INSIGHT
VANADIUM COULD
BOOST SA MINING
South Africa is rich in vanadium deposits and the country should look at exploiting this resource in future.
South Africa can increase mining’s contribution by looking at vanadium,
writes Scarlett Evans, GlobalData’s mining technology writer.
T
he South African government is intent on promoting
the image of the country’s mining sector as that of a
‘sunrise industry’ despite years of falling production,
strikes and upheaval. But for a new dawn, new deposits will
be needed, and luckily for South Africa’s still vast industry,
surveys have been promising. So, what can be done to
revive the industry? And where should miners be looking?
Revitalising South Africa’s mining industry would not be
hindered by a lack of resources. Estimates from the US
Geological Survey and Council for GeoScience show large
amounts of minerals still lie within South African land. Mining
production is beginning to stabilise in the country, rising
2.4% from a year ago, and predominantly driven by iron-ore’s
production rise of 23.7%. Coal (the biggest contributor to total
mining) rose 8.6%, and platinum-group metals rose 2.7%.
However, it is not only in traditional metals that the country’s
resources sector has potential. It also plays host to deposits of
minerals that are becoming increasingly important to meet
new technological demands. These include rare earths, heavy
minerals, and industrial minerals. Taking advantage of these
newly popular materials is a clear development opportunity for
industry members.
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African Mining February 2020
Vanadium, which is used in the manufacture of hard and
strong lightweight alloys, and also in the manufacture of
superconductive magnets, appears likely to boost the
mining industry.
According to Dr Richard Viljoen, technical advisor, VM
Investments\Bushveld Minerals South Africa has, in the world
famous Bushveld complex, 50% of the world’s vanadium
resource.
“As a consequence of the growing demand the exploration
for and mining of vanadium is expanding in the same way as
platinum and chromium mining did several decades ago. The
Bushveld also contains significant amounts of tin, tantalum
fluorite and other rare metals including lithium,” says Viljoen.
Bushveld Minerals currently supply about 3 000 million
tonnes (mt) of the global vanadium market with plans to
grow its production to more than 8 400mt within the next
five years. Through Bushveld Energy, the company’s energy
storage solutions provider, Bushveld Minerals plays a pivotal
role in the development and promotion of Vanadium Redox
Flow Battery technology (VRFB).
www. africanmining.co.za