The effect of anionic impurities on the sorption extraction of molybdenum from leaching solutions

Abstract

Molybdenum is one of the most important uranium-related metals. In the ores of many deposits, the molybdenum content is comparable to the uranium content. The processing of complex uranium-molybdenum ores is based on the methods of acid and soda autoclave leaching, in which uranium and molybdenum pass into solution. At the present time, the associated extraction of molybdenum by the sorption method has been developed and introduced. In this case, the capacity of ion exchangers with respect to uranium and molybdenum substantially depends on the salt composition of the medium. The aim of this work is to study the sorption of molybdenum from a carbonate leach solution on BD-301G-I anion exchange resin in the presence of the most common anionic impurities in industrial solutions. Studies of the sorption capacity of anion exchange resin with respect to molybdenum were carried out under static conditions with stirring of the solution with the sorbent during eight hours. Sorption of molybdenum was carried out from carbonate solutions with the corresponding given concentrations of impurity components. According to the results of studies, it was found that, according to the strength of the depressing effect, the considered anions arranged in the following row: S2O32- > NO3- > Cl- > SO42- > HCO3- > CO32- > PO43-. The results of this study can be used to further study the sorption of molybdenum from real industrial solutions of carbonate leaching.