Vanadium is a hard, silvery-white transition metal that has many uses in steelmaking and other industries. Vanadium is the 22nd most abundant element in the earth’s crust, occurring among more than 65 minerals. Vanadium resources globally are classified into Primary and Secondary resources. Primary resources, mostly vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) and secondary resources; are spent catalysts, fly ash and steelmaking slag.
Vanadium resources in South Africa
We classify vanadium resources in South Africa into primary and secondary resources. Primary resources include vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) and secondary resources include spent catalysts, fly ash and steelmaking slags. Fortunately for South Africa, it has abundant reserves of contained minerals that could be exploited as a source of vanadium. It is estimated that there are over 200 million tonnes of VTM deposits in the country with an average grade of 0.5%. Companies can use this resource to produce electrolytic nickel or ferrovanadium products.
Vanadium-bearing ore deposits have been identified in the North-West province (Rietkuil), Northern Cape Province (Haalenberg) and Mpumalanga Province (Lorraine).
The largest deposit mined commercially at present is near Rietkuil in North-West Province were several mining companies have been exploring since the early 1980s under leases granted by South African Government Departments responsible for Minerals & Petroleum Affairs respectively through their subsidiary bodies such as Transvaal Goldfields Exploration Company Ltd., which owns two small underground mines about 15 km southwest from Rietkuil village called Newlands East Mine operated by Concor Investments Pty Limited or Tronox Pty Limited both companies operating under De Beers Consolidated Mines Group GmbH contract system until 1991 when these leases were sold back into private hands after failing yield enough ore volume that would justify the further investment needed beyond what was already sunk into exploration costs.”
