Molybdenum Metallurgy Review: Hydrometallurgical Routes to Recovery of Molybdenum from Ores and Mineral Raw Materials

With the vigorously growing demand of the steel industry, oil and gas industry, corrosion resistance alloys, cast iron, and catalyst industries, high-grade molybdenum ores are being exhausted gradually in the world. Thus, much attention have been drawn to the recovery of molybdenum from low-grade molybdenum ores in recent years. With the increasingly stringent environmental requirements, the shortcomings due to SO₂ emission in the roasting process of traditional technology becomes obvious. This review outlines metallurgical processes for molybdenum production from various resources, particularly focusing on recent developments in direct hydrometallurgical and recovery processes to identify potential sources of molybdenum products and by-products such as uranium which can be economically produced.

Several methods have been extensively reviewed for molybdenum separation and purification from solution which are potentially applicable to leach solutions of molybdenum ores and raw materials. The main methods include solvent extraction, ion exchange, membrane-based separation, and precipitation. Solvent extraction is highly selective for recovery of molybdenum and the most promising method recommended for future research and development. Membrane-based separation is the next preferred method for selective extraction of molybdenum, purification of molybdenum solutions, or co-recovery of other valuable metals. Ion exchange offers useful means for purification and/or co-recovery of other base metal impurities, although the scale of application of ion exchange in the industry is limited.