Separation of Molybdenum (VI) and Tungsten (VI) from Sulfuric Acid Solution by Ion Exchange with TEVA Resin

In order to develop a process for the separation of small amount of tungsten from macro amount of molybdenum, the selective loading of tungsten over molybdenum from sulfuric acid solution was investigated by ion exchange with TEVA resin. The separation factor between tungsten and molybdenum depended strongly on the equilibrium pH and tungsten concentration. A separation factor of 28 was obtained at an optimum condition. The loading behavior of tungsten into the resin fitted well with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the loading capacity for tungsten was determined. H2SO4 solution was more effective than NaOH solution as an eluent.