Recently, an exploration being carried out by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has placed the eastern Himalayan State Arunachal Pradesh on the vanadium map of the country and geologists are confident of identifying a deposit soon.
The concentrations of vanadium were found in the palaeo-proterozoic carbonaceous phyllite rocks in the Depo and Tamang areas of Arunachal Pradesh‘s Papum Pare district. This was the first report of a primary deposit of vanadium in India with an average grade of 0.76% V2O5 (vanadium pentoxide)
Vanadium mineralization in Arunachal Pradesh is geologically similar to the ―stone coal‖ vanadium deposits of China hosted in carbonaceous shale. This high vanadium content is associated with graphite with a fixed carbon content of up to 16%. The largest deposits are in China, followed by Russia and South Africa.
In India, the largest reserves of Vanadium are found in the state of Karnataka followed by Maharashtra and Odisha. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
It is recovered as a by-product from the slag collected from the processing of vanadiferous magnetite ores (iron ore). Hence statement 2 is correct.
Vanadium in its pure form is a soft, grey, and ductile element primarily derived from mined iron ore, carbonaceous shale or phyllites, and steel slag.
It is a high-value metal used in strengthening steel and titanium. Its alloys are durable in extreme temperatures and environments and are corrosion-resistant. Its addition improves the tensile strength of steel and of reinforcing bars used for buildings, tunnels, and bridges. Hence statement 1 is correct.
India is a significant consumer of vanadium but is not a primary producer of the strategic metal. According to data provided by GSI, India consumed 4% of about 84,000 metric tonnes of vanadium produced across the globe in 2017.
China, which produces 57% of the world‘s vanadium, consumed 44% of the metal.
Ishu
Vanadium in India