# Molybdenum: Emissions

Why molybdenum's footprint varies fivefold

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/emissions/

Why molybdenum's footprint varies fivefold What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 5.70 t CO2e per t range 5-25 per t Mo (3.2-14.8 per t of 60% FeMo) · cradle-to-gate; 5.7 is the ecoinvent-based global average per kg Mo; the range spans a copper by-product case (low) to a primary mine case (high) for ferromolybdenum Global emissions per year 1.50 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 5.7 t CO2e/t x 260,000 t Mo (derived); 1.4-6.4 Mt on the 5-25 t range

Per t of molybdenum contained (cradle-to-gate; ferromolybdenum basis in the phase data). Intensity: Nuss & Eckelman 2014 (indicative); J. Sustainable Metallurgy 2020, FeMo process model. Global total: USGS MCS 2026; derived.

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | 0.46-12.06 t CO2e/t FeMo, 14-81% of the total | – | diesel for mining low-grade porphyry ore, grinding and flotation power | The primary-mine case has the highest share (81%), mostly diesel; by-product supply carries only a share of copper mining emissions under allocation rules | J. Sustainable Metallurgy 2020 |
| **Refining / processing** | roasting near zero direct fuel in ideal conditions; smelting emissions mostly from FeSi, aluminium and lime inputs | – | upstream ferrosilicon and aluminium reductants (over 73% of smelting emissions), furnace electricity | Roasting MoS2 releases SO2, which is captured as sulphuric acid at modern roasters | J. Sustainable Metallurgy 2020 |
| **Movement** | less than 6% of the total | – | trucking and shipping concentrate to roasters and FeMo to steel mills | The smallest stage in the FeMo model | J. Sustainable Metallurgy 2020 |
| **Usage** | not applicable | – | No direct emissions in use; the metal sits inside steel or alloys for decades. | Mo enables lighter high-strength steel, corrosion-proof plant and refinery hydrodesulphurisation catalysts that cut SO2 from fuels | content_v2 uses |
| **Recycling / end of life** | lower than primary (no sourced figure) | – | remelting alloy, stainless and superalloy scrap; reprocessing spent catalysts | Recycled Mo may be up to 30% of US apparent supply, and EU end-of-life recycling input is 30% | USGS MCS 2026; EU CRM 2023 |

#### Other environmental impacts

Large porphyry mines create tailings dams and use much water in arid Chile and Peru; roasters must control SO2 (indicative).

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Electrify mine haulage and use renewable power at Andean mines; diesel drives the high-emission primary case
- Recover more by-product molybdenite at copper mines, which carries a smaller allocated footprint
- Lower-carbon ferrosilicon and aluminium reductants for FeMo smelting (over 73% of smelting emissions)
- Raise scrap and spent catalyst recycling (30% EU end-of-life input)

#### India

India has no molybdenum mining and imports oxide and ferromolybdenum for its steel and stainless industry, so its footprint is embodied in imports from China, Chile and Korea; no Indian volume was found (USGS; content_v2).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/molybdenum/links/index.md)