Molybdenum is a crucial strategic resource that plays an indispensable role in modern industry.In order to extract high-purity molybdenum from molybdenum ore, the entire beneficiation process can be considered complex. Below, we will explore the various stages in this process.

一、Initial crushing stage

     This is the first step in molybdenum ore beneficiation, which involves using mechanical means such as jaw crushers and cone crushers to break down the extracted raw molybdenum ore into smaller particles, laying the foundation for subsequent processing.

二、Grinding stage

      Grinding is an important step after crushing, which involves further refining the already crushed molybdenum ore to ensure that the molybdenum mineral and associated gangue can be fully dissociated.

三、Graded cleaning stage

      Graded cleaning refers to the process of grading and cleaning the particle size of the slurry after grinding. It can separate coarse and fine particles in the slurry and use washing water to remove mud and other fine-grained gangue attached to the mineral surface.The effectiveness of graded cleaning is directly related to the success or failure of subsequent flotation operations, as well as the quality of the final molybdenum concentrate.

四、Pre-sorting for discard stage

      Pre-sorting for discard stage is the process of preprocessing molybdenum ores with lower grades. This process utilizes the differences in surface physical properties between molybdenum minerals and gangue, and identifies and separates them,for example, after optoelectronic intelligent sorting by Mingde AI optoelectronic sorting machine,the grade of molybdenum mineral get improved well  for flotation separation stage.

五、Flotation separation stage 

       Flotation is one of the core steps in molybdenum ore beneficiation. By adding flotation reagents to the pulp and aerating and stirring, molybdenum minerals are attached to bubbles and floated to the pulp surface to form a foam layer, while gangue and other useless minerals are retained in the pulp. During the flotation process, the selection and dosage of reagents, as well as the specific flotation process (such as preferential flotation, mixed flotation followed by separation, etc.), must be determined based on the specific properties of the ore to ensure the highest molybdenum recovery rate and concentrate grade.

六、Dehydration treatment stage

      The molybdenum concentrate obtained through flotation contains a large amount of moisture, so dehydration treatment is necessary for the storage and transportation of the concentrate. Dehydration is generally achieved through methods such as concentration, filtration, and drying. 

七、Purification of molybdenum concentrate

    Molybdenum concentrate purification is aimed at further improving the purity of molybdenum concentrate, usually using chemical or physical methods to remove impurities from the concentrate. Chemical purification methods may include steps such as leaching, purification, and precipitation, while physical purification methods may involve reselection, magnetic separation, or electrostatic selection. The purified molybdenum concentrate has higher purity and is more suitable for further smelting and refining.

八、Smelting and Refining

     The final step is to convert the purified molybdenum concentrate into metallic molybdenum or molybdenum alloy. This can be achieved through pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy. Fire smelting involves steps such as roasting, reduction, and melting, while wet smelting uses chemical reagents to react with molybdenum in molybdenum concentrate to produce soluble molybdenum salts, which are then extracted through electrolysis or precipitation. The refining stage is to further purify the obtained metal molybdenum or molybdenum alloy after smelting to meet various application needs.

     In summary, the beneficiation of molybdenum ore is a complex process that involves multiple steps and interdisciplinary approaches. Each step requires a high level of professional knowledge and technical support to ensure the final production of high-quality molybdenum products.