Vanadium ore resources of the African continent: State of the Art

Abstract

As part of the critical metals group, vanadium is an essential commodity for the low- and zero-CO2 energy generation, storage and transport. This contribution aims to carry out a review of the known vanadium ore sources and mineralizations located in Africa, which are highly diversified in their geological and mineralogical characteristics, and can be classified in: 1. Vanadiferous (titano)magnetite deposits; 2. Sandstone-hosted (U)-vanadium deposits; 3. Calcrete-hosted (U)-vanadium deposits; 4. Vanadate deposits; 5. Graphite-associated vanadium deposits; 6. Vanadium occurrences associated with laterite, bauxite, and phosphate ores. The economically most significant vanadium sources in Africa are associated with titanomagnetite layers in mafic–ultramafic layered magmatic intrusions (e.g., the Bushveld Complex in South Africa and the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe). Vanadium has been historically mined also in vanadate deposits deriving from the supergene alteration of Pb-Zn-Cu sulfide ores in Namibia and Zambia. Several areas in these countries, where potentially re-processable old tailings and slags have been accumulated, still have economic potential. Vanadium mineralizations are associated with graphite bodies in the Mozambique Metamorphic Belt. Vanadium is also enriched in uranium ores occurring in the Upper Paleozoic-Mesozoic Karoo continental sediments: typical examples are found in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Significant uranium-vanadium concentrations (where carnotite prevails) occur in relatively recent (Tertiary-Quaternary) calcrete duricrusts in paleo-fluviatile beds, which are widespread throughout the African continent. These derive from the weathering of U-(V)-fertile source rocks, which under favorable paleoclimatic conditions resulted in the vanadium precipitation in the critical zone. Variable vanadium amounts have been also recorded in iron ore deposits, phosphorites, and laterites, even though the phosphate deposits seem to have the most favorable characteristics for potentially economic vanadium concentrations. On the whole, South Africa holds the most significant vanadium ore resources globally. However, also many other African countries, where this metal could be profitably extracted as a by-product from other economic ores, will probably be at the forefront of vanadium production in the near future.