Not all copper mining activity produces Rhenium as a by-product.
Rhenium is a rare, natural metal. The dense metal is a silvery white color and has the highest known melting point on Earth. It is used in alloy form in military rockets and in high-powered aerospace engines. Rhenium is commonly extracted from the earth as a by-product of copper mining. It is isolated through a process known as flue gas recovery, in which rhemium is converted to dust through a heating process.
Instructions
1. Place molybdenite into the molybdenum roaster with rhemium recovery capabilities. Heat the molybdenite. The oxygen-hungry nature of rhenium will cause it to move up the flue along with sulfur dioxide as the molybdenite burns.
2. Capture the sulfur dioxide. Spray the sulfur dioxide with water. Allow the sulfur dioxide to cool and dry.
3. Run the cool, dry sulfur dioxide that has been watered down through the catalytic converter. This will create sulfuric acid.
4. Wash the interior of the flue with aqueous ammonia solution and sulfuric acid. The rhenium dust on the interior of the flue will bond with the sulfuric acid. If this does not happen, then the rhenium will evaporate into the atmosphere.
