The Study of Mo Occurrence State in a New Type of Molybdenum Deposit and Its Influence on Mineral Processing

The ore property of Wuliping molybdenum polymetallic deposit in northwest Guizhou is complex, while the recovery index of molybdenum is not ideal. The means of mineral automatic analysis system (BPMA), electron probe micro analysis (EPMA) and chemical phase analysis has been utilized to study ore property and Mo occurrence state in the ore. The results show that molybdenum mainly exists in the form of independent mineral such as Wulfenite and Molybdenite; while 32.37% of Mo exists in limonite as well as 12.03% exists in kaolinite in the form of adsorption. This part of molybdenum is difficult to recover by beneficiation, and needs to be utilized by hydrometallurgical process. However, the cost of molybdenum recovery from limonite by hydrometallurgical process is too high and economically infeasible. Molybdenum adsorbed in kaolinite can be recovered by acid leaching or alkali leaching process. The discovery of this adsorbed molybdenum deposit is the first case in nature, which will enrich the prospecting theory in this area and lay a foundation for the optimal utilization of molybdenum resources.