Transition metal with various properties

New molybdenum plant in Mejillones/Chile

Quelle/Source: Codelco

1 Luftaufnahme vom Seehafen Mejillones • Aerial view of the maritime port of Mejillones

Quelle/Source: Codelco

2 Rodrigo Toro, Vizepräsident Marketing von Codelco und Atsushi Ito, Marketingvertreter von Codelco in Japan auf der Baustelle • Rodrigo Toro, VP of Marketing for Codelco and Atsushi Ito, Codelco marketing representative in Japan at the building site

Quelle/Source: Codelco

3 Luftaufnahme der Molybdänanreicherungsanlage von Andina • Aerial view of molybdenite concentration plant in the locality of Andina

Quelle/Source: Codelco

4 Luftaufnahme Bergwerk Teniente • Aerial view of the Teniente mine

Quelle/Source: Codelco

5 Verschiffung des aufbereiteten Materials vom Seehafen Mejillones • Shipment of the processed material from the maritime port of Mejillones

Quelle/Source: Codelco

Luftaufnahme Bergwerk Andina • Aerial view of the Andina mine

Quelle/Source: Codelco

Summary: Codelco, the National Copper Corporation of Chile, will invest 400 million US$ to build a new industrial processing plant for molybdenum, with which it hopes to strengthen its position as one of the major molybdenum producers in the world. In 2011 Codelco sold 22 800 t of this metal, which is primarily used for steel hardening (source: //www.mining.com" target="_blank" >www.mining.com:www.mining.com).

The new molybdenum processing facility will be built on a 20 ha plot of land in the port of Mejillones, in the Province of Antofagasta (Fig. 1). There are another 20 ha adjacent to the new facility for stockpiling solid waste. The new molybdenum processing facility will process 16 000 tons of molybdenum trioxide as of 2015. The products and byproducts produced by the facility will be: commercial grade molybdenum oxide (MoO), ferro molybdenum (FeMo), rhenium (Re), copper cement and 98 % sulfuric acid.

Japan is currently the largest consumer of molybdenum and played an important part in securing...