The article describes the technology of molybdic acid recovery from spent petrochemical catalysts (HDS) developed and implemented in industrial activity. HDS catalysts contain molybdenum in the form of MoO3 and are used for the hydrodesulfurization of petroleum products. After deactivation, due to the impurities content in the form of sulfur, carbon and heavy metals, they constitute hazardous waste and, at the same time, a valuable source of the Mo element, recognized as a critical raw material. The presented technology allows the recovery of molybdic acid with a yield of min. 81%, and the product contains min. 95% H2MoO4. The technology consisted of oxidizing roasting of the spent catalyst, then leaching molybdenum trioxide with aqueous NaOH to produce water-soluble sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4), and finally precipitation of molybdenum using aqueous HCl, as molybdic acid (H2MoO4). Industrial-scale testing proved that the technology could recover Mo from the catalyst and convert it into marketable molybdic acid. This proves that the technology can be effectively used to preserve molybdenum.
Keywords: hydrodesulfurization; metal recovery; molybdenum; spent catalyst.