Vanadium

Why in news?

• Vanadium, a rare metal, has been discovered from the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat.

About Vanadium:

• Vanadium is a medium-hard, steel-blue metal.
• It rarely exists as a free element in nature but can be found in about 65 different minerals, including magnetite, vanadinite, carnotite and patronite.
• Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of vanadium followed by Russia and South Africa.
• Brazil alone is responsible for nearly one-quarter of the metal’s global export market.
• China has the highest vanadium reserves in the world

Applications:

• Vanadium is used primarily as an alloying element in Iron & Steel Industry as it imparts toughness and strength to steel.
• Modern applications of vanadium include its use as vanadium secondary batteries for power plants and rechargeable vanadium redox batteries(VRB) for commercial applications.
• The main advantages of vanadium redox batteries (VRB) are:
  • It can offer almost unlimited capacity simply by using sequentially larger storage tanks
  • It can be left completely discharged for long periods of time with no ill effects
  • It can be recharged by replacing the electrolyte if no power source is available to charge it
  • Suffers no permanent damage if the electrolytes are accidentally mixed and
  • It has also been shown to have the least ecological impact of all energy storage technologies.
• Defence and aerospace:
  • Vanadium holds significant importance as a crucial raw material in strategic domains like defense and aerospace.
  • For example, alloys combining vanadium with titanium and aluminum are employed in the manufacturing of components for jet engines and high-speed aircraft frames.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements:

1. India is the world’s largest exporter of vanadium

2. It is used primarily as an alloying element in iron and steel

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer