Glossary

Vanadium is a hard, silvery-gray metallic element with the chemical symbol V and atomic number 23. It’s a transition metal valued for its high strength, corrosion resistance, and ability to improve the properties of alloys, especially steel. Though relatively rare in pure form, vanadium plays a crucial role in metallurgy, chemical manufacturing, and energy storage technologies.

In its pure state, vanadium is ductile, malleable, and nonmagnetic, with a high melting point of 1,910°C (3,470°F). It naturally forms a thin oxide layer that protects it from corrosion, much like aluminum and titanium. Because of this, vanadium and its alloys are used in environments where materials must endure heat, stress, and oxidation—such as aerospace structures, jet engines, and turbine blades.

The majority of vanadium produced worldwide—about 80–90%—is used in the steel industry. When added in small amounts (typically less than 0.2%), vanadium significantly increases tensile strength, wear resistance, and fatigue life. Steels alloyed with vanadium, known as vanadium steels, are used in tools, springs, pipelines, automotive components, and structural beams. High-speed steels and chromium-vanadium (Cr-V) tools are particularly common examples, prized for their toughness and resistance to deformation.

Beyond steelmaking, vanadium is also a key element in aerospace-grade titanium alloys, where it enhances high-temperature stability and tensile strength. Alloys like Ti-6Al-4V (90% titanium, 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium) are the standard materials for aircraft frames, jet engines, and medical implants.

In the chemical industry, vanadium compounds—especially vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅)—are used as catalysts in the production of sulfuric acid, one of the world’s most important industrial chemicals. Vanadium is also gaining attention in the field of renewable energy, particularly in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), which store large amounts of energy for grid-scale applications due to their long lifespan and high efficiency.

Vanadium is primarily obtained from vanadinite (Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl), patronite (VS₄), and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) ores containing vanadium impurities. Major producers include China, Russia, South Africa, and Brazil.