Magnetizing Roasting Mechanism and Effective Ore Dressing Process for Oolitic Hematite Ore

Magnetizing roasting of oolitic hematite ore from western Hubei Province was investigated.The mechanism for reduction roasting of oolitic hematite ore was discussed and analyzed.It is found that flash magnetizing roasting-magnetic separation process is a promising approach for the processing of oolitic hematite ore from western Hubei Province.

Optimization of flotation variables for the recovery of hematite particles from BHQ ore

The technology for beneficiation of banded iron ores containing low iron value is a challenging task due to increasing demand of quality iron ore in India. A flotation process has been developed to treat one such ore, namely banded hematite quartzite （BHQ） containing 41.8wt% Fe and 41.5wt% SiO2,by using oleic acid, methyl isobutyl carbinol （MIBC）, and sodium silicate as the collector, frother, and dispersant, respectively. The relative effects of these variables have been evaluated in half-normal plots and Pareto charts using central composite rotatable design. A quadratic response model has been developed for both Fe grade and recovery and optimized within the experimental range. The optimum reagent dosages are found to be as follows： collector concentration of 243.58 g/t, dispersant concentration of 195.67 g/t, pH 8.69, and conditioning time of 4.8 min to achieve the maximum Fe grade of 64.25% with 67.33% recovery. The predictions of the model with regard to iron grade and recovery are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Phase transformation in suspension roasting of oolitic hematite ore

Suspension roasting followed by magnetic separation is a promising method to upgrade oolitic hematite ore.An oolitic hematite ore was roasted using suspension roasting technology at different temperatures.The phase transformation for iron minerals was investigated by XRD and Mossbauer spectrum,and the characteristics of roasted product were analyzed by VSM and SEM-EDS.Results indicate that the magnetic concentrate is of 58.73% Fe with iron recovery of 83.96% at 650 °C.The hematite is rapidly transformed into magnetite during the roasting with transformation ratio of 92.75% at 650 °C.Roasting temperature has a significant influence on the phase transformation of hematite to magnetite.The transformation ratio increases with increased temperature.After roasting,the magnetic susceptibility is significantly improved,while iron ore microstructure is not altered significantly.

A Study of Rock Magnetism of High-Grade Hematite Ores

Rock magnetism is useful in various applications. Hematite is one of the two most important carriers of magnetism in the natural world and its magnetic features were mostly studied through laboratory experiments using synthetic hematite samples. A gap exists between the magnetic behaviors of hematite contained in the natural rocks and ores and those of synthetic hematite samples. This paper presents the results of a rock magnetism study on the natural hematite ores from the Whaleback mine in the Hamersley Province in the northwest of Western Australia. It was found that high-grade hematite ores carry a much higher remanent magnetization than induced magnetization. Hematite ores with less than 0.1% magnetite appear to have an exponential correlation between the bulk susceptibility and hematite content in weight percentage, different from the commonly accepted linear relationship between the bulk susceptibility and hematite content obtained from synthetic hematite samples. The new knowledge gained from this study contributes to a better understanding of magnetic behaviors of hematite, particularly natural hematite, and hence applications to other relevant disciplines.

Diffusion and reaction mechanism of limestone and quartz in fluxed iron ore pellet roasting process

