Patent ID: 7854908

Claim:
A method for the recovery of molybdenum from feedstock containing molybdenum comprising: heating and oxidizing the feedstock in a counter-rotating-vortex, entrained-flow reactor at a sufficiently high temperature within an oxidizing atmosphere to effect the oxidation of molybdenum species and sublimation of molybdenum trioxide; separating non-volatile materials from a vapor species in the effluent stream from the counter-rotating-vortex entrained-flow reactor with a high-temperature cyclone separator, yielding two separate streams with the first stream being non-volatile materials separated by the cyclone separator from a second stream which is a gaseous stream passing through the cyclone separator, said first stream yielding a first product comprised of non-volatile materials; quenching said second stream to yield a second product which is condensed molybdenum trioxide powder; and separating the second product from the gaseous stream.