Vanadium is a versatile steel-blue metal used in manufacturing due to its malleable and corrosion-resistant properties. It is found in minerals like patronite and vanadinite, and is also present in bauxite, magnetite, coal, oil, and tar sands. In India, vanadium is associated with magnetite ores and occurs in chromite, laterite, and various igneous rocks. The Geological Survey of India discovered primary vanadium deposits in Arunachal Pradesh with an average grade of 0.76% V2O5. Vanadium is recovered as a byproduct from processing magnetite ores and alumina production. India's estimated vanadium reserves are 24.63 million tonnes

1. Vanadium: -
 Vanadium is a medium-hard, steel-blue metal, is quite valuable in the manufacturing industry due
to its malleable, ductile and corrosion-resistant qualities. It is a versatile metal with melting point
of the order of 1700‫ﹾ‬ c.
 The important Vanadium minerals are Patronite (Patronite is the vanadium sulfide mineral with
formula VS4), Vanadinite (Vanadinite is a mineral belonging to the apatite group of phosphates,
with the chemical formula Pb5(VO₄) ₃ Cl.), Roscoelite (Roscoelite is a green mineral from the mica
group that contains vanadium, chemical formula is K(V³⁺, Al, Mg)₂AlSi₃O₁₀(OH)₂) and Cacnotite
(Carnotite is a potassium uranium vanadate radioactive mineral with chemical formula
K₂(UO₂)₂(VO₄)₂·3H₂O.).
 Vanadium is also present in bauxite, titaniferous magnetite and in many end-products of organic
material including coal, crude oil, oil shale and tar sands.
 In India, vanadium is associated with titaniferous magnetite which contains 0.8 to 3% V2O5. It also
occurs in significant amounts in association with chromite, laterite, bauxite and ferro-magnesian-
rich rocks, such as, pyroxenite, base anorthosite and gabbro.
 Ore deposits for vanadium are rare because much of the vanadium in igneous rocks occurs in the
relatively insoluble trivalent state, substituting for ferric iron in ferromagnesium silicates,
magnetite (an iron ore), ilmenite (a titanium ore), and chromite.
Status of Vanadium in India: -
 GSI found promising concentrations of vanadium in the Paleo-Proterozoic carbonaceous phyllite
rocks in the Depo and Tamang areas of Arunachal Pradesh’s Papum Pare district.
 This was the first report of a primary deposit of vanadium in India with an average grade of
0.76% V2O5.
 Two bands of about 7-metre thick carbonaceous phyllite for a length of more than 6 km in the
Depo area.
 Vanadium mineralization in Arunachal Pradesh is geologically similar to the “stone coal” vanadium
deposits of China hosted in carbonaceous shale. This high vanadium content is associated with
graphite with fixed carbon content of up to 16%.
 Good prospects of vanadium for a cumulative length of 15.5 km and an average thickness of 7m
were found in the Deed, Saiya and Phop areas of Lower Subansiri district.
 It is recovered as a by-product from the slag collected from the processing of vanadiferous
magnetite ores (iron ore)
 According to the Indian Bureau of Mines (2018 database), the total estimated reserves or resources
of vanadium ore is 24.63 million tonnes, with an estimated V2O5 content of 64,594 tonnes.
Production of Vanadium (In India): -
 Vanadium is recovered from slag that is collected from the processing of vanadiferous magnetite
ore.
 Vanadium sludge is separated as a by-product during the Bayer process for production of alumina
hydrate.

2. Use of Vanadium: -
 Vanadium is mainly used to produce steel alloys such as high-speed tool steels, and some
aluminum alloys.
 The most important industrial vanadium compound, vanadium pentoxide, is used as a catalyst for
the production of sulfuric acid.
 Vanadium alloys are durable in extreme temperature and environments, and are corrosion-
resistant.
 Vanadium use as secondary batteries for power plants and rechargeable vanadium redox battery
(VRB) for commercial applications.
Vanadium Extraction Process link: -
1. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818898-9.00009-7
2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2019.106106
3. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818898-9.00008-5
4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2009.07.008
5. https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/u/pp1802u.pdf