The Geological Survey of India (GSI) recently embarked on an exploration in Arunachal Pradesh, leading to the discovery of significant Vanadium reserves. The GSI is an entity that operates as an attached office under the Ministry of Mines. This article discusses key facts about Vanadium and the potential impact of this new find on India.
About Vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element symbolized by the letter “V”. As a transition metal, it belongs to groups 3–12 of the periodic table, which are renowned for their superior conduction of heat and electricity. Vanadium’s physical features include its hard, silvery grey form, as well as its ductility and malleability, both of which contribute to its good structural strength – a characteristic typically found in scarce elements. Vanadium can be extracted from several ores including patronite, vanadinite, roscoelite, and carnotite.
Applications of Vanadium
Vanadium’s primary use lies in the Iron & Steel Industry where it acts as an alloying element. Additionally, it serves as a stabiliser in aluminium and titanium alloys used in the aerospace industry. Other notable applications include the production of vanadium secondary batteries for power plants, and the rechargeable Vanadium Redox Battery (VRB) for commercial applications. Due to vanadium’s low neutron-absorbing properties, vanadium alloys are also utilized in nuclear reactors.
Vanadium Reserves in Arunachal Pradesh
In the Depo and Tamang areas of Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh, carbonaceous phyllite rocks from the Paleoproterozoic era have shown concentrations of vanadium. Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that forms as a result of the recrystallization of fine-grained parent sedimentary rocks such as mudstones or shales. When sedimentary rocks contain significant organic matter enrichment beyond average sediments, they are classified as carbonaceous sedimentary rocks. The discovery of vanadium reserves in these areas marks the first report of a primary deposit of vanadium in India.
India’s Current Vanadium Scenario
Despite consuming 4% of the total global production of Vanadium in 2017, India remains a non-primary producer of this strategic metal. According to GSI data, vanadium in India is usually recovered as a by-product from the slag processed from vanadiferous magnetite (iron) ores. Slag refers to the glass-like residue left after a desired metal has been isolated (i.e., smelted) from its raw ore.
Global Vanadium Reserves
Globally, the largest reserves of Vanadium are found predominantly in China, with Russia and South Africa coming in at second and third respectively. The newly-discovered vanadium reserves in Arunachal Pradesh may potentially alter the dynamic of India’s vanadium consumption and production, thereby impacting global vanadium markets.
