Ferrovanadium is a universal hardener, strengthener and anti-corrosive additive for steels like high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel, tool steels, as well as other ferrous-based products.
The content of vanadium in ferro vanadium varies from 45 to 50% and sometimes it is up to 80%, depending upon the demand. The 45 to 50% grade is produced from slag and other vanadium containing material by silicothermic reduction of pentoxide (V2O5 ) in presence of steel scrap or by direct reduction in an electric arc furnace. The resultant vanadium steels can be divided into microalloy or low-alloy steels with less than 0.15% vanadium and high-alloy steels with up to 5% vanadium.
Non-metallurgical applications include its use as catalyst and in ceramic, chemical, pigments, health preparations and electronic industries. It is also used to produce a super conductive magnet with a field of 1,75,000 gauss.
The most common oxide of vanadium i.e., vanadium pentoxide (V2O5 ) is used as a catalyst in manufacturing sulphuric acid. In biological context, vanadium is a micro-nutrient found naturally in mushroom, shellfish, black pepper, parsley dill, grain and grain products
The world reserves of vanadium were about 19 million tonnes of metal located mainly in China, Russia, South Africa, Australia and the USA and are expected to last till next century at the current rate of consumption. Titaniferous magnetite is the most important source accounting about 85% of current world V2O5 production from which vanadium could be extracted as a by-product of iron