Molybdenum in Mongolia?
What is Molybdenum? Who needs it?
Can we get it?

What is Molybdenum?

Molybdenum came from the Greek word metal "lead"

Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. It has the sixth-highest melting point of any element, and for this reason it is often used in high-strength steel alloys.

Molybdenum is found in trace amounts in plants and animals, although excess molybdenum can be toxic in some animals. Molybdenum was discovered in 1778 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele and first isolated in 1781 by Peter Jacob Hjelm.

Molybdenum is a transition metal with an electro negativity of 1.8 on the Pauling scale and an atomic mass of 95.9 g/mole.

It does not react with oxygen or water at room temperature. At elevated temperatures, molybdenum trioxide is formed in the reaction 2Mo + 3O2 → 2MoO3.

In its pure metal form, molybdenum is silvery white with a Mohs hardness of 5.5, though it is somewhat more ductile than tungsten. It has a melting point of 2623°C, and, of the metals, only tantalum, osmium, rhenium, and tungsten have higher melting points.

Molybdenum burns only at temperatures above 600°C.

It also has the lowest heating expansion of any commercially used metal.

Raw Molybdenum

Definition of Isotope:

Isotopes (Greek isos = "equal", tópos = "site, place") are any of the different types of atoms (Nuclides) of the same chemical element each having different atomic mass (mass number). Isotopes of an element have nuclei with the same number of protons (the same atomic number) but different numbers of neutrons.

Therefore, isotopes have different mass numbers, which give the total number of nucleons, the number of protons plus neutrons.

Isotopes of Molybdenum

There are 35 known isotopes of molybdenum ranging in atomic mass from 83 to 117, as well as four metastable nuclear isomers.

Seven isotopes occur naturally, with atomic masses of 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 100. Of these naturally occurring isotopes, five are stable, with atomic masses from 94 to 98. All unstable isotopes of molybdenum decay into isotopes of niobium, technetium, and ruthenium.

Molybdenum-92 and molybdenum-100 are the only naturally occurring isotopes that are not stable. Molybdenum-100 has a half-life of approximately 1×1019 y and undergoes double beta decay into ruthenium-100.

Molybdenum-98 is the most common isotope, comprising 24.14% of all molybdenum. Molybdenum isotopes with mass numbers from 111 to 117 all have half-lives of approximately .15 μs.

Where does all the Molybdenum Occurre?

This bubble map shows the global distribution of molybdenum output in 2005 as a percentage of the top producer (USA - 56,900 tonnes).

The world's largest producers of molybdenum materials are the United States, Canada, Chile, Russia, China and Mongolia.

Though molybdenum is found in such minerals as wulfenite (PbMoO4) and powellite (CaMoO4), the main commercial source of molybdenum is molybdenite (MoS2).

Molybdenum is mined as a principal ore, and is also recovered as a byproduct of copper and tungsten mining.

Large mines in Colorado (Climax) and in British Columbia yield molybdenite, while many porphyry copper deposits such as the Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile produce molybdenum as a byproduct of copper mining. The Knaben mine in southern Norway was opened in 1885, making it the first molybdenum mine. It remained open until 1973.

Molybdenum is the 42nd-most-abundant element in the universe, and the 25th-most-abundant element in Earth's oceans, with an average of 10.8 mt/km³.

The Russian Luna 24 mission discovered a single molybdenum-bearing grain (1 × 0.6 µm) in a pyroxene fragment taken from Mare Crisium on the Moon.

A side product of molybdenum mining is rhenium. As it is always present in small varying quantities in molybdenite, the only commercial source for rhenium is molybdenum mines.

Who needs Molybdenum?

The ability of molybdenum to withstand extreme temperatures without significantly expanding or softening makes it useful in applications that involve intense heat, including the manufacture of aircraft parts, electrical contacts, industrial motors, and filaments.

Molybdenum is also used in alloys for its high corrosion resistance and weldability. Most high-strength steel alloys are .25% to 8% molybdenum.

Despite being used in such small portions, more than 43 million kg of molybdenum is used as an alloying agent each year in stainless steels, tool steels, cast irons, and high-temperature super alloys.

Because of its lower density and more stable price, molybdenum is implemented in the place of tungsten.

Molybdenum can be implemented both as an alloying agent and as a flame-resistant coating for other metals. Although its melting point is 2,623 °C (4,753 °F), molybdenum rapidly oxidizes at temperatures above 760 °C (1,400 °F), making it better-suited for use in vacuum environments.

Molybdenum 99 is used as a parent radioisotope to the radioisotope Technetium-99, which is used in many medical procedures.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is used as a lubricant and an agent. It forms strong films on metallic surfaces, and is highly resistant to both extreme temperatures and high pressure, and for this reason, it is a common additive to engine motor oil; in case of a catastrophic failure, the thin layer of molybdenum prevents metal-on-metal contact.