The increase to the proportion of fluxed pellets in the blast furnace burden is a useful way to reduce the carbon emissions in the ironmaking process.In this study,the interaction between calcium carbonate and iron ore powder and the mineralization mechanism of fluxed iron ore pellet in the roasting process were investigated through diffusion couple experiments.Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to study the elements’diffusion and phase transformation during the roasting process.The results indicated that limestone decomposed into calcium oxide,and magnetite was oxidized to hematite at the early stage of preheating.With the increase in roasting temperature,the diffusion rate of Fe and Ca was obviously accelerated,while the diffusion rate of Si was relatively slow.The order of magnitude of interdiffusion coefficient of Fe_(2)O_(3)-CaO diffusion couple was 10^(−10) m^(2)·s^(−1) at a roasting temperature of 1200℃for 9 h.Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5) was the initial product in the Fe_(2)O_(3)-CaO-SiO_(2) diffusion interface,and then Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5) continued to react with Fe_(2)O_(3) to form CaFe_(2)O_(4).With the expansion of the diffusion region,the sillico-ferrite of calcium liquid phase was produced due to the melting of SiO_(2) into CaFe_(2)O_(4),which can strengthen the consolidation of fluxed pellets.Furthermore,andradite would be formed around a small part of quartz particles,which is also conducive to the consolidation of fluxed pellets.In addition,the principle diagram of limestone and quartz diffusion reaction in the process of fluxed pellet roasting was discussed.

Performance evaluation for selectivity of the flocculant on hematite in selective flocculation

Increased demand for iron ore necessitates the utilization of low-grade iron ore fines, slimes, and existing tailings. Selective flocculation can be an alternative physico-chemical process for utilizing these low-grade fines, slimes, and tailings. In selective fiocculation, the most critical objective is the selection of proper reagents that will make fioc of desired minerals. In present study, selective flocculation was applied to ultra-fine synthetic mixtures of hematite and kaolinite, and the Fe value was upgraded up to 65.78% with the reduction of Al2O3 and SiO2 values to 2.65% and 3.6670, respectively. Here, degraded wheat starch was used as a flocculant.In this process, separation occurs on the basis of the selectivity of the flocculant. The selectivity of the fiocculant can be quantified in terms of separation efficiency. Here, an attempt was also made to develop a correlation between separation efficiency and major operating parameters such as flocculent dose, pH value, and solid concentration to predict the separation performance.

Application of multi-stage dynamic magnetizing roasting technology on the utilization of cryptocrystalline oolitic hematite:A review

A large number of studies have shown that oolitic hematite is an iron ore that is extremely difficult to utilize because of its fine disseminated particle size, high harmful impurity content and oolitic structure.To recover iron from oolitic hematite, we developed a novel multistage dynamic magnetizing roasting technology. Compared with traditional magnetizing roasting technologies, this novel technology has the following advantages: firstly, the oolitic hematite is dynamically reduced in a multi-stage roasting furnace, which shortens the reduction time and avoids ringing and over-reduction;secondly, the novel dynamic magnetizing roasting technology has strong raw material adaptability, and the size range of raw materials can be as wide as 0–15 mm;thirdly, the roasting furnace adopts a preheating-heating process, and the low-calorific value blast furnace gas can be used as the fuel and reductant, which greatly reduces the cost. The actual industrial production data showed that the energy consumption in the roasting process can be less than 35 kg of standard coal per ton of raw ore. The iron grade of the concentrate and iron recovery reached 65% and 90%, respectively.

Reduction behavior of hematite in the presence of coke

The reduction kinetics of hematite in the presence of coke as a reductant was studied via isothermal and non-isothermal thermodynamic analyses. The isothermal reduction of hematite was conducted at a pre-determined temperature ranging from 1423 to 1573 K. The results indicated that a higher reduction temperature led to an increased reduction degree and an increased reduction rate. The non-isothermal reduction of hematite was carried out from room temperature to 1573 K at various heating rates from 5 to 15 K·min^（-1）. A greater heating rate gave a greater reduction rate but decreased reduction degree. With an increase in temperature, both the reduction rate and the reduction degree increased at a smaller rate when the temperature was less than 1150 K, and they increased at a higher rate when the temperature was greater than 1150 K before completion of the reduction reaction. Both the isothermal and the non-isothermal reduction behaviors of hematite were described by the Avrami–Erofeev model. For the isothermal reduction, the apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factor were 171.25 kJ ·mol^（-1） and 1.80 × 10~5 min^（-1）, respectively. In the case of non-isothermal reduction, however, the apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factor were correlated with the heating rate.

