Recebido em 10/5/12; aceito em 26/11/12; publicado na web em 4/4/13 Spent oxidized (500 o C, 5 h) commercial NiW/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were processed using two different routes: a) fusion with NaOH (650 o C, 1 h), the roasted mass was leached in water; b) leaching with HCl or H 2 SO 4 (70 o C, 1-3 h). HCl was the best leachant. In both routes, soluble tungsten was extracted at pH 1 with Alamine 336 (10 vol.% in kerosene) and stripped with 2 mol L -1 NH 4 OH (25 o C, one stage, aqueous/organic ratio = 1 v/v). Tungsten was isolated as ammonium paratungstate at very high yield (> 97.5%). The elements were better separated using the acidic route.