Vanadium discovered in Gujarat

Vanadium discovered in Gujarat

News: Vanadium, a rare metal has been recently discovered in Gujarat. The metal has been found in the sediment samples collected from Gulf of Khambhat.

About Vanadium:
• It is a hard, silvery-grey, ductile transition metal with a natural resistance to corrosion and stability against alkalis, acids, and salt water.
• It is found in over 60 different minerals including vanadinite, carnotite, roscoelite, and patronite.
• In industry, it is primarily used with iron to make metal alloys for high-strength steel production.
• It is used in Iron and steel industry, aerospace industry, Vanadium redox battery, ceramics, Manufacture of Dyes and Printing Fabrics etc

Significance for India:
• The new found metal is significant as it is scarce in India and possesses the capability to enhance the resilience of steel and titanium.
• In 2021, an exploration by Geological Survey of India (GSI) placed the eastern Himalayan State of Arunachal Pradesh, on the vanadium map of the country.
• Although India is a significant consumer of Vanadium, it lacks behind in terms of producing the essential metal. According to Indian Bureau of Mines, the total estimated reserves of Vanadium in India is around 24.63 million tonnes. Of this, the estimated Vanadium Pentoxide is 64,594 tonnes.

Global status:
• The world production of vanadium in 2017 was 85,842 tonnes of metal content.
• Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of vanadium, with Russia and South Africa rounding out the top three.
• Brazil alone is responsible for nearly one-quarter of the metal’s global export market, and the combined trio represents nearly 60 percent of the market.
• Meanwhile, China has the highest vanadium reserves in the world with 9.5 million MT as of 2022.