Optimizing Oxidative Roasting of Low-Grade Molybdenum Intermediates on Phase-Controlled Process Parameters
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Processing low-grade molybdenum intermediates demands oxidative-roasting regimes that maximize Mo recovery and resource efficiency. This work proposes a phase-oriented optimization approach for a 22.23% Mo intermediate, grounded in the multifactor Protodyakonov-Malyshev model and tabular nomographs as a practical parameter-selection tool. Control experiments varied temperature to 700 °C with roasting limited to 20 min and bed height to 0.010 m. Phase evolution during roasting and Mo recovery after alkaline leaching were quantified from integrated mineralogical-chemical data. A robust process window was identified at 550 °C, achieving 97% Mo recovery. Increasing temperature above 600 °C initiates a mechanism shift that forms MoO₂, reducing selectivity. Using the developed nomographs enables 20 min roasting while favoring MoO₃ formation (88%) and minimizing undesired phases, thereby improving overall resource efficiency for low-grade feed. The study’s novelty is the adaptation of the Protodyakonov-Malyshev model to phase-composition control during roasting, steering the transformation from MoS₂ to MoO₃, and proposing a resource-efficient alternative to conventional regimes by exploiting an exothermic reaction that supplies heat and requires no additional energy input. The results support the development of technological regulations, furnace design and operation, and industrial trials at copper-molybdenum plants for producing molybdenum products (CaMoO₄).
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