Mo Recovery from Waste Hydrotreating Catalyst via Tributyl Phosphate

This study investigated the process of reclaiming Mo from calcined waste hydrotreating (CWHT) catalysts using tributyl phosphate (TBP) as an extractant with electron-withdrawing properties.Using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology, the optimal operating conditions for Mo recovery were determined based on the metal ion content in different processes.Considering the pH impact on metal species in solution, an acid leaching solution with 6 M sulfuric acid was employed.After 3 h of reaction, 94 wt% of the Mo was transferred from the WHT catalyst to the acid leaching solution.Adjusting the filtrate to a pH of 1.5 allowed the TBP to selectively extract over 98.8 wt% of Mo from the aqueous filter solution into the organic phase.MC-Cabe-Thiele theory predicts that a three-stage countercurrent extraction can reduce Mo to less than 0.2 wt%.Stripping moved approximately 98 wt% of the Mo from the organic to the inorganic phases.The recovered colorless organic tributyl phosphate can be used in the recycled extraction process.