Hematite reduction by hydrogen plasma:Where are we now?

Currently,iron is extracted from ores such as hematite by carbothermic reduction.The extraction process includes several unit steps/processes that require large-scale equipment and significant financial investments.Additionally,the extraction process produces a substantial amount of harmful carbon dioxide(CO_(2)).Alternative to carbothermic reduction is the reduction by hydrogen plasma(HP).HP is mainly composed of exciting species that facilitate hematite reduction by providing thermodynamic and kinetic advantages,even at low temperatures.In addition to these advantages,hematite reduction by HP produces water,which is environmentally beneficial.This report reviews the theory and practice of hematite reduction by HP.Also,the present state of the art in solid-state and liquid-state hematite reduction by HP has been examined.The in-flight hematite reduction by HP has been identified as a potentially promising alternative to carbothermic reduction.However,the in-flight reduction is still plagued with problems such as excessively high temperatures in thermal HP and considerable vacuum costs in non-thermal HP.These problems can be overcome by using non-thermal atmospheric HP that deviates significantly from local thermodynamic equilibrium.

Growth behavior of the magnetite phase in the reduction of hematite via a fluidized bed

To understand the formation and growth mechanism of the magnetite phase during the fluidized reduction of hematite, a high-purity hematite ore was isothermally reduced using a 20vol% CO 80vol% CO2 gas mixture in a micro-fluidized bed to examine the process of the selective conversion of hematite to magnetite. The micro-structural characteristics of the magnetite phase were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) method, and the thickness of the magnetite layer was measured and evaluated using statistical analysis. The experimental results showed that the fresh magnetite nuclei were dense needles of different lengths, and the original hematite grains became porous after complete reduction to the magnetite phase. The thickness of the mag- netite layer increased with an increase in reduction temperature and reduction time. The growth kinetics of the magnetite layer was investi- gated, and the value of the activation energy E was estimated to be 28.33 kJ/mol.

The Use of Process Analysis and Simulation to Identify Paths to Improve the Operation of an Iron Ore Gravity Concentration Circuit

The processing of iron ore to recover the valuable iron oxide minerals is commonly carried out using spiral concentrators that separate valuable minerals from non-valuable ones on the basis of the specific gravity of minerals. This paper shows that the analysis of the operation of spirals should not only focus on the minerals (as it is usually the case), but should also consider the particle size of these minerals. Indeed, the sampling of two industrial iron ore circuits and the data processing of the resulting measurements show that unexpectedly about 10% of the coarse heavy iron oxide minerals are not recovered by the spirals of the two circuits. Tests conducted by an independent research center confirm this plant observation. The pilot plant tests also show that the wash water flowrate addition may adversely affect the recovery of coarse heavy mineral particles. A mathematical model for the spiral was implemented into a simulator for an iron ore gravity concentration circuit. The simulator shows a potential 0.7% increase of iron recovery by simply changing the strategy used to distribute the wash water between the rougher and the cleaner/recleaner spirals of the circuit. The simulator also shows that the introduction of a hydraulic classifier into the gravity concentration circuit yields a marginal improvement to the performances of the circuit.

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.

Removal of Silica and Alumina as Impurities from Low-Grade Iron Ore Using Wet High-Intensity Magnetic Separation and Reverse Flotation

This study investigates the removal of silica and alumina as impurities from hematite based low-grade iron ore containing 34.18 mass% iron, 31.10 mass% of silica and 7.65 mass% alumina. Wet high-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS) and reverse flotation (RF) were investigated. In WHIMS process, 93.08% of iron was recovered with a grade of 53.22 mass% at an optimum magnetic density of 10,000 mT, and pulp density of 2% used the L-4 machine. In RF experiments, optimal results showed 95.95% of iron recovered with 51.64 mass% grade using 1 kg/t of 1% alkaline starch as iron depressant and 1:1 mixture ratio of 0.75 kg/t DAA and NaOL as silica and alumina collectors. The designed multi-stage process involving feeding the concentrate from WHIMS into RF process reduced silica to 2.02 mass%, alumina to 1.04 mass% whilst recovering 81.94% of the iron with 67.27 mass% grade. As a result of this research, a process to produce high quality iron concentrate from hematite based low-grade iron ore with high iron recovery rate was constructed.

