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| Production Of High Purity Vanadium Metal From Spent Catalyst |
| = Taiyo Koko (Akoh Plant) Operates Electron Beam Melting As First Case In Japan |
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With an aim to produce vanadium metal by consistent process as the first case in Japan, the Akoh Plant of Taiyo Koko introduced the facility for electron beam melting from Germany. Taiyo Koko invested Yen 600 million in this plan and the relative work was commenced from September of 2007. This construction recently completed and Taiyo Koko is scheduled to take place on the 3rd of October a ceremony for the completion at their Akoh Plant, inviting the parties concerned. By operating electron beam melting process as mentioned above, Taiyo Koko produces high purity vanadium metal, containing 99.9% of V based on the aluminothermic reduction of vanadium oxides, and this high purity metal is expected to develop the demand from various fields, such as hydrogen absorbed alloys, hydrogen transmitted membrane, and so on. Spent catalyst recovered from oil refining plant is raw material, containing vanadium. Spent desulfurized catalyst has contained such rare metals as vanadium, molybdenum, nickel, and so on. Taiyo Koko has been so far recovering vanadium and molybdenum from spent desulfurized catalyst and producing ferro-vanadium and vanadium pentoxide as commodities to sell. In order to add more values to vanadium materials, Taiyo Koko intends to produce high purity vanadium metal as its finished product. Taiyo Koko recovers high purity vanadium from spent desulfurized catalyst and produces aluminum-vanadium alloys, containing 85% of V and 15% of Al, from this recovered raw material. After that, this aluminum-vanadium alloys are refined by electron beam melting and, through this process, Taiyo Koko is finally able to produce high purity vanadium metal with 99.9% of V content. Electron beam melting is applied to produce niobium, titanium, and so on in many cases and, even in Japan, this process is utilized for melting. The method to melt vanadium for production of high purity metal has been so far implemented in Germany, Russia, the USA and Japan. |
| last modified : Fri 19 Sep, 2008 [10:41] |
