Mathematical simulation of direct reduction process in zinc-bearing pellets

A one-dimensional unsteady mathematical model was established to describe direct reduction in a composite pellet made of metallurgical dust. The model considered heat transfer, mass transfer, and chemical reactions including iron oxide reductions, zinc oxide reduction and carbon gasification, and it was numerically solved by the tridiagonal matrix algorithm （TDMA）. In order to verify the model, an experiment was performed, in which the profiles of temperature and zinc removal rate were measured during the reduction process. Results calculated by the mathematical model were in fairly good agreement with experimental data. Finally, the effects of furnace temperature, pellet size, and carbon content were investigated by model calculations. It is found that the pellet temperature curve can be divided into four parts according to heating rate. Also, the zinc removal rate increases with the increase of furnace temperature and the decrease of pellet size, and carbon content in the pellet has little influence on the zinc removal rate.

Direct Reduction Process of Pellet Containing Carbon with Addition of Zn-Pb-Bearing Iron and Steel Plant Dust

The study on direct reduction process of pellet containing carbon with the addition of Zn-Pb-bearing iron and steel plant dust shows that the reduction time and pellet basicity have obvious effect on the evaporation of lead and final metallization degree of pellet.The reduction temperature has significantl influences on the lead and zinc evaporation ratios and on final metallization degree of pellet. The optimum process parameters obtained are reduction temperature of 1 250 ℃,reduction time of 25 min and pellet basicity of 0.9.

Industrial utilization of arsenic-containing gold dressing tailings as pellet prepared by straight grate process

The utilization of arsenic-containing gold dressing tailings is an urgent issue faced by gold production companies worldwide.The thermodynamic analysis results indicate that ferrous arsenate(FeAsO_(4)),pyrite(FeS_(2))and sodium cyanide(NaCN)in the arsenic-containing gold metallurgical tailings can be effectively removed using straight grate process,and the removal of pyrite and sodium cyanide is basically completed during the preheating stage,while the removal of ferrous arsenate requires the roasting stage.The pellets undergo a transformation from magnetite to hematite during the preheating process,and are solidified through micro-crystalline bonding and high-temperature recrystallization of hematite(Fe_(2)O_(3))during the roasting process.Ultimately,pellets with removal rates of 80.77% for arsenic,88.78% for sulfur,and 99.88% for cyanide are obtained,as well as the iron content is 61.1% and the compressive strength is 3071 N,meeting the requirements for blast furnace burden.This study provides an industrially feasible method for treating arsenic-containing gold smelting tailings,benefiting gold production enterprises.

An Innovative Process for Direct Reduction of Cold bound Pellets from Iron Concentrate with a Coal-based Rotary Kiln

Successfully developed an innovative process of direct reduction of cold bound pellets from iron ore concentrate with a coal based rotary kiln, in comparison with the traditional direct reduction of fired oxide pellets in coal based rotary kilns , possesses such advantages as: shorter flowsheet, lower capital investment, greater economic profit, good quality of direct reduced iron. The key technologies , such as the composite binder and corresponding feasible techniques were employed in practice. A mill utilizing this process and with an annual capacity of 50 thousand ton DRI has been put into operation.

Removal process and mechanism of hexavalent chromium by adsorption-coupled reduction with marine-derived Aspergillus niger mycelial pellets

In order to remove hexavalent chromium(Cr(Ⅵ))from solutions efficiently,the mycelial pellets with a marine-derived fungus Aspergillus niger as a biosorbent were prepared.The effects of removal process parameters such as solution pH,initial Cr(Ⅵ)concentration and biomass concentration on Cr(Ⅵ)removal process were investigated.The results showed that Cr(Ⅵ)removal rate up to 100%could be achieved under optimized conditions,which indicated the excellent Cr(Ⅵ)removal performance of the Aspergillus niger pellets.As a more important point,the Cr(Ⅵ)removal mechanism was studied,and the results revealed that Cr(Ⅵ)removal was achieved in the adsorption-coupled reduction process.A little of Cr(Ⅵ)was reduced to less toxic trivalent chromium(Cr(Ⅲ))in solution,while some was absorbed on the surface of mycelial pellets.Then they may be reduced on the surface or transferred into cells and then be reduced.The marine-derived A.niger mycelial pellets show properties of easy preparation and separation and cost effectiveness,which are potential biosorbent and reductant in the treatment of trace chromate containing wastewater.

Effect of titanium on the sticking of pellets based on hydrogen metallurgy shaft furnace:Behavior analysis and mechanism evolution

Direct reduction based on hydrogen metallurgical gas-based shaft furnace is a promising technology for the efficient and low-carbon smelting of vanadium-titanium magnetite.However,in this process,the sticking of pellets occurs due to the aggregation of metal-lic iron between the contact surfaces of adjacent pellets and has a serious negative effect on the continuous operation.This paper presents a detailed experimental study of the effect of TiO2 on the sticking behavior of pellets during direct reduction under different conditions.Results showed that the sticking index(SI)decreased linearly with the increasing TiO2 addition.This phenomenon can be attributed to the increase in unreduced FeTiO3 during reduction,leading to a decrease in the number and strength of metallic iron interconnections at the sticking interface.When the TiO2 addition amount was raised from 0 to 15wt%at 1100°C,the SI also increased from 0.71%to 59.91%.The connection of the slag phase could be attributed to the sticking at a low reduction temperature,corresponding to the low sticking strength.Moreover,the interconnection of metallic iron became the dominant factor,and the SI increased sharply with the increase in re-duction temperature.TiO2 had a greater effect on SI at a high reduction temperature than at a low reduction temperature.

Study on the Shaft-Direct Reduction Process with Cold Bound Pellet

The metallurgical properties of cold bound pellet were tested and analysed, and the behaviour and characters of reduction in the shaft were further investigated on the basis of analysis. The experimental results indicated that the metallurgical properties of cold bound pellet could satisfy the demands of the shaft direct reduction. The reduction of ferrous oxide with gas was taken as the domination. The reduction ratio of ferrous oxide with fixed carbon increased with the raising of temperature, and most part of the carbon remained in metallized pellet. The shaft could be smoothly operated to obtain rather higher constant utilization.

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~ C. 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.

Mathematical model of the direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron

Direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron was examined by simulating the conditions of actual production process of a rotary hearth furnace （RHF） in laboratory. A mathematical model was constructed to study the reduction kinetics of iron oxides and ZnO in the dust composite pellets. It was validated by comparing the calculated values with experimental results. The effects of furnace temperature, pellet radius, and pellet porosity on the reduction were investigated by the model. It is shown that furnace temperature has obvious influence on both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO, but the influence of pellet radius and porosity is much smaller. Model calculations suggest that both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO are under mixed control with interface reactions and Boudouard reaction in the early stage, but only with interface reactions in the later stage.

Swelling behavior of hot preheated pