Method of recovering molybdenum oxide

US4379127A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• GfE Gesellschaft fur Elektrometallurgie mbH · DE

Inventors

• Gunter Bauer · Sulzbach-Rosenberg, DE
• Joachim Eckert · Bad Harzburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 5, 1981
• Grant date: Apr 5, 1983
• Expiry date: Oct 5, 2001

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C01P2006/82
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method of recovering molybdenum oxide by oxidation of a molybdenum sulfide concentrate contaminated with impurities wherein the concentrate in an average particle size in the range of 20 to 90 microns is suspended to form an aqueous suspension which is oxidized at elevated temperature and an elevated oxygen partial pressure in an autoclave. The suspension withdrawn from the autoclave is subjected to filtration to remove the molybdenum oxide from the primary filtrate containing sulfuric acid and this filtrate is neutralized with lime to form calcium sulfate which is then removed from the suspension to provide a second filtrate. According to the invention, only this second filtrate is recirculated at a rate such that the suspension density in the oxidation stage is between 100 to 150 g of solids per liter and this suspension density is maintained in the oxidation stage by the recirculation.