Synthesis and characterization of Fe_3O_4@SiO_2 magnetic composite nanoparticles by a one-pot process

Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a one-pot process. Tetraethyl-orthosilicate was used as a surfactant to synthesize Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell structures from prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The properties of the Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The prepared Fe3O4 particles were approximately 12 nm in size, and the thickness of the SiO2 coating was approximately 4 nm. The magnetic properties were studied by vibrating sample magnetometry. The results show that the maximum saturation magnetization of the Fe3O4@SiO2 powder（34.85 A·m^2·kg^–1） was markedly lower than that of the Fe3O4 powder（79.55 A·m^2·kg^–1）, which demonstrates that Fe3O4 was successfully wrapped by SiO2. The Fe3O4@SiO2 composite nanoparticles have broad prospects in biomedical applications; thus, our next study will apply them in magnetic resonance imaging.

Simulation of the Iron Smelting-Reduction Process

A computer program is developed to simulate a two-step smelting-reduction process. Laws of thermodynamics, kinetics, iron-oxide reduction, energy balance, materials balance and transfer of heat and mass between metal, slag and gas are taken into account for development of the model. Local equilibria between metal and slag according to the quadratic formalism of the regular solution model is considered. Dissolution of iron and its oxides in the molten slag and eat transfer from post combustion gases to the molten bath are numerically analyzed. The model is able to evaluate the effect of all important variables on productivity and effectiveness of the process. Special attention is paid to the operational conditions of the reduction furnace while working with the gases coming from a smelter with a high post-combustion ratio and a high reducing-power produced through reforming of the off-gases of the smelter with a natural gas stream in order to minimize the total energy consumption and to maximize the productivity.The application of the model to optimize the behavior of a two stage smelting-reduction system is investigated.

Recent collaborative researches between Japanese universities and steel industry on the iron ore agglomeration process

The properties of iron ores used in ironmaking process have been drastically changed in the past couple of decades.Especially,the change has become significant in the last few years because of the considerable increase in the world steel production.The property change of the iron ore is mainly caused by the depletion of the hard and high-grade lump hematite ores.It has led to the increasing use of ores containing a larger amount of goethite/limonite,i.e.,hydro-oxides of iron.Typically,the proportion of pisolitic ores,which are course limonitic ores,has remarkably increased by several times in Japan.Further,large deposits of the fine goethite ores called Marra Mamba have been developed in Australia and exported to Asian countries.Such trends will be continued in future.Since the change of the ore properties affects not only to the productivity and yield of the sinter but also its metallurgical properties in the blast furnace,further improvement in the sintering technology/ process is required including the preliminary treatment process of raw materials.In order to make wide researches concerning the above issues,the research project 'New Sintering Process through Designing of Composite Granulation & Bed Structure' was formed in the ISIJ,which was the collaborative project between Japanese steel companies and several universities.The project was started in 2005 and carried on the wide range of studies for three and half years.Its main objects are the characterization of pisolitic/goethitic ores and the understanding the behavior during the iron ore sintering process.Further,considering the ore characteristics,some basic researches on the optimum designs of raw material blending,granulation,bed structure,and the metallurgical properties of the produced sinter were performed.The project have invented the technical principle of a new sintering process, namely MEBIOS(Mosaic EmBedding Iron Ore Sintering Process),characterized by the composite granulation and bed-structure,aiming to cope with the drastic shift of the ore properties.Another big issue fallen on the steel industry is the global warming.CO,emission from steelmaking industry occupies about 15%of the total value of the artificial emissions in Japan and therefore its reduction is urgently required.In order examine the possibility to minimize or to reduce further the CO_2 emission from the iron ore sintering process,the research project 'Technological Principle for Low-Carbon Sintering' has been formed since 2009 in the ISIJ.In this project,the analyses of the combustion rates of carbonaceous materials and heat transfer in the sintering bed are first examined by referring the previous studies.Further,experimental works will be conducted on the combustion/oxidation characteristics of biomass charcoal,some organic wastes,steel can scraps,mill scale and partially reduced iron ores as alternative agglomeration reagents of coke and anthracite coal.The effect of their use on the sintering process will be evaluated systematically.It is expected that the structural changes of the sintering bed is considerably different between carbonaceous materials,which disappear during combustion leaving a little amount of ash components and metallic iron bearing materials,which increase the mass and volume during its oxidation. Previous studies showed that the use of metallic iron bearing materials such as steel can scrap and mill scale led to significant decreases in the production rate.This project examines the characteristics of such changes of the sintering bed structure and mineral phases and main process parameters,which govern such phenomena.Further, it searches for a new process principle to overcome the demerits and realize the significant reduction of CO_2 emissions from the iron ore sintering process.In the symposium,summary of activities and the major results and progresses of the above two research projects will be introduced.

