Zirconium is a lustrous, gray-white, strong transition metal, which is very similar to hafnium and slightly less similar to titanium. Zirconium is mainly used as a heat-resistant agent and sunscreen agent. A small amount of zirconium is used as an alloying agent based on its high corrosion resistance.
Zirconium is ductile at room temperature, but appears hard and brittle at lower purity. Powdered zirconium is extremely flammable, but not solid. Zirconium is not easy to corrode. It has high corrosion resistance to acids, alkalis, brine and other substances, but it will dissolve in hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.
Zirconium products are rich in variety and forms. The initial mineral form is zircon sand. After treatments such as caustic soda and water washing, primary products such as zirconium silicate and zirconium oxychloride can be produced. Continued calcination, chlorination, and reduction can be made into Zirconia, industrial grade zirconium sponge and other products; if the level of purification and separation technology reaches a certain level, it can be made into nuclear energy grade zirconium sponge.
In the form of zirconium silicate and zirconia, it can be used in ceramics, refractories and other fields. Only 3% -4% of zirconium ore is processed into metal zirconium (or zirconium sponge), and then further processed into various zirconium materials. Because metal zirconium has a small thermal neutron absorption cross section, metal zirconium has excellent nuclear properties. Nuclear-grade zirconium is used as a structural material for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and civil power reactors, and as a package for uranium fuel elements Shells etc. Nuclear-grade zirconium can be regarded as an important strategic metal of the country and is closely related to the development of the nuclear industry. As an active metal, zirconium will form an oxide film at room temperature. This oxide film makes zirconium and its alloys have excellent corrosion resistance. At the same time, zirconium has good mechanical and heat transfer properties, coupled with significant cost advantages, making it an excellent corrosion-resistant structural material in today's petrochemical industry.