Vanadium, a silver-gray metallic element that is twenty-third on the periodic table, exists in about 65 minerals on earth and is the twenty-second most abundant element on the planet, with about 63 million tons of the element estimated to exist on earth. While highly toxic, the element plays a vital role in construction and steel-working as well as the production of chemical products like sulfuric acid.
Some 95 percent of the world’s vanadium is mined in South Africa, China and Russia. This chemical is not found in its elemental state, but can be extracted from 65 different minerals. Depending on the ore used in the production of steel from pig iron, as much as 25 percent of the leftover slag is vanadium. Its compounds are also present in crude oil and coal.
Alloys
The primary use of the product is in alloys, and about 85 percent of the world’s annual production goes to making steel. As an additive, the element forms nitrides and carbides, adding considerable strength to an alloy. Its steel is used for such products as crankshafts, high-speed tool steels, gears and hand tools such as wrenches. This substance is also used, with aluminum, in titanium alloys for the manufacture of, for example, high-speed air frames and jet engines, in which it increases the heat resistance of the alloy.
Medical Applications
As of 2010, there have been a few studies carried out, and most of these have been with animals; some studies suggest that the element may be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes by improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin, thereby lowering blood sugar levels. Animal studies have shown that the element may deter the onset of colon cancer. The chemical is known to aid digestion in the early stages of tuberculosis. Homeopaths use the product to oxidize — and thus weaken — toxins, and as a remedy for anorexia nervosa and a number of gastrointestinal complaints.
Industrial Applications
Vanadium pentoxide, is the most common form of the element and serves as a catalyst in the production of sulfuric acid. The compound catalyzes–meaning, it speeds up the process without becoming consumed itself–the oxidation process of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide, from which sulfuric acid can be produced. The process has made large-scale production of sulfuric acid possible at a feasible cost. Its compounds also can be used as a catalyst in the production of ammonia and maleic anhydride, used in benzene production. The product also is one of many elements used in the process of purifying uranium for use in nuclear power.
Vanadium acts as a fixing agent in the dyeing of synthetic fabrics. It is also used in the production of superconducting magnets. The oxide form is also used to produce color in corundum, the base material in rubies and sapphires. Vanadium dioxide is used to place a thin infrared resistant layer on glass.
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