Molybdenum recovery from oxygen pressure water leaching residue of Ni-Mo ore

This article investigated molybdenum recovery from oxygen pressure water leaching residue of Ni-Mo ore using alkaline leaching, followed by chemical treatment of leach liquor. Parameters affecting Mo leaching rate, such as sodium hydroxide concentration, reaction time, a liquid-to-solid ratio, and temperature for the preliminary alkaline leaching were experimentally determined. The results showed that more than 88 % of molybdenum was leached under the optimum conditions (2.5 ml center dot g(-1) NaOH, 80 A degrees C, a liquid to solid ratio 3 ml center dot g(-1), and reaction time 3 h). After the purification of leach liquor, a CaMoO4 product of 99.2 % purity could be obtained by CaCl2 precipitation method. The whole Mo recovery reached about 82.7 %.