Direct Reduction of High-phosphorus Oolitic Hematite Ore Based on Biomass Pyrolysis

Direct reduction of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite ore based on biomass pyrolysis gases （CO, H2, and CH4 ）, tar, and char was conducted to investigate the effects of reduction temperature, iron ore-biomass mass ratio, and reduction time on the metallization rate. In addition, the effect of particle size on the dephosphorization and iron recovery rate was studied by magnetic separation. It was determined that the metallization rate of the hematite ore could reach 99.35 % at iron ore-biomass mass ratio of 1 ： 0.6, reduction temperature of 1100℃, and reduction time of 55 min. The metallization rate and the aggregation degree of iron particles increase with the increase of reduction temperature. The particle size of direct reduced iron （DRI） has a great influence on the quality of the iron concentrate during magnetic separation. The separation degree of slag and iron was improved by the addition of 15 mass% sodium carbonate. DRI with iron grade of 89.11%, iron recovery rate of 83.47%, and phosphorus content of 0.28% can be obtained when ore fines with particle size of -10μm account for 78.15%.

Mechanism of improved magnetizing roasting of siderite–hematite iron ore using a synergistic CO–H2 mixture

A fluidized-bed magnetizing roasting-magnetic separation process was selected to treat this type of material.Phase transformations and microstructural changes in the product resulting from magnetizing roasting under different reducing gases(CO,H2,CO+H2)were clarified by vibrating sample magnetometry,X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The results indicated that the conversion ratio and saturation magnetization of samples roasted in a mixed gas of CO and H2 were higher than those of samples produced under CO or H2 alone.This indicated that synergy of the combined CO and H2 gas had a positive effect on the fluidized-bed magnetizing roasting process.The mechanism and kinetics of the improved magnetizing roasting of a siderite-hematite iron ore mixture under this synergistic CO-H2 system were investigated under isothermal conditions.The results indicated that the apparent activation energies of the reactions of the iron oxides decreased from 37.7 and 17.9 to 15.9 kJ/moI when the roasting atmosphere was changed from pure H2 or CO to a gas mixture of CO and H2,respectively.The mixed CO-H2 gas promoted the conversion ratio of hematite and siderite to magnetite,thereby improving the conversion ratio in the fluidized-bed magnetizing roasting process.

Prediction of density and volume variation of hematite ore particles during in-flight melting and reduction

HIsarna is a promising ironmaking technology to reduce CO2 emission.Information of phase transformation is essential for reaction analysis of the cyclone reactor of the HIsarna process.In addition,data of density and volume of the ore particles are necessary for estimation of the residence time of the particles in the cyclone reactor.Phase transformation of iron ore particles was experimentally studied in a drop-tube furnace under simulated cyclone conditions and compared with thermodynamic calculation.During the pre-reduction process inside the reactor,the mineralogy of iron ore particles transforms sequentially from hematite to sub-oxides.The density changes of the particles during the melting and reduction can be predicted based on the phase composition and temperature.Therefore,density models in the studies were evaluated with reported experimental data of slag.As a result,a more reliable density model was developed to calculate the density of the formed slag containing mainly FeO–Fe2O3.The density and volume of the partially reduced ore particles or melt droplets were estimated based on this model.The results show that the density of the ore particles decreases by 15.1%at most along the progressive reduction process.Furthermore,the model results also indicate that heating,melting and reduction of the ore could lead to 6.63%–9.37%swelling of the particles,which is mostly contributed by thermal expansion.It would result in corresponding variation in velocity of the ore particles or melt droplets during the flight inside the reactor.

