LAUSR

Abstract In the current study, the possibility of incorporating molybdenum tailings into water storage materials was investigated. A new kind of water storage material was successfully prepared using molybdenum tailings as main raw material through foam molding and sintering. The water absorption, bulk density, compressive strength and water holding capacities of molybdenum tailings based water storage material (MTWSM) were tested. Crystal phase composition and microstructure of MTWSM were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the optimum firing temperature of the sample is 1050 °C, and the relative parameters are as follows: water absorption rate 50.34%; bulk density 0.67 g cm−3; compressive strength 1.0 Mpa and water holding capacity 72.16%. Sintered samples all contain quartz as major phase, anorthite and micro-plagioclase as minor phase, and hematite as trace phase. MTWSM exhibits a rough and loose porous structure which is beneficial for water storage capacity enhancement. In this study, an environmentally friendly, economical and promising approach for full utilization of molybdenum tailings was developed.