Vanadium metal is obtained by a multistep process that begins with roasting crushed ore with NaCl or Na₂CO₃ at about 850 °C to give sodium metavanadate (NaVO₃).
An aqueous extract of this solid is acidified to produce "red cake", a polyvanadate salt, which is reduced with calcium metal.
As an alternative for small-scale production, vanadium pentoxide is reduced with hydrogen or magnesium.
Many other methods are also used, in all of which vanadium is produced as a byproduct of other processes.
Purification of vanadium is possible by the crystal bar process developed by Anton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik de Boer in 1925.
It involves the formation of the metal iodide, in this example vanadium(III) iodide, and the subsequent decomposition to yield pure metal:
2 V + 3 I₂ ⇌ 2 VI₃
Most vanadium is used as a steel alloy called ferrovanadium.
Ferrovanadium is produced directly by reducing a mixture of vanadium oxide, iron oxides and iron in an electric furnace.
The vanadium ends up in pig iron produced from vanadium-bearing magnetite.
Depending on the ore used, the slag contains up to 25% of vanadium.
Vanadium metal is obtained by a multistep process that begins with roasting crushed ore with NaCl or Na₂CO₃ at about 850 °C to give sodium metavanadate (NaVO₃). An aqueous extract of this solid is acidified to produce "red cake", a polyvanadate salt, which is reduced with calcium metal. As an alternative for small-scale production, vanadium pentoxide is reduced with hydrogen or magnesium. Many other methods are also used, in all of which vanadium is produced as a byproduct of other processes. Purification of vanadium is possible by the crystal bar process developed by Anton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik de Boer in 1925. It involves the formation of the metal iodide, in this example vanadium(III) iodide, and the subsequent decomposition to yield pure metal:
2 V + 3 I₂ ⇌ 2 VI₃
Most vanadium is used as a steel alloy called ferrovanadium. Ferrovanadium is produced directly by reducing a mixture of vanadium oxide, iron oxides and iron in an electric furnace. The vanadium ends up in pig iron produced from vanadium-bearing magnetite. Depending on the ore used, the slag contains up to 25% of vanadium.
Vanadium