Geological Specimens, Minerals, and Actions Affecting Polar Shift and Earth’s Magnetic Field

This study will touch upon Earth’s magnetic field, the four spheres, and their relationship with polar shift influenced by the magnetization of the interior and surface areas. It will outline how certain aspects within the spheres are influenced by magnetization of minerals and localized rock, how such can be contained deep within Earth’s mantle areas, as well as how mining deposits of iron ore can affect other spheres and systems. It will also entail a brief explanation of geological research concerning the Pacific Ocean floor, as well as a discussion on the magnetization of minerals retaining their properties at extremely high temperatures within Earth’s interior. There will be explanations of how various spheres interact with each other, but it should be noted that while some findings here might seem unsubstantiated, any analysis of Earth’s interior and exterior, the magnetic field, polar shift, and its contagion effect upon living organisms, is still, somewhat, in its initial research stages, and is, at times, left to hypotheses concerning anomalous indications. This study is not conclusive. It has, at best, pieced together areas of relevance. Concluded here is that each event affects polar shift. How this has been affected by magnetization is not completely, at this time, understood. Furthermore, this report in no way promotes the “doomsday scenario”, prolific, fairly recently, within some of the scientific literature on this subject, particularly in Europe. This paper closely adheres to the most modern theories, and will try, at best, to leave speculation to science fiction writers.

Mass Transfer during Hematitization and Implications for Uranium Mineralization in the Zoujiashan Deposit,Xiangshan Volcanic Basin

The Zoujiashan uranium deposit in the Xiangshan ore field is the largest volcanic-related uranium deposit in China.Hematite-and fluorite-type ores are the predominant mineralization styles.Hematitization in the Xiangshan ore field is closely associated with uranium mineralization,mainly occurring as hematitized rocks enclosing fluorite-type vein ores developed in pre-ore illitized porphyritic lava.Detailed petrographic and mass balance calculation studies were conducted to evaluate the mechanisms for uranium precipitation and mass transfer during hematitization.Petrographic observations suggest that in the hematitized rocks,orthoclase is more altered than plagioclase,and quartz dissolution is common,whereas in the illitized rocks,pyrite commonly occurs within the altered biotite grains,and chlorite grains are locally found.Mass balance calculations indicate that Na2O and U were gained,K2O,Ca O and Si O2were lost,whereas Fe2O3-t remained more or less constant during hematitization.These observations suggest that the hydrothermal fluids were Na-and U-rich and Ca-K-poor,and the Fe2+used for hematitization was locally derived,most likely from biotite,pyrite and chlorite in the host rocks.The Fe2+is inferred to have played the role of reductant to precipitate uranium,and calculation indicates that oxidation of Fe2+provided by host rocks is sufficient to form ores of economic significance.Consequently,the hematite-type ore is interpreted to be generated by the reaction between oxidized ore fluids and reduced components in host rocks.The development of calcite and pyrite in the fluorite ores suggests that perhaps mixing between the U-rich fluid and another fluid carrying reduced sulfur and carbon may have also contributed to uranium mineralization,in addition to temperature and pressure drop associated with the veining.

Raman Spectroscopic Core Scanning for Iron Ore Characterisation

Automated core scanning technologies for mineralogical characterisation of diamond core, drill chips pulps is now an established technique, particularly in the Australian iron ore industry, for mineral analysis in exploration and mining. Application of reflectance spectroscopy over the 400–2500 nm, visible to near-infrared wavelength range, has been used to characterise the iron ore oxide mineralogy of bedded iron deposit (BID) derived iron ores in India (Thangavelu et al., 2011) and Brazil (da Costa et al., 2009), and used to define the ore and gangue (e.g., clay) mineralogy in ironstone or channel iron deposits (CID) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (e.g., Haest et al., 2012).