Leachability of Molybdenum from Ternary Phosphate Glasses

With a view to use glasses as a source of molybdenum, which is one of the micronutrients required by plants, a systematic study of the leachability of molybdenum from ternary phosphate glasses having molar compositions of 25MoO₃-25X50P₂O_s (where X = Li₂O, Na₂O, K₂O, CaO, B₂O₃, or SiO₂) was carried out. Leaching of molybdenum ions has been studied as a function of pH, which shows that leaching increases with increasing pH of the solutions. The concentration of molybdenum ions in the leachate decreases with increasing bond strength between nonbridging oxygen ions and the cations in glasses. Leaching increases with an increase in leaching time and decreases with an increase in the particle sizes of the glasses. P₂O₅ was also leached along with MoO₃. The leaching characteristics of P₂O₅ from the glasses are also reported.