Recovery of molybdenum from molybdenum ore with a high content of carbon by separating carbon from sulfur

The study was aimed to recover molybdenum minerals from molybdenum ore with a high content of carbon by flotation process. The material belonged to a kind of refractory molybdenum ore from which molybdenum minerals could not be extracted effectively using traditional beneficiation and metallurgy, because of their similar floatability between carbon minerals and molybdenite and complex intergrowth. Based on the research on the properties of the material and lots of experiments, the carbon-molybdenum bulk flotation experiment was firstly carried out to concentrate molybdenum, and then some potassium permanganate and lime were added in carbon-molybdenum bulk flotation products to inhibit sulfide minerals along with appropriate air agitation. Under such a condition, the floatability of sulfide minerals was weakened and carbon was separated from sulfur. Then carbon concentrate and sulfur concentrate were used to extract molybdenum through metallurgy respectively.