Removal of tungsten and vanadium from molybdate solutions using ion exchange resin

The removal of tungsten (W) and vanadium (V) from molybdate solutions was studied using the poly hydroxyl chelating resin D403 in batch and column experiments. The batch experiments indicated that tungsten and vanadium could be preferentially adsorbed by the D403 resin for 4 h in molybdate solution at a pH of approximately 9.25. Separation factors, alpha(V)(Mo) and alpha(W)(Mo), were above 45 and 18, respectively, when the molar ratios of Mo/V and Mo/W in the solution exceeded 40. Elution tests illustrated that vanadium and tungsten could be easily eluted from the resin with 1 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution in only 1 h. To further explore the sorption mechanism of the resin, the experimental equilibrium isotherm data of the three metals fitted well with the Freundlich model. The column experiments confirmed the adaptability of the D403 resin in the production of sodium molybdate with a removal rate of tungsten surpassing 90% and that of vanadium of 99.4%.