Preparation of ferronickel from nickel laterite via coal-based reduction followed by magnetic separation

The sticking phenomenon between molten slag and refractory is one of the crucial problems when preparing ferronickel from laterite ore using rotary hearth fulnace or rotary kiln processes. This study aims to ameliorate sticking problems by using silicon dioxide （SiO2） to adjust the melting degree of file briquette during reduction roasting. Thermodynamic analysis indicates that the melting temperature of the slag gradually increases with an increase in the SiO2 proportion （SiO2/（SiO2 ＋ A1203 ＋ MgO） mass ratio）. Experimental validations also prove that the briquette retains its original shape when the SiO2 proportion is greater than 75wt%, and sticking problems axe avoided during reduction. A ferronickel product with 8.33wt% Ni and 84.71wt% Fe was prepared via reductive roasting at 1500~C for 90 min with a SiO2 proportion of 75wt% and a C/O molar ratio of 1.0 followed by dry magnetic separation; the corresponding recoveries of Ni and Fe reached 75.70% and 77.97%, respectively. The micro stxucture and phase txmlsformation of reduced briquette reveals that the aggregation and growth of ferroinckel particles were not significantly affected after adding SiO2 to the reduction process.

Effect of titanium content on the precipitation behavior of carbon-saturated molten pig iron

The use of iron ores bearing titanium as a raw material is an effective measure to prevent hearth erosion and prolong the life of a blast furnace. In this research, the effect of titanium content on the precipitation behaviors of high-melting phases of carbon-saturated molten pig iron were studied by confocal scanning laser microscopy. The results showed that, when the titanium content was less than 0.25 wt%,Fe_3C was precipitated as a single phase from the molten carbon-saturated iron. The growth rate of the precipitated Fe_3C crystals was very high, reaching 7387 μm^2/s. When the titanium content in the molten pig iron was greater than 0.47 wt%, TiC crystals precipitated first. The shape and size of the precipitated TiC crystals did not obviously change. After TiC was precipitated, the fluidity of the molten pig iron worsened. With a decrease in temperature, Fe_3C was also precipitated but the growth rate of Fe_3C was limited by the presence of the first precipitated TiC phase. The crystal size of the precipitated Fe_3C was much smaller than that of pure Fe_3C.

Isothermal reduction kinetics of Panzhihua ilmenite concentrate under 30vol% CO–70vol% N2 atmosphere

The reduction of ilmenite concentrate in 30vol% CO–70vol% N_2 atmosphere was characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric(TG–DTG) analysis methods at temperatures from 1073 to 1223 K.The isothermal reduction results show that the reduction process comprised two stages;the corresponding apparent activation energy was obtained by the iso-conversional and model-fitting methods.For the first stage,the effect of temperature on the conversion degree was not obvious,the phase boundary chemical reaction was the controlling step,with an apparent activation energy of 15.55–40.71 k J·mol^(–1).For the second stage,when the temperatures was greater than 1123 K,the reaction rate and the conversion degree increased sharply with increasing temperature,and random nucleation and subsequent growth were the controlling steps,with an apparent activation energy ranging from 182.33 to 195.95 k J·mol^(–1).For the whole reduction process,the average activation energy and pre-exponential factor were 98.94^(–1)18.33 k J·mol^(–1) and 1.820^(–1).816 min^(–1),respectively.

Oxidation pathway and kinetics of titania slag powders during cooling process in air

The oxidation pathway and kinetics of titania slag powders in air were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and thermogravimetry(TG).The oxidation pathway of titania slag powder in air was divided into three stages according to their three exothermic peaks and three corresponding mass gain stages indicated by the respective non-isothermal DSC and TG curves.The isothermal oxidation kinetics of high titania slag powders of different sizes were analyzed using the ln-ln analysis method.The results revealed that the entire isothermal oxidation process comprises two stages.The kinetic mechanism of the first stage can be described as f(α) = 1.77(1-α) [-ln (1-α)]^((1.77-1)/1.77),f(α)= 1.97(1-α) [-ln (1-α)]^((1.97-1)/1.97),and f (α) = 1.18(1-α) [-ln (1-α)]^((1.18-1)/1.18).The kinetic mechanism of the second stage for all samples can be described as f (α)=1.5(1-α)^(2/3)[1-(1-α)^(1/3)]^(-1).The activation energies of titania slag powders with different sizes(d_(1)<0.075 mm,0.125 mm<d_(2)<0.150 mm,and 0.425 mm<d_(3)<0.600 mm)for different reaction degrees were calculated.For the given experimental conditions,the rate-controlling step in the first oxidation stage of all the samples is a chemical reaction.The rate-controlling steps of the second oxidation stage are a chemical reaction and internal diffusion(for powders d_(1)<0.075 mm)and internal diffusion(for powders 0.125 mm<d_(2)<0.150 mm and 0.425 mm<d_(3)<0.600 mm).

Effect of cooling rate on the crystallization behavior of perovskite in high titanium-bearing blast furnace slag

The effect of cooling rate on the crystallization of perovskite in high Ti-bearing blast furnace（BF） slag was studied using confocal scanning laser microscopy（CSLM）. Results showed that perovskite was the primary phase formed during the cooling of slag. On the slag surface, the growth of perovskite proceeded via the successive production of quasi-particles along straight lines, which further extended in certain directions. The morphology and structure of perovskite was found to vary as a function of cooling rate. At cooling rates of 10 and 30 K/min, the dendritic arms of perovskite crossed obliquely, while they were orthogonal at a cooling rate of 20 K/min and hexagonal at cooling rates of 40 and 50 K/min. These three crystal morphologies thus obtained at different cooling rates respectively corresponded to the orthorhombic, cubic and hexagonal crystal structures of perovskite. The observed change in the structure of perovskite could probably be attributed to the deficiency of O^2-, when Ti2O3 was involved in the formation of perovskite.

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°C. The samples reduced in argon at 1350°C 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 fer-rous-pseudobrookite （FeTi2O5）, while Fe2.75Ti0.25O4, Fe2.5Ti0.5O4, Fe2.25Ti0.75O4, 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.