Uses in Steel
Ferrovanadium is mainly used to smelt alloy steel. About 90 percent of the vanadium consumed in the world is used in the steel industry. In ordinary low-alloy steel, vanadium mainly refines the grains, increases the strength of the steel, and inhibits its aging effect. In alloy structural steel, it refines the grains, increasing the strength and toughness of the steel. Used in combination with chromium or manganese in spring steel, it increases the elastic limit of the steel and improves its quality. In tool steel it mainly refines the structure and grains of the steel, increases the tempering stability, enhances the secondary hardening effect, improves wear resistance, and extends the service life of the tool.
Heat-Resistant Steel, Hydrogen-Resistant Steel, and Cast Iron
In heat-resistant steel and hydrogen-resistant steel, vanadium also plays a beneficial role. The vanadium added to cast iron promotes the formation of pearlite due to the formation of carbides, stabilizes cementite, makes the shape of graphite particles fine and uniform, and refines the matrix grains, thereby improving the hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance of the casting.
Vanadium-Bearing Raw Materials
The abundance of vanadium in the earth's crust is about 135 ppm (roughly 0.01 percent). There are more than 70 kinds of vanadium minerals, but very few single-vanadium deposits; the best-known example is Mina Ragra in Peru, which has been mined. Most vanadium deposits are symbiotic with other minerals. The raw materials used to produce vanadium include vanadium-titanium magnetite (containing 0.4 to 1.4 percent V2O5), uranium-vanadium ore (containing 1.5 to 2.0 percent V2O5), crude oil ash (containing 20 to 40 percent V2O5), vanadium-bearing ferrophosphorus (containing 3 to 6 percent V), waste vanadium catalyst, and residue from alumina production. These raw materials contain low vanadium and require hydrometallurgy: first, vanadium pentoxide is extracted from the raw materials, and then the vanadium pentoxide is smelted into ferrovanadium and vanadium additives. Vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate is the main raw material for the production of vanadium, and about 90 percent of the world's vanadium production is produced from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ferrovanadium used for? Mainly for smelting alloy steel; about 90 percent of world vanadium consumption is in the steel industry.
What does vanadium do in tool steel? It refines grain, increases tempering stability, enhances secondary hardening, and improves wear resistance.
What is the main vanadium raw material? Vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate, the source of about 90 percent of world vanadium production.
Q: What share of the world's vanadium is used in the steel industry?
About 90 percent of the vanadium consumed in the world is used in the steel industry, mainly for smelting alloy steel.
Q: What does vanadium do in ordinary low-alloy steel?
In ordinary low-alloy steel, vanadium mainly refines the grains, increases the strength of the steel, and inhibits its aging effect.
Q: How is vanadium used in spring steel?
Used in combination with chromium or manganese in spring steel, vanadium increases the elastic limit of the steel and improves its quality.
Q: What role does vanadium play in tool steel?
In tool steel, vanadium refines the structure and grains, increases tempering stability, enhances the secondary hardening effect, improves wear resistance, and extends the service life of the tool.
Q: What raw materials are used to produce vanadium?
Raw materials include vanadium-titanium magnetite (0.4-1.4 percent V2O5), uranium-vanadium ore (1.5-2.0 percent V2O5), crude oil ash (20-40 percent V2O5), vanadium-bearing ferrophosphorus, waste vanadium catalyst, and residues from alumina production.
