Effect of H 2 O 2 and Ethylene Glycol on Molybdenite Dissolution in H 2 SO 4 Solution

The leaching behavior of molybdenite was investigated in H 2 O 2 –H 2 SO 4 solution in this paper. The results show that H 2 O 2 was an effective oxidant for molybdenite leaching, but it had fast decomposition kinetics. A final molybdenum extraction of 73.0% was obtained under the experimental conditions of 0.5 mol/L H 2 SO 4 , 0.5 mol/L H 2 O 2 , and the fresh H 2 O 2 addition enhanced molybdenum extraction from 73.0 to 94.5%. The leaching process was controlled by a mixture of surface reactions and diffusion, and the activation energy was 27.98 kJ/mol. Ethylene glycol enhanced molybdenum extraction and improved the stability of H 2 O 2 . Electrochemical studies suggested that the decomposition kinetics of H 2 O 2 was faster than that of molybdenite oxidation, and ethylene glycol enhanced recovery by increasing the resistance of H 2 O 2 decomposition and decreasing the resistance of molybdenite oxidation. XRD and XPS analysis confirmed that ethylene glycol did not alter the phase composition and the surface chemical statues of molybdenite.