Vanadium pentoxide is an amphoteric oxide. Hence, it reacts with non-reducing acids to result in solutions with pale-colored yellow salts holding dioxovanadium.
Vanadium pentoxide leads to the production of several compounds, products, acids, and oxidations. Some of them are given below:
Production of Sulfuric acid
The most essential use of vanadium oxide is the production of sulfuric acid, a known chemical of industries. Vanadium works as a major component to catalyze the exothermic sulfur oxide oxidation to sulfur trioxide via the contact process in air.
Vanadium pentoxide works as the most reliable catalyst for this reaction, allowing sulfuric acid to become an affordable and readily available chemical today. The reaction occurs between 400 to 620° Celsius. The point to note is below 400°, vanadium pentoxide becomes inactive and above 620°, it starts breaking down.
Unexpectedly, vanadium pentoxide also works as a catalyst in the selective catalytic reduction of NOx emissions in power plants. As V2O5 enjoys efficiency in converting sulfur oxide into sulfur trioxide and further sulfuric acid, one should pay special attention to the operating temperatures along with citing the power plant’s SCR unit when working with sulfur-included fuels.
Catalyst in petroleum refining
Vanadium pentoxide is used as a catalyst for refining petroleum. Benfield process works as a solvent system using potassium carbonate to captivate carbon dioxide gas discharged from industrial procedures. Potassium carbonate solvent, being non-corrosive and low volatile doesn’t react with any impurities and is less prone to thermal instability.
However, it has a low reaction with carbon dioxide gas and needs a catalyst to enhance the reaction procedure. While organic catalysts are inexpensive and simple to produce, they are corrosive, hazardous, and react with impure gases. Hence, vanadium pentoxide works as a perfect alternative to it. This inorganic catalyst is chosen because it works as a reliable corrosion inhibitor further enhancing the breakdown of carbon dioxide emissions.
Other oxidations
An essential material maleic anhydride is used for the production of polyester resins and alkyd resins. Vanadium oxide works as a catalyst to produce different types of organic material, such as benzene, butane, and furfural, using random commercial processes. In a relevant procedure, phthalic anhydride used for the production of PVC is also produced using vanadium pentoxide through the catalytic oxidation process of ortho-xylene or naphthalene at 350-400°C.
Random applications
When it comes to massive production, vanadium oxide is majorly used for the manufacture of ferrovanadium. It happens when the oxide reacts with aluminium and scrap iron leading to the production of iron vanadium alloy and a by-product alumina.
Because of its high thermal co-efficiency of resistance, industries often use vanadium oxide as a detector material in microbolometers and bolometers for thermal imaging.
These are some of the essential uses of vanadium pentoxide. It is a useful industrial compound used by different industries for the preparation of chemicals. Furthermore, V2O5 holds great significance in different industrial processes and is consistently used for new and innovative chemical and compound production as a catalyst.