The extraordinary qualities of this chemical element combined with Molymet’s process expertise and efforts for sustainability put Molymet at the forefront of the energy transition and a greener future.
100th anniversary at North Sea Port
Molymet Belgium has had a long history with the processing of chemical compounds. Founded in Ghent on 31 March 1925, the company first focussed on the production of calcium carbide. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the company started producing iron alloys such as ferromanganese. “We started processing molybdenum in 1965, at first as the iron alloy ferromolybdenum,” says Nele Van Roey, CEO of Molymet Belgium. “We started producing RMC, or Roasted Molybdenum Concentrate, as of 1970. In 2003 the company was acquired by the Molymet Group – a Chilean company – and the processing of molybdenum and its byproducts have been our core business ever since. Our new roasting furnace was built in 2011 and expanded with two more floors in 2016. With its sixteen floors, it is the largest roasting furnace in the world. At full capacity it produces about 17,000t of molybdenum each year, making Molymet Belgium the European market leader.”
The qualities of molybdenum
Molybdenum is an essential trace element in plants, animals and humans. Although it doesn’t occur as a free element in nature, it is found in mineral ores where it is bound to carbon dioxide and sulphide. Once isolated through oxidation, molybdenum is used for several applications: as a pigment, in electronics, for chemical applications, and even as a micronutrient. When used in metal alloys, molybdenum makes the material lighter, harder, stronger, heat-resistant and corrosion-proof.
“These extraordinary qualities mean the demand for molybdenum and molybdenum alloys is ever increasing worldwide,” Nele Van Roey says. “At Molymet Belgium, we produce technical-grade molybdenum oxide. This is used mainly for high-quality steel products that need to be heat-resistant, corrosion-proof or strengthened for mechanical use. Molybdenum alloys are used, for example, in stainless steel, piping, equipment and bridges, or steel plates used for house numbers. As molybdenum is a light element, it is also often added to construction materials as it strengthens the material. Furthermore, it is used for medical utensils and implants because of its anti-allergenic properties. For this same reason, molybdenum is used as a substitute for nickel in metals for jewellery and piercings.”
“The molybdenum for chemical applications and electronics is produced by the Molymet Group as well,” she adds. “This is a more purified product. One interesting application of this chemical-grade molybdenum, for instance, is your smartphone: the adhesive spray between the touchscreen of your smartphone and the actual phone itself contains high levels of molybdenum trioxide.”
RMC and FeMo
“Our roasting furnace at North Sea Port produces molybdenum oxide, or Roasted Molybdenum Concentrate (RMC), with which we create three molybdenum end products for our customers,” Nele Van Roey explains. “The Roasted Molybdenum Concentrate is sold both as a powder as well as pressed in briquettes to avoid dust formation and product loss. In addition, we use our RMC to produce ferromolybdenum (FeMo), a metal alloy with at least 65% molybdenum. This ferromolybdenum is produced in large blocks which are then crushed into various fraction sizes convenient for our customers.
“Our feedstock is molybdenite, which is the mineral molybdenum disulfide. We receive molybdenite from ores all over the world, but mainly from the US and Chile where it is found as a byproduct of copper ores. The mountain ranges stretching from the north to the south of the American continent – the Rocky Mountains and the Andes – are full of these ores. The copper and molybdenum fractions are separated already at the mines, so the ores we receive already contain a high concentration of molybdenum. We do, however, have the possibility to separate copper from molybdenite at our site, should this become necessary. This leaching installation is on standby and will only be used when needed by the market.” “Our roasting furnace heats these fractions of molybdenum disulfide to 600°C to 700°C as they slowly pass through all 16 floors of the roasting furnace, while adding certain amounts of oxygen. This process takes the carbon dioxide and sulphur out of the metal. This is necessary as these elements create weak spots in the metal. Additionally, the sulphur that is released during this process is recovered and turned into liquid sulphuric acid, which we sell as a byproduct of our molybdenum production.”
Sulphuric acid and a circular economy
“We have been focussing on recycling our waste streams and a circular production process for a long time,” Nele Van Roey states. “We started producing sulphuric acid in 1989, following the VLAREM II environmental legislation. This installation was meant primarily to reduce emissions of our roasting process by recovering the sulphur from the flue gasses. Over the years, our installation was optimised and now converts 99% of the sulphur from the flue gasses into liquid sulphuric acid. Since
this installation always runs together with the roasting furnace, we produce 39,000t (maximum) of sulphuric acid each year, which can be used in chemical applications such as wastewater treatment. The sulphuric acid we produce is sold exclusively to our neighbouring North Sea Port company PVS Chemicals.”
Rhenium and other byproducts.
“Aside from the sulphuric acid, this installation also recovers other elements from the flue gasses from the roasting furnace.” Nele Van Roey says. “Another important byproduct we recover is rhenium, a very rare metal which is an impurity in the molybdenum ores. The rhenium we produce is sold exclusively to our parent company Molymet, which further purifies the rhenium. This valuable metal is used in small quantities in aerospace applications such as aeroplane engines, as it has extraordinary resistance to heat and corrosion.
“We try to recover all byproducts from all our production processes and where possible recycle them as useful feedstock for other applications. From the production of our ferromolybdenum blocks, we recover large amounts of slag, which is crushed into sand used for concrete and asphalt. We recuperate as much molybdenum as possible from our waste streams, and we have a water filtering system that selectively extracts this molybdenum and other impurities, such as selenium, for reuse.”
Sustainable at heart
“Molybdenum is a very important element in the green transition,” Nele Van Roey states. “It is used for the refining of biofuels and it makes materials lighter, harder and stronger, which means less material and energy is needed to build a solid structure. Molybdenum is also used for the construction of wind turbines and thin-film solar panels. Furthermore, the process of isolating molybdenum out of the ores is in itself energy-efficient, as it is an exothermic reaction.” She explains, “The reaction is ignited at the top level of the roasting furnace, but after that, it generates enough heat to become self-sustaining. Sometimes we even have to cool so that the temperature in the oven does not exceed 700°C. Only at the bottom level of the furnace, we give it another blast to evaporate all remaining impurities from the molybdenum oxide.”
“However, as a company, we still want to do more. Molymet is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For Molymet Belgium this translates, amongst other things, into our mission of becoming a 100% CO2-neutral plant by 2030. We want to plant 10ha of green area on our site and in our neighbourhood. We aim to decrease our water use and increase water reuse. We have installed 466 solar panels on our warehouses’ roofs and plan to install more in the next few years. Moreover, we have installed a wind turbine on our terrain in cooperation with Luminus – constructed, incidentally, with 400kg of molybdenum – that produces 8,000MWh per year, supplying 80% of current electricity needs.”
Job opportunities
Molymet Belgium is situated in North Sea Port in Ghent on a terrain of 40,240m². In addition to the offices, industrial installations and storage warehouses, the site also houses several laboratories where quality controls of all products are performed daily. “Furthermore, we have a dedicated laboratory for the continuous improvement of the products and alloys we produce,” Nele Van Roey adds. “We currently employ 160 people, but we are always looking for talented employees. Like most companies in North Sea Port, we especially need technical profiles such as technicians, mechanics or electricians. Do you want to work with the largest roast furnace in the world? Does working at a company that is sustainable in heart and soul inspire you? Do you wish to contribute to the energy transition? Then we encourage you to apply!”
