The raw materials for the production of rhenium mainly come from the by-products of the molybdenum smelting process. Generally, the content of rhenium in molybdenite concentrate is between 0.001% and 0.031%. However, the molybdenum concentrate selected from porphyry copper ore contains rhenium up to 0.16%. In addition, some copper ore, platinum group metal ore, niobium ore, sphalerite smelting dust, slag and waste liquid of low-grade molybdenum ore treatment and rhenium-containing waste such as platinum-rhenium catalyst and rhenium-containing waste alloy can also be used as Raw material for rhenium production.

The extraction method of rhenium needs to be determined according to rhenium-containing raw materials and rhenium products. When extracting rhenium, the rhenium-containing solution is first prepared from the rhenium-containing raw material, and the solution is separated and purified to extract pure rhenium compounds, and then the rhenium powder is prepared by hydrogen reduction method, aqueous solution electrolysis method and halide thermal dissociation method, and then the powder metallurgy method is used. processed into material. The metallurgical process of rhenium extraction mainly includes the steps of preparation of rhenium-containing raw materials, separation of rhenium and molybdenum, preparation of rhenium intermediate compounds, preparation of crude rhenium powder, and refining and densification of rhenium.