Vanadium: a useful mineral, but an environmental pollutant ECOAGENDA

Full of virtues, to the point that its name was assigned as a tribute to Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty and love, Vanadium is one of the elements of the periodic table well spread in the sea, the earth, plants, and even in human beings.

Its many properties, including hardness and strength, are highly valued in the production of steel for the automotive industry, surgical equipment, or parts of ships and airplanes.

Within the human body, it appears in small quantities as an essential micronutrient, since its deficiency leads to bone damage and other ailments such as miscarriages, poor absorption of food and reduction of breast milk.

In spite of this, due to man's own action, this chemical element has been declared an environmental pollutant, hence the alerts established in the world as a dangerous substance and the need to achieve a safe transfer, storage and preservation, so that it is not exposed and can infect not only the air, but also the waters with rainwater runoff.

An article in the magazine Cuba: Environment and Development, in 2016, confirmed that the toxicity of this product in workers exposed to it is well documented, and through chronic exposure or inhalation, it causes changes in the respiratory organs and the appearance of bronchitis, rhinitis, laryngitis and pharyngitis, or alterations in the heart rhythm.

During the oil combustion process in the boilers, a residue containing vanadium is produced, which must be evacuated during maintenance to avoid its accumulation.

Juan Bravo Nuñez, technical director of the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes thermoelectric plant, told the Cuban News Agency that after combustion at 1,200 degrees this material acquires great hardness and passes as waste, to the so-called "ashtray" of the furnace.

"Extracting it is one of the hardest tasks because they have to use powerful equipment such as pneumatic hammers for its removal and extraction".

He indicated that they then deposit the remains in large bags and seal them to facilitate handling and protection, and store them in two 40-foot containers, which were specifically designed for these functions.

Bravo Nuñez commented that storing this debris provides them with more than economic advantages, but also a benefit in terms of caring for the communities and the natural environment.

Ivan Casals, head specialist of the Occupational Health and Safety group at that entity, added that they have Resolution 253 on the integrated management of hazardous waste, issued by the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment ( CITMA by its Spanish acronym) in the country.

“To extract this remnant from the oven, it is handled very rigorously, with the use of protective equipment for the body, hands, eyes and mouth mask, and at the end, the operators must remove the disposable coveralls and wash themselves. After bagging, there is no longer any danger.

"There is an environmental license, with an affidavit and CITMA must be strictly and periodically informed of the quantities of this residue that remain, how much should be generated for the coming year according to the planned maintenance, and how the residue is kept confined in the warehouses."

Jesus Enrique del Hierro, the director of the Raw Materials Recovery Company, added that the export of vanadium began in 2008 - in cooperation with the Cienfuegos thermoelectric plant - and since then to date they have commercialized more than 570 tons, with higher levels in 2020 and now in 2023.

He said that Cuba does not have the infrastructure to extract this mineral, as in other developed countries where they process the waste and reuse it as raw material for the domestic economy; therefore, exporting it brings economic benefits, but mostly to the environment.