Analysis of the current state of molybdenum mineral and raw material base, mining and processing of molybdenum-containing ores
Molybdenum has a complex of practically significant properties and is widely used for alloying steels and cast irons, in the composition of alloys of various purposes, as well as a structural material in pure form. Molybdenum belongs to the group of rare metals, which causes the relevance of analytical research of the modern state of the mineral- raw material base of molybdenum, extraction and processing of molybdenum-containing ores. The results of analysis of the mineral-raw material base of molybdenum of foreign countries and Russia, assessment of prospects of its expansion are presented. The confirmed world molybdenum resources amount to 12 million tons, including domestic – 2 million tons. 75% of molybdenum reserves are concentrated in the USA, China, Chile, Peru and Canada. Description of the types of deposits of molybdenum, copper-molybdenum and molybdenum-tungsten ores, the main types of molybdenum minerals has been quoted. Methods of ore concentration of various composition for production of molybdenum concentrates, additional enrichment of molybdenum concentrate and industrial practice of molybdenum concentrate processing are considered. In terms of ore quality domestic and foreign raw material base of molybdenum are comparable. 63% of domestic production of molybdenum-containing ores is provided by OJSC “Sorsky GOK”, 33% – OJSC “Zhirekenskiy GOK”. These enterprises produce molybdenum concentrates of grades КМФ-5, КМФ-6, КМФ-7. Their production capacity is about 12 thousand tons of concentrate per year. Molybdenum concentrates are processed by pyro- and hydrometallurgical methods and are an industrial product for production of ferromolybdenum and its chemical compounds. The total capacity of molybdenum concentrate processing plants is 300 thousand tons per year.