Vanadinite is a mineral that is an important source of theelement vanadium.
Vanadium is amedium-hard, steel-blue metal. Although a lesser-known metal, it is quitevaluable in the manufacturing industry due to its malleable, ductile andcorrosion-resistant qualities.
Titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy is used in jet engines andfor high-speed aircraft. Vanadium foil is used in cladding titanium to steel. Vanadium-galliumtape is used in superconducting magnets. Vanadium pentoxide is used in ceramicsand as a catalyst for the production of sulfuricacid.
The most important use of vanadium is as anadditive for steel, withapproximately 80% of vanadium going intoferrovanadium, a steel additive. Itis used to producerust resistant, spring and high-speed tool steels. It is also addedtosteels to stabilisecarbides.
The accelerating growth of renewableintermittent electricity supplies (wind, solar, tidal) requires an accompanyinggrowth of energy storage installations [1]. At present, lithium-ion batteriesdominate electrochemical energy storage applications, their success driven bylow cost, high energy density and proven reliability.
However, redox flow batteries (VRFBs) areseen as an attractive alternative to lithium-ion. Despite their higher priceper kWh, VRFBs have longer lifetimes, reduced fire risk, and are recyclable.More importantly, power and capacity are completely decoupled in a flowbattery, with power determined by the size of the stack and capacity determinedby the volume and concentration of electrolyte (i.e., size of the electrolytetanks).
Consequently, RFBs offer a versatileapproach to energy storage, capable of both long and short durationapplications, with their market impact expected to rapidly increase over thenext 5 years. Conservative estimates value the cumulative global VRFB market at€50 billion by 2025.
High gradeand purity of V is very critical for the both applications. Low grade V won`tbe marketable following more high-grade materials in the market. TMT`s V gradeis top of the range.