Lead molybdate co-precipitated with lead chromate and lead sulfate is a bright-orange pigment used with ceramics and plastics.

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) is used as an adhesive between enamels and metals.

Molybdenum powder is used as a fertilizer for some plants, such as cauliflower.

Also used in NO, NO2, NOx analyzers in power plants for pollution controls. At 350 °C (662 °F) the element acts as a catalyst for NO2/NOx to form only NO molecules for consistent readings by infrared light.

Outlook on world molybdenum supply and demand

Although current molybdenum production meets demand, refiners, or roasters, are expected to run into a shortfall between 2009 and 2015, depending on demand.

A roaster processes the molybdenum into a fine powder, pellets, or other forms. Total world molybdenum roaster capacity is currently 320 million pounds per year, barely enough to meet demand. There is not much excess roasting capacity, and no one is actively permitting for the production of any new roasters in the United States.

Global roaster capacity also looks limited, and a future roaster shortage is predicted. The data above are based on the assumption that mines will be able to increase output.

Western demand is projected to increase by around 3 percent annually, while China and the CIS demand is projected to increase by around 10 percent annually, increasing overall global demand by around 4.5 percent annually. Increasing demand can be attributed to two main factors:

1. Hydro processing catalysts are becoming essential for crude oil.
2. The increase in nuclear reactor construction. 

Molybdenum production in Mongolia

Mongolia produce 8% of world total Molybdenum production in 2006.

New molybdenum mine has been discovered in Suhbaatar Province in Mongolia and current production of molybdenum concentrate is 100 tons per month. The mine is expected to produce 1,200 tons of molybdenum annually.

How to purchase Molybdenum Concentrate?

Biological role of Molybdenum

The most important use of the molybdenum atom in living organisms is as a metal hetero-atom at the active site in certain enzymes. In nitrogen fixation in certain bacteria, the nitrogenase enzyme which is involved in the terminal step of reducing molecular nitrogen, usually contains molybdenum in the active site (though replacement of Mo with iron or vanadium is known).

In March 2008, researchers reported that they had found strong evidence for the hypothesis that a scarcity of molybdenum in the earth's early oceans was a limiting factor in the further evolution of eukaryotic life (which includes all plants and animals) as eukaryotes cannot fix nitrogen and must acquire it from prokaryotic bacteria.[11,12,13] The scarcity of molybdenum resulted from the relative lack of oxygen in the early ocean. Oxygen dissolved in seawater is the primary mechanism for dissolving molybdenum from minerals on the sea bottom.

Though molybdenum forms compounds with various organic molecules, including carbohydrates and amino acids, it is transported throughout the human body as MoO42-.

Molybdenum is present in approximately 20 enzymes in animals, including aldehyde oxidase, sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase. In some animals, the oxidation of xanthine to uric acid, a process of purine catabolism, is catalyzed by xanthine oxidase, a molybdenum-containing enzyme. The activity of xanthine oxidase is directly proportional to the amount of molybdenum in the body.

However, an extremely high concentration of molybdenum reverses the trend, and can act as an inhibitor in both purine catabolism and other processes. Molybdenum concentrations also affect protein synthesis, metabolism, and growth. These enzymes in plants and animals catalyse the reaction of oxygen in small molecules, as part of the regulation of nitrogen-, sulfur- and carbon cycles.

In a 70 kg (150 lb) human body, there is approximately 9.3 mg molybdenum, comprising .00001% of the total body mass. It occurs in higher concentrations in the liver and kidneys, and in lower concentrations in the vertebrae. Molybdenum is also present within human tooth enamel and may help prevent the decaying thereof.

Pork, lamb, and beef liver each have approximately 1.5 parts molybdenum per million. Other significant dietary sources include green beans, eggs, sunflower seeds, wheat flour, lentils, and cereal grain.

The average daily intake of molybdenum is .3 mg. Acute toxicity hasn't been seen in humans, and the toxicity depends strongly on the chemical state.

Rats show LD50 as low as 180 mg/kg for some Mo compounds.

Molybdenum deficiency is not usually seen in healthy people. Sodium tungstate is a competitive inhibitor of molybdenum. Dietary tungsten reduces the concentration of molybdenum in tissues.

Precautions

Molybdenum dusts and fumes, as can be generated by mining or metalworking, are not toxic. There are no long-term effects associated with exposure to molybdenum; however, prolonged exposure can cause irritation to the eyes and skin. 

The direct inhalation or ingestion of molybdenum should also be avoided. OSHA regulations specify the maximum permissible molybdenum exposure in an 8-hour day to be 5 mg/m³. Chronic exposure to 60 to 600 mg Mo/m³ can cause symptoms including fatigue, headaches, and joint pains.

Need More information on Molybdenum?

Visit International Molybdenum Association - IMOA

Interested to buy Molybdenum from Mongolia?

Visit us here and send us your request.

Return from Molybdenum in Mongolia to Mongolia Economy.