Suggestions on Process Technology Development of Iron and Steel Making in China

1 Introduction The 21st century is coming and the world iron and steel making technology is facing an important technical evolution at this century turnover,which is reflected in two aspects:①Rapid development of traditional iron&steel making technology with continuous regeneration;②Three major frontier techniques of metallurgy(smelting reduction;near-net-shape continuous

Application status and comparison of dioxin removal technologies for iron ore sintering process

The emission of dioxins from the iron ore sintering process is the largest emission source of dioxins, and the reduction in dioxin emission from the iron ore sintering process to the environment is increasingly important. Three approaches to control the emission of dioxins were reviewed： source control, process control, and terminal control. Among them, two terminal control technologies, activated carbon adsorption and selective reduction technology, were discussed in detail. Following a comparison of the reduction technologies, the terminal control method was indicated as the key technology to achieve good control of dioxins during the sintering process. For the technical characteristics of the sintering process and flue gas, multiple methods should be collectively considered, and the most suitable method may be addition of inhibitors ＋ ultra-clean dust collection （electrostatic precipitation/bag filter） ＋ desulphurization ＋ selective catalytic reduction to sufficiently remove multiple pollutants, which provides a direction for the cooperative disposal of flue gas pollutants in future.

Asynchronous Fuzzy Cognitive Networks Modeling and Control for Goethite Iron Precipitation Process

Goethite iron precipitation process is a key step in direct leaching process of zinc,whose aim is to remove ferrous ions from zinc sulphate solution.The process consists of several cascade reactors,and each of them contains complex chemical reactions featured by strong nonlinearity and large time delay.Therefore,it is hard to build up an accurate mathematical model to describe the dynamic changes in the process.In this paper,by studying the mechanism of these reactions and combining historical data and expert experience,the modeling method called asynchronous fuzzy cognitive networks(AFCN)is proposed to solve the various time delay problem.Moreover,the corresponding AFCN model for goethite iron precipitation process is established.To control the process according to fuzzy rules,the nonlinear Hebbian learning algorithm(NHL)terminal constraints is firstly adopted for weights learning.Then the model parameters of equilibrium intervals corresponding to different operating conditions can be calculated.Finally,the matrix meeting the expected value and the weight value of steady states is stored into fuzzy rules as prior knowledge.The simulation shows that the AFCN model for goethite iron precipitation process could precisely describe the dynamic changes in the system,and verifies the superiority of control method based on fuzzy rules.

Molecular processes in iron and zinc homeostasis and their modulation for biofortification in rice

More than a billion people suffer from iron or zinc deficiencies globally. Rice(Oryza sativa L.) iron and zinc biofortification; i.e., intrinsic iron and zinc enrichment of rice grains, is considered the most effective way to tackle these deficiencies. However, rice iron biofortification, by means of conventional breeding, proves difficult due to lack of sufficient genetic variation. Meanwhile,genetic engineering has led to a significant increase in the iron concentration along with zinc concentration in rice grains. The design of impactful genetic engineering biofortification strategies relies upon vast scientific knowledge of precise functions of different genes involved in iron and zinc uptake, translocation and storage. In this review, we present an overview of molecular processes controlling iron and zinc homeostasis in rice. Further,the genetic engineering approaches adopted so far to increase the iron and zinc concentrations in polished rice grains are discussed in detail, highlighting the limitations and/or success of individual strategies. Recent insight suggests that a few genetic engineering strategies are commonly utilized for elevating iron and zinc concentrations in different genetic backgrounds, and thus, it is of great importance to accumulate scientific evidence for diverse genetic engineering strategies to expand the pool of options for biofortifying farmer-preferred cultivars.

Fe203-CeO2-Bi203/y-AI203 catalyst in the catalytic wet air oxidation （CWAO） of cationic red GTL under mild reaction conditions

The Fe203-CeO2-Bi203/-A1203 catalyst, a novel environmental-friendly material, was used to investigate the catalytic wet air oxidation （CWAO） of cationic red GTL under mild operating conditions in a batch reactor. The catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation, and characterized by special surface area （BET measurement）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The Fe203-CeO2-]]i203/qt-A1203 catalyst exhibited good catalytic activity and stability in the CWAO under atmosphere pressure. The effect of the reaction conditions （catalyst loading, degradation temperature, solution concentration and initial solution pH value） was studied. The result showed that the decolorization efficiency of cationic red GTL was improved with increasing the initial solution pH value and the degradation temperature. The apparent activation energy for the reaction was 79 kJ. mo1-1. Hydroperoxy radicals （HO2.） and superoxide radicals （O2-） appeared as the main reactive species upon the CWAO of cationic red GTL.