MSP-REFRAM Coordination and Support Action (CSA) This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 688993. Start date : 2015-12-01 Duration : 19 Months State of the art on the recovery of refractory metals from primary resources Authors : Pr. Jason YANG (GTK) David Arcos (AMPHOS21), Florent Bourgeois (LGC), Kathy Bru (BRGM), Antti Häkkinen (LUT), Eugen Andreiadis and Daniel Meyer (CEA), Quentin Bellier (ERAMET), Hans-Jörg Bart (UNIKL), Sami Virolainen (LUT), Jean-Marie Lambert (ERAMET), Katarzyna Leszczynska-Sejda and Witold Kurylak (IMN), Lena Sundqvist and Guozhu Ye (MEFOS), Yiongxiang Yang (TUDELFT) MSP-REFRAM - D2.2 - Issued on 2016-05-06 13:29:02 by GTK MSP-REFRAM - D2.2 - Issued on 2016-05-06 13:29:02 by GTK MSP-REFRAM - Contract Number: 688993 Multi-Stakeholder Platform for a Secure Supply of Refractory Metals in Europe Document title State of the art on the recovery of refractory metals from primary resources Pr. Jason YANG David Arcos (AMPHOS21), Florent Bourgeois (LGC), Kathy Bru (BRGM), Antti Häkkinen (LUT), Eugen Andreiadis and Daniel Meyer (CEA), Quentin Bellier (ERAMET), Author(s) Hans-Jörg Bart (UNIKL), Sami Virolainen (LUT), Jean-Marie Lambert (ERAMET), Katarzyna Leszczynska-Sejda and Witold Kurylak (IMN), Lena Sundqvist and Guozhu Ye (MEFOS), Yiongxiang Yang (TUDELFT) Number of pages 112 Document type Deliverable Work Package WP2 Document number D2.2 Issued by GTK Date of completion 2016-05-06 13:29:02 Dissemination level Public Summary State of the art on the recovery of refractory metals from primary resources The mining and mines of refractory metals, tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium and rhenium in Europe and the world are described and the existing technologies of mining, mineral processing and extractive metallurgy (hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy) are reviewed on recovery of refractory metals from primary resources. Based on metal type the document is assigned into five chapters : Chapter 1 Tungsten, Chapter 2 Tantalum, Chapter 3 Molybdenum, Chapter 4 Niobium and Chapter 5 Rhenium. The mining and mineral processing technologies of niobium and tantalum are jointly introduced in Chapter 2 Tantalum because of the co-occurrence of two metals. Approval Date By 2016-05-06 13:29:56 Pr. Jason YANG (GTK) 2016-05-09 10:38:02 Mr. BOURG STéPHANE (CEA) MSP-REFRAM - D2.2 - Issued on 2016-05-06 13:29:02 by GTK STATE OF THE ART ON THE RECOVERY OF REFRACTORY METALS FROM PRIMARY RESOURCES MSP-REFRAM D2.2 April 2016 Jason Yang, Tuomo Sainio Contributors MINING: Jason Yang, GTK (W, Mo, Re) ; David Arcos, AMPHOS21 (Ta, Nb) MINERAL PROCESSING : Florent Bourgeois, LGC (Ta, Nb); Kathy Bru, BRGM (W) ; Jason Yang, GTK (W, Mo), Antti Häkkinen, LUT (Mo) EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY : Hydro-metallurgy: Eugen Andreiadis and Daniel Meyer, CEA (Ta, Nb) ; Quentin Bellier, ERAMET (Ta, Nb) ; Hans-Jörg Bart, UNIKL (W, Mo) ; Tuomo Sainio and Sami Virolainen, LUT (Mo, Re) Pyro-metallurgy: Jean-Marie Lambert, ERAMET (Ta, Nb) ; Katarzyna Leszczynska-Sejda and Witold Kurylak, IMN (Re) ; Lena Sundqvist and Guozhu Ye, MEFOS (W, Mo) ; Yiongxiang Yang, TUDELFT (Mo) MSP-REFRAM D2.2 – State of the art on the recovery of REFM (Primary resources) 1 CONTENT INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 1 TUNGSTEN ............................................................................................................................................ 6 General flowsheet of production ........................................................................................................................ 6 Mining ................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Ore deposit types ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Tungsten mines in Europe and the world ....................................................................................................... 7 Mining technology ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Mineral processing ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Beneficiation of tungsten ores ...................................................................................................................... 17 Case studies................................................................................................................................................... 20 EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY ................................................................................................................................ 22 Hydro-metallurgy .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Pyro-metallurgy ............................................................................................................................................. 24 References......................................................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 2 TANTALUM ......................................................................................................................................... 32 Mining ............................................................................................................................................................... 32 Nb-Ta mineral deposits ................................................................................................................................. 32 Nb-Ta mining in the world ............................................................................................................................ 32 Mining Technology ........................................................................................................................................ 33 Nb-Ta mining in Europe................................................................................................................................. 34 Mineral Processing ............................................................................................................................................ 38 Extractive Metallurgy ........................................................................................................................................ 41 Hydro-metallurgy .......................................................................................................................................... 41 Pyro-metallurgy ............................................................................................................................................. 46 References......................................................................................................................................................... 47 MSP-REFRAM D2.2 – State of the art on the recovery of REFM (Primary resources) 3 CHAPTER 3 MOLBDENUM ..................................................................................................................................... 49 Mining ............................................................................................................................................................... 49 Molybdenum mines in the world .................................................................................................................. 49 Mining technology ........................................................................................................................................ 56 Mineral Processing ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Processing of primary molybdenum ores ..................................................................................................... 60 Processing of secondary molybdenum ores ................................................................................................. 61 Case studies................................................................................................................................................... 64 Extractive Metallurgy ........................................................................................................................................ 66 Hydro-metallurgy .......................................................................................................................................... 67 Pyro-metallurgy ............................................................................................................................................. 74 Summary of hydrometallurgical processing .................................................................................................. 83 References......................................................................................................................................................... 83 CHAPTER 4 NIOBIUM ............................................................................................................................................ 90 Mining and Mineral Processing ........................................................................................................................