Extraction of molybdenum and nickel from Ni-Mo ore by acid leaching combined with chlorate oxidation and phosphate complexation

The extraction of molybdenum and nickel from Ni-Mo ore was attempted using oxidation complexation acid leaching. The effects of leaching temperature, leaching time, concentration of sodium chlorate and hydrochloric acid as well as sodium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaching of nickel and molybdenum were investigated. The addition of phosphate anion can react with molybdenum and form Standberg type phosphomolybdic heteropoly acid, which can improve the leaching of molybdenum. 98.5% of molybdenum and 95.0% of nickel can be leached at a leaching temperature of 90 °C for a leaching time of 3 h with hydrochloric acid concentration of 2.4 mol/L, sodium chlorate concentration of 1.88 mol/L and sodium dihydrogen phosphate concentration of 1.8 mol/L.