Abstract
High-purity vanadium was made by magnesium reduction of vanadium dichloride. Procedures used included 1) the preparation of vanadium tetrachloride by chlorination of partially reduced vanadium oxide-carbon briquets, 2) rechlorination of crude vanadium tetrachloride containing oxychloride compounds, 3) thermal decomposition of vanadium tetrachloride to vanadium trichloride, 4) hydrogen reduction or thermal disproportionation of vanadium trichloride to vanadium dichloride, 5) magnesium reduction of vanadium dichloride to vanadium sponge, and 6) consolidation of vanadium sponge to metal by arc-melting. This work showed that higher yields of high-quality vanadium metal can be prepared by reduction of vanadium dichloride than can be prepared from trichloride. Metal of >99.8 pct purity was prepared by magnesium reduction of vanadium dichloride with reaction efficiencies approaching 98 pct. Only minor losses of vanadium are experienced because of the high efficiencies of the individual process steps and because of the potential for recycling process streams.
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F. E. BLOCK, formerly with Albany Metallurgy Research Center, Albany, Oregon
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Campbell, T.T., Schaller, J.L. & Block, F.E. Preparation of high-purity vanadium by magnesium reduction of vanadium dichloride. Metall Trans 4, 237–241 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02649623
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02649623