered as a by-product ofref in ing and burn ing of heavy o i ls . Majorproducing countries were South Africa, China andRussia (Table-5).

Nearly al l the world's vanadium supplyoriginates from primary sources. Five countriesrecovered vanadium from ores, concentrates, slagor petroleum residues. Four countries out of thesemine and process magnetite-bearing ores as animportant source of vanadium. Japan and theUnited States are probably the only countries torecover significant quantities of vanadium frompetroleum residues.

AustraliaAt lant ic L td was expected to beg in

production at Windimurra Vanadium project(Western Australia) in mid-2011. The productionwas expected to be 5,700 tonnes per year of V

2O5

and would meet about 7% of world demand.According to the current mine plan, 97.8 milliontonnes of ore was expected to be generated at acut off grade of 0.275% V

2O5 and an average grade

of 0.47% V2O5 during 24.5 years.

BrazilLargo Resources Ltd (Toranto, Ontario,

Canada) has completed extensive work includingfeasibility study on its Maracas vanadium projectlocated in Campo Alegre de Lourdes in the stateof Bahia. Estimated proven and probable reservesare placed at 13.1 million tonnes (grading 1.34%V

2O5) to be produced during a 23 year project life

span. This project was expected to produce 5,000tonnes per year of ferro-vanadium.

CanadaThe Lac Dore vanadium project of Apella

Resources Inc. is an advanced vanadium project.The exploration and development would continuein 2011 and the project was expected to be thelargest in North America and the second largestin the world.

China

China's Panzhihua New Steel and VanadiumCo. Ltd (a subsidiary of Panzhihua Iron and SteelGroup) is the major producer that operates fromPanzhihua in Sichnan Province, the largestvanadium producing region of China. The secondleading vanadium producer in China is theChengde Xinxin Vanadium & Titanium Co. Ltd,associated with the steel and vanadiferous slagproduction in Hebei Province.

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Table – 7: Imports of Vanadium Ores & Conc.(By Countries)

2009-10 2010-11Country

Qty Value Qty Value(t) (` ’000) (t) (` ’000)

All Countries 60 7762 4 1182

Germany 59 6936 4 1182

Other countries 1 826 - -

Sino Vanadium Inc. (Xian) owns the DaquanProperty in Shaanxi Province which was expectedto become one of the largest global producers ofV

2O5 with indicated resources of 15.8 million

tonnes at an average grade of 0.95% V2O5.

South AfricaXstrata plc's Rhovan facility recorded 89%,

increase in FeV production and 90% increase inV

2O5 production in 2010 over 2009. Vameto Alloys

raised production to full capaity in 2010. Thecompany's pr imary end-product is Nitrovanvanadium, a speciality vanadium-nitrogen alloywhich strengthens steel more efficiently than FeV.

Table – 5: World Mine Pr oduction of Vanadium(By Principal Countries)

(In tonnes of metal content)

Country 2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0

World: Total (rounded) 63000 58000 67000

Chinae 18500 20800 22000

Kazakhstane 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Russiae 23000 23000 21000

South Africa 20295 14353 22606

Source: World Mineral production, 2006-2010.Note: Inc lude vanadium in s lag product but exc lude

vanadium recovered as a by-product of refiningand burning of heavy oil.

Table – 6: Exports of Vanadium Ores & Conc.(By Countries)

2009-10 2010-11Country

Qty Value Qty Value(t) (` ’000) (t) (` ’000)

All Countries 124 18554 ++ 1 Saudi Arabia - - ++ 1

Other countries 124 18554 - -

FUTURE OUTLOOKThe worldwide demand for vanadium is

directly related to the demand for steel. In

vanadium bat ter ies , the consumpt ion mayincrease in future.

The future Indian alumina plants, beingmostly based on East Coast bauxite having a verylow content of vanadium, will not be able togenerate adequate quantity of vanadium sludgeto meet the internal demand. On the other hand,with growth of automobile and casting sectors,demand for ferro-vanadium is expected to increaseand this has to be met by imports. The highgrowth registered in automobile sector led toincreased use of vanadium in steels. Theaccelerated growth in the forging industry andincreased demand for die steels and tool steelpaved the way for increased vanadiumconsumption. Steps are also necessary to utilisehuge vanadium-bearing titaniferous ores availablein Indian states; viz, Karnataka, Maharashtra andOdisha through R&D efforts to meet the domesticdemand of vanadium pentox ide and fer ro-vanadium.

FOREIGN TRADENo exports and imports of vanadium & scrap

were reported in 2010-11. A negligible quantity ofvanadium ores & concentrates was exportedduring 2010-11 to Saudi Arabia (Table-6). Importsof vanadium ores and concentrates decreasedsharply to 4 tonnes in 2010-11 from 60 tonnes inthe previous year. Imports were from Germany(Table-7).

MadagascarEnerg izer Resources Inc updated the

resource estimates for its Green Giant vanadiumproject to include an indicated resource of 49.5million tonnes (an average grade of 0.693% V

2O5).

Green Giant vanadium deposit is a sedimentaryhosted deposit, in contrast to most vanadiumdeposits which are magnetite hosted. The uniquecharacteristic of this deposit would allow toproduce high purity V

2O5 which is required in

battery power and in battery storage for bothautomotive and large scale applications.