Vanchem is a primary vanadium processing facility with a beneficiation plant – located at Ferrobank Industrial Park in Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, in South Africa.
Production
Vanchem Produces:
- Vanadium Pentoxide
- Ferrovanadium
- Vanadium Chemicals
The facility is also capable of producing vanadium trioxide.
Resources
Vanchem’s ore supply is a blend between the Vametco Upper Seam project and third-party ore, and also utilises the salt-roast beneficiation process.
During the first half of 2023, a new supply agreement for lower-silica ore than the Upper seam ore, was agreed at Vanchem with a third party, and it is anticipated to allow for higher recoveries – resulting in a more stable production rates at no additional costs.
Ferrovanadium Processing Stages
Bushveld Vanadium's Vanchem processing facility employs the standard salt-roast and leach process to produce ferrovanadium.
Step 1
Magnetite Concentrate:
Crushing, milling and magnetic separation to produce a magnetite concentrate with average grades of 1,65% V2O5 in-magnetite
Step 2
Roasting:
Sodium salt roasting the concentrate in a kiln at ±1 150°C to form a water-soluble sodium vanadates material
Step 3
Purification:
Leaching and purification, with dissolution of roasted vanadium concentrate in water, purification and precipitation of vanadium through the addition of ammonium sulphate, followed by drying and then processing in a reducing environment to produce an Ammonium Metavanadate (AMV) product
Step 4
Vanadium Pentoxide:
De-ammoniating and melting the AMV to produce vanadium pentoxide flakes – a primary product, also used in other processes to produce a spectrum of vanadium chemicals
Step 5
Ferrovanadium:
Reducing vanadium pentoxide by aluminium in the aluminothermic process, in the presence of iron, to produce ferrovanadium – a primary product