Recovery of iron from high phosphorus oolitic iron ore using coal-based reduction followed by magnetic separation

Oolitic iron ore is one of the most important iron resources. This paper reports the recovery of iron from high phosphorus oolitic iron ore using coal-based reduction and magnetic separation. The influences of reduction temperature, reduction time, C/O mole ratio, and CaO content on the metallization degree and iron recovery were investigated in detail. Experimental results show that reduced products with the metallization degree of 95.82% could be produced under the optimal conditions (i.e., reduction temperature, 1250℃; reduction time, 50 min; C/O mole ratio, 2.0; and CaO content, 10wt%). The magnetic concentrate containing 89.63wt% Fe with the iron recovery of 96.21% was obtained. According to the mineralogical and morphologic analysis, the iron minerals had been reduced and iron was mainly enriched into the metallic iron phase embedded in the slag matrix in the form of spherical particles. Apatite was also reduced to phosphorus, which partially migrated into the metallic iron phase.     

Isothermal reduction of titanomagnetite concentrates containing coal

The isothermal reduction of the Panzhihua titanomagnetite concentrates (PTC) briquette containing coal under argon atmosphere was investigated by thermogravimetry in an electric resistance furnace within the temperature range of 1250–1350℃. The samples reduced in argon at 1350℃ for different time were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Model-fitting and model-free methods were used to evaluate the apparent activation energy of the reduction reaction. It is found that the reduction rate is very fast at the early stage, and then, at a later stage, the reduction rate becomes slow and decreases gradually to the end of the reduction. It is also observed that the reduction of PTC by coal depends greatly on the temperature. At high temperatures, the reduction degree reaches high values faster and the final value achieved is higher than at low temperatures. The final phase composition of the reduced PTC-coal briquette consists in iron and ferrous-pseudobrookite (FeTi₂O₅), while Fe_2.75Ti_0.25O₄, Fe_2.5Ti_0.5O₄, Fe_2.25Ti_0.75O₄, ilmenite (FeTiO₃) and wustite (FeO) are intermediate products. The reaction rate is controlled by the phase boundary reaction for reduction degree less than 0.2 with an apparent activation energy of about 68 kJ·mol?1 and by three-dimensional diffusion for reduction degree greater than 0.75 with an apparent activation energy of about 134 kJ·mol?1. For the reduction degree in the range of 0.2–0.75, the reaction rate is under mixed control, and the activation energy increases with the increase of the reduction degree.     

Thermodynamic analysis of the carbothermic reduction of a high-phosphorus oolitic iron ore by FactSage

A thermodynamic analysis of the carbothermic reduction of high-phosphorus oolitic iron ore (HPOIO) was conducted by the FactSage thermochemical software. The effects of temperature, C/O ratio, additive types, and dosages both on the reduction of fluorapatite and the formation of liquid slag were studied. The results show that the minimum thermodynamic reduction temperature of fluorapatite by carbon decreases to about 850°C, which is mainly ascribed to the presence of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Fe. The reduction rate of fluorapatite increases and the amount of liquid slag decreases with the rise of C/O ratio. The reduction of fluorapatite is hindered by the addition of CaO and Na₂CO₃, thereby allowing the selective reduction of iron oxides upon controlled C/O ratio. The thermodynamic results obtain in the present work are in good agreement with the experimental results available in the literatures.     

Numerical simulation of the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace for zinc-containing metallurgical dust treatment

A mathematical model was established to describe the direct reduction of pellets in a rotary hearth furnace (RHF). In the model, heat transfer, mass transfer, and gas-solid chemical reactions were taken into account. The behaviors of iron metallization and dezincification were analyzed by the numerical method, which was validated by experimental data of the direct reduction of pellets in a Si-Mo furnace. The simulation results show that if the production targets of iron metallization and dezincification are up to 80% and 90%, respectively, the furnace temperature for high-temperature sections must be set higher than 1300℃. Moreover, an undersupply of secondary air by 20% will lead to a decline in iron metallization rate of discharged pellets by 10% and a decrease in dezincing rate by 13%. In addition, if the residence time of pellets in the furnace is over 20 min, its further extension will hardly lead to an obvious increase in production indexes under the same furnace temperature curve.     

钒钛磁铁矿含碳球团还原的影响因素

通过单因素实验考察了还原温度、还原时间及碳氧摩尔比（nC/nO）对钒钛磁铁矿含碳球团还原的影响,结合扫描电镜照片解释了钒钛磁铁矿的还原机理.实验结果表明,适当升高还原温度、延长还原时间及增加碳氧摩尔比均可以促进钒钛磁铁矿的还原,并且金属化率随还原温度的升高先急剧升高而后趋于平缓,随着还原时间的延长及碳氧摩尔比的增加而先升高后降低,而残碳量随着反应的进行不断降低.当还原温度为1350℃,还原时间为30 min,碳氧摩尔比为1.2时,球团的金属化率达到最大值.通过扫描电镜照片可以看出,球团在还原过程中形成了铁连晶,并且在不同的还原条件下铁连晶的大小及形态不同.     

Formation and characterization of metallic iron grains in coal-based reduction of oolitic iron ore

To reveal the formation and characteristics of metallic iron grains in coal-based reduction, oolitic iron ore was isothermally reduced in various reduction times at various reduction temperatures. The microstructure and size of the metallic iron phase were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and a Bgrimm process mineralogy analyzer. In the results, the reduced Fe separates from the ore and forms metallic iron protuberances, and then the subsequent reduced Fe diffuses to the protuberances and grows into metallic iron grains. Most of the metallic iron grains exist in the quasi-spherical shape and inlaid in the slag matrix. The cumulative frequency of metallic iron grain size is markedly influenced by both reduction time and temperature. With increasing reduction temperature and time, the grain size of metallic iron obviously increases. According to the classical grain growth equation, the growth kinetic parameters, i.e., time exponent, growth activation energy, and pre-exponential constant, are estimated to be 1.3759 ±0.0374, 103.18 kJ·mol-1, and 922.05, respectively. Using these calculated parameters, a growth model is established to describe the growth behavior of metallic iron grains.     

Novel approaches to produce Al2O3– TiC/TiCN– Fecomposite powders directly from ilmenite

Al2O3 –TiC/TiCN–Fe composite powders were successfully prepared directly from ilmenite at 1300–1400℃.The effects of Al/C ratio,sintering atmosphere,and reaction temperature and time on the reaction products were investigated.Results showed that the nitrogen atmosphere was bene cial to the reduction of ilmenite and the formation of Al2O3 –TiC/TiCN–Fe composite powders.When the reaction temperature was between 600 and 1100℃,the intermediate products,TiO2,Ti3O5 and Ti4O7 were found,which changed to TiC or TiCN at higher temperature.Al/C ratio was found to affect the reaction process and synthesis products.When Al addition was 0.5 mol,the Al2O3 phase did not appear.The content of carbon in TiCN rose when the reaction temperature was increased.     

不同还原度铁氧化物球团在微波场中的升温及还原行为

为深入了解氧化球团在微波竖炉中的升温以及煤基直接还原行为,实验采用铁精矿氧化球团作为基础原料,在气体还原剂条件下进行预还原,通过控制还原时间得到不同还原度铁氧化物球团,并从不同还原度铁氧化物球团的结构以及性能出发,研究它们在微波场中的升温性能及其还原变化.电磁性能测试结果表明,球团中的铁及其氧化物在微波场中的升温速度从快到慢依次为:Fe3O4,Fe2O3,Fe,FeO.微波加热还原结果分析及矿相结构观察显示,Fe2O3的深还原时间较长,物相多重转变,造成过程温度和还原气氛跟不上氧化物的还原反应速度;Fe3O4阶段升温速度快,结构松散,有助于进一步的还原,但进入浮士体(FeO的固溶体)阶段后孔隙率降低,升温速度骤降,造成还原的困难;在还原度达到66.90％时,表层以金属铁相为主,孔洞发达,吸波性能强,在气化反应有效进行的条件下,球团将会实现快速还原.     

Carbothermal reduction process of the Fe-Cr-O system

Understanding the reduction behaviors and characteristics of the end products of Fe-Cr-O systems is very important not only for maximizing the recovery of metals from stainless steel dust but also for the subsequent reuse in metallurgical process. The present work first predicted the possible products thermodynamically when FeCr₂O₄ was reduced by C. The reduction behaviors by graphite of three kinds of Fe-Cr-O systems, i.e., FeCr₂O₄, Fe₂O₃+Cr₂O₃, and Fe+Cr₂O₃, were then investigated in 1350–1550℃. Further, the microstructures of final products and element distribution conditions were examined. The results suggest that, thermodynamically, the mass of products for the carbothermal reduction of FeCr₂O₄ is a strong function of temperature, and the initial carbon content is used. More Fe-Cr-C solution and less residual carbon content are obtained at higher temperatures and lower n_C:n_O ratios (the initial molar ratio of C to O in the sample). Experimental data show that the sample amount tends to affect the reduction rate, and the residual carbon content strongly depends on n_C:n_O. With regard to the phases present in products during the reaction process, metal carbides tend to form in the initial stage, whereas Fe-Cr-C solution forms when the degree of reduction is sufficiently high.     

Gas-based reduction of vanadium titano-magnetite concentrate: behavior and mechanisms

The reduction of vanadium titano-magnetite pellets by H₂-CO at temperatures from 850 to 1050℃ was investigated in this paper. The influences of pre-oxidation treatment, reduction temperature, and V_H2/(V_H2 + V_CO) on the metallization degree were studied. The results showed that pre-oxidation played a substantial role in the reduction of vanadium titano-magnetite pellets. During the reduction process, the metallization degree increased with increasing temperature and increasing V_H2/(V_H2 + V_CO). The phase transformation of pre-oxidized vanadium titano-magnetite pellets during the reduction process under an H₂ atmosphere and a CO atmosphere was discussed, and the reduced samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with back scatter electron (BSE) imaging. The results show that the difference in thermodynamic reducing ability between H₂ and CO is not the only factor that leads to differences in the reduction results obtained using different atmospheres. Some of Fe_3-xTi_xO₄ cannot be reduced under a CO atmosphere because of the densification of particles' structure and because of the enrichment of Mg in unreacted cores. By contrast, a loose structure of particles was obtained when the pellets were reduced under an H₂ atmosphere and this structure decreased the resistance to gas diffusion. Moreover, the phenomenon of Mg enrichment in unreacted cores disappeared during H₂ reduction. Both the lower resistance to gas diffusion and the lack of Mg enrichment facilitated the reduction of vanadium titano-magnetite.     

Preparation of spherical ultrafine copper powder via hydrogen reduction-densification of Mg(OH)2-coated Cu2O powder

A novel process was developed to produce spherical copper powder for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC). Spherical ultrafine cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) powder was prepared by glucose reduction of Cu(OH)₂. The Cu₂O particles were coated by Mg(OH)₂ and reduced to metallic copper particles. At last, the copper particles were densified by high-temperature heat treatment. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), tap density, and thermogravimetry (TG). It is found that the shape and size distribution of the copper powder are determined by the Cu₂O powder and the copper particles do not agglomerate during high-temperature heat treatment because of the existence of Mg(OH)₂ coating. After densification at high temperature, the particle tap density increases from 3.30 to 4.18 g/cm³ and the initial oxidation temperature rises from 125 to 150°C.     

Photocatalytic property of TiO2 sensitized by different crystal phase CdS

TiO2 samples sensitized by different crystal phase CdS(CT) are synthesized by hydrothermal process at different reaction temperature. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance(UV-Vis). The XRD result reveals that the crystal phase of CdS is transformed from cubic phase to hexagonal phase with the increase of hydrothermal reaction temperature(120-160 ℃). The absorption edge of CT is extended from 498 nm to 546 nm. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamin B(RhB) in aqueous solution is used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of CT. With the increase of the preparation temperature, the photocatalytic activity of CT becomes stronger. The degradation rate of RhB by CdS/TiO2 at 160 ℃(CT-160 ℃)reaches 78%.     

Dolochar as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes

The present investigation examines the viability of dolochar, a sponge iron industry waste material, as a reductant in the reduction roasting of iron ore slimes, which are another waste generated by iron ore beneficiation plants. Under statistically determined optimum conditions, which include a temperature of 900℃, a reductant-to-feed mass ratio of 0.35, and a reduction time of 30-45 min, the roasted mass, after being subjected to low-intensity magnetic separation, yielded an iron ore concentrate of approximately 64wt% Fe at a mass recovery of approximately 71% from the feed iron ore slime assaying 56.2wt% Fe. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the magnetic products contain magnetite and hematite as the major phases, whereas the nonmagnetic fractions contain quartz and hematite.     

Reductive immobilization of perrhenate in soil and groundwater using starch-stabilized ZVI nanoparticles

Perrhenate(ReO4-) was used as nonradioactive surrogate for the radionuclide pertechnetate(99TcO-4) to investigate the potential of using starch-stabilized zero valent iron(ZVI) nanoparticles for reductive immobilization of pertechnetate in soil and groundwater.Batch kinetic tests indicated that the starch-stabilized ZVI nanoparticles were able to reductively remove ～96% of perrhenate(10 mg/L) from water within 8 h.XRD analyses confirmed that ReO 2 was the reduction product.A pseudo-first-order kinetic model was able to interpret the kinetic data,which gave a pseudo first order rate constant(kobs) value of 0.43h-1 at pH 6.9 and room temperature(25℃).Increasing solution pH up to 8 progressively increased the reaction rate.However,highly alkaline pH(10) resulted in much inhibited reaction rate.Consequently,the optimal pH range was identified to be from 7 to 8.Increasing solution temperature from 15 to 45℃ increased k obs from 0.38 to 0.53 h-1.The classical Arrhenius equation was able to interpret the temperature effect,which gave a low activation energy value of 7.61 kJ/mol.When the ReO-4-loaded loess was treated with the stabilized nanoparticles suspension([Fe]=560 mg/L),the water leachable ReO-4 was reduced by 57% and nearly all eluted Re was in the form of ReO2.This finding indicates that starch-stabilized ZVI nanoparticles are promising for facilitating in situ immobilization of ReO-4 in soil and groundwater.     

Ferronickel enrichment by fine particle reduction and magnetic separation from nickel laterite ore

Ferronickel enrichment and extraction from nickel laterite ore were studied through reduction and magnetic separation. Reduction experiments were performed using hydrogen and carbon monoxide as reductants at different temperatures (700–1000°C). Magnetic separation of the reduced products was conducted using a SLon-100 cycle pulsating magnetic separator (1.2 T). Composition analysis indicates that the nickel laterite ore contains a total iron content of 22.50wt% and a total nickel content of 1.91wt%. Its mineral composition mainly consists of serpentine, hortonolite, and goethite. During the reduction process, the grade of nickel and iron in the products increases with increasing reduction temperature. Although a higher temperature is more favorable for reduction, the temperature exceeding 1000°C results in sintering of the products, preventing magnetic separation. After magnetic separation, the maximum total nickel and iron concentrations are 5.43wt% and 56.86wt%, and the corresponding recovery rates are 84.38% and 53.76%, respectively.     

Upgrading and dephosphorization of Western Australian iron ore using reduction roasting by adding sodium carbonate

The technology of direct reduction by adding sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) and magnetic separation was developed to treat Western Australian high phosphorus iron ore. The iron ore and reduced product were investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It is found that phosphorus exists within limonite in the form of solid solution, which cannot be removed through traditional ways. During reduction roasting, Na₂CO₃ reacts with gangue minerals (SiO₂ and Al₂O₃), forming aluminum silicate-containing phosphorus and damaging the ore structure, which promotes the separation between iron and phosphorus during magnetic separation. Meanwhile, Na₂CO₃ also improves the growth of iron grains, increasing the iron grade and iron recovery. The iron concentrate, assaying 94.12wt% Fe and 0.07wt% P at the iron recovery of 96.83% and the dephosphorization rate of 74.08%, is obtained under the optimum conditions. The final product (metal iron powder) after briquetting can be used as the burden for steelmaking by an electric arc furnace to replace scrap steel.     

Biodegradable zinc-iron alloys: Complex study of corrosion behavior,mechanical properties and hemocompatibility

Zn-Fe alloys have been extensively investigated in this study with a view to their application as biodegradable bone implants. Biogenic element zinc is a very appropriate metal because of the ideal degradation rate compared to those of Mg and Fe. Studied alloys were made by compressing metallic powders in a content ratio of 100% Zn,Zn-1% Fe, Zn-2% Fe, Zn-5% Fe and Zn-10% Fe and sintering at 350°C for 1 h. Prepared samples were examined by optical microscopy, SEM and XRD. Corrosion behavior, mechanical testing and hemocompatibility were observed subsequently. The electrochemical performance of such materials was studied in the simulated body fluids. The enhanced corrosion rate was observed for all samples after iron addition due to the micro-galvanic effect between the pure Zn and Zn_(11)Fe intermetallic phase. The corrosion rate of the Zn-5% Fe alloyed sample was more than 20-times higher(2.89 mmpy) compared to the pure Zn. However, alloying with more than 5 wt %of iron diminished the mechanical performance of the material. Therefore, the performed mechanical and hemocompatibility tests showed acceptable biocompatibility of zinc and Zn-1% Fe and Zn-2% Fe samples.     

Phase transformation behavior of titanium during carbothermic reduction of titanomagnetite ironsand

The reduction of titanomagnetite (TTM) ironsand, which contains 11.41wt% TiO₂ and 55.63wt% total Fe, by graphite was performed using a thermogravimetric analysis system under an argon gas atmosphere at 1423–1623 K. The behavior and effects of titanium in TTM ironsand during the reduction process were investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. During the reduction procedure, the titanium concentrated in the slag phase, where the phase transformation followed this sequence: FeO + FeTiO₃ → Fe₂TiO₄ → FeTiO₃ → FeTi₂O₅ → TiO₂. The calculated results for the reduction kinetics showed that the carbothermic reduction was controlled by the diffusion of ions through the product layer. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy was 170.35 kJ·mol-1.     

Highly dispers ed iron species created on alkali-treated zeolite for ammonia SCR

Alkaline treatment using sodium hydroxide was introduced to obtain a hierarchical pore structure in H-ZSM-5 zeolite.Fe-exchanged zeolite catalysts were prepared by impregnation on the original and alkali-treated zeolites,and were evaluated for NOx reduction by NH3,NO oxidation,and NH3 oxidation reactions.The highly dispersed iron species as active sites can be obtained by controlling the pore structure and particle size of zeolite.Therefore,the Fe/ZSM-5 catalyst treated mildly by sodium hydroxide before iron exchange,which contains amounts of highly dispersed Fe species,obtains over80% NOx conversion at a wide temperature range of 250-500℃.     

Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen over orderly mesoporous CuFe2O4 with high specific surface area

Orderly mesoporous CuFe2O4 spinel-type mixed oxide with high specific surface area was prepared successfully by a hard-template method in which KIT-6 mesoporous silica was selected as the hard template. The KIT-6 hard template and CuFe2O4 samples were charac- terized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy, X-ray fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen physisorption, and hydrogen-temperature programmed reduction. The KIT-6 hard template had perfect crystalli- zation and ordered mesoporous structure with a probable pore distribution of about 9.1 nm, large enough to be filled by the spinel precursor. The mesoporous CuFe2O4 spinel oxide synthesized inside the KIT-6 mesopores had a rela- tively small pore size （4.3 nm）, orderly arrangement, and high specific area （194 m2/g）. The catalytic activity of the mesoporous CuFe2O4 was tested for the selective oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen. The conversion of ammonia reached nearly 100 % at 300 ℃with a nitrogen selectivity as high as 96 %. The nitrogen selectivity remained high with increasing temperature and even maintained a value of 80 % at 600 ℃.