Vanadium, the sci-fi element that could change green energy
In 1801, Spanish-Mexican scientist Andrs Manuel del Ro Fernndez discovered a new type of mineral which he called erythronium, Greek for “red”. The mineral was so named because its salts turned red upon being heated. Other scientists convinced Fernndez that the mineral was identical to chromium, and the mineral was forgotten. It wasn’t until 1831 that the element was rediscovered, this time by a Swedish chemist named Nils Gabriel Sefstrm. Sefstrm named the element vanadium after Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty and fertility.Why are we giving you this chemistry history lesson? Because vanadium may play an important role in the future of green energyspecifically when it comes to storing electrical energy. New “green batteries” use vanadium to “store prolific amounts of energy, which solves the major drawback of alternative energy,” according to Seeking Alpha (a “stock market news & financial analysis” site).Vanadium’s use in rechargeable batteries has been explored for decades. In 1986, the University of New South Wales in Australia patented a version of the vanadium redox battery, which avoids the problem of ion diffusion across the batteries’ membrane. Both a German researcher named Dr. Walter Kango in the 1950s and NASA researchers in the 1970s experimented with earlier versions of the battery. The design is based off of vanadium’s distinctive ability to “exist in solution in four different oxidation states,” as Wikipedia states. This allows for a battery with only one electroactive element, as opposed to two.These vanadium batteries display near-unlimited capacity, as long as their storage tanks are large enough. This makes them practical for storing the energy generated by alternative sources like solar panels and wind turbines. Unfortunately, vanadium can only be found in its natural form, not created, and the supply is dwindling. Vanadium suppliers will have their work cut out for them in trying to keep up with demand in the coming years, as more and more manufacturers and alternative energy providers become aware of vanadium’s unique properties.