Elimination of iron in molybdenum concentrate via vacuum chlorination

Due to the great affinity and the similarity of the physical performance of iron and molybdenum disulfide in the concentrate, it is difficult to affect the removal and separation of iron during the procession of molybdenum concentrate. The application of molybdenum disulfide two-dimensional layered materials is seriously restricted by the relatively high content of iron. Considering the direct purification of MoS2, vacuum chlorination roasting for decreasing iron of molybdenum concentrate is proposed. Thermodynamics of iron removal by vacuum chlorination roasting is analyzed. FeS can be chloridized into FeCl2, which volatilizes easily by solid chlorination agent in vacuum. The experimental results showed that the iron content decreased to 0.43% at 1223 K and P ∼1 Pa for 60 min, and the Fe content was reduced to 0.082% after acid washing, with a removal rate of 94.2%. which offers a novel way to replace the conventional method for elimination of iron sulfide in molybdenum ore. Possible separation mechanism of iron sulfide is also discussed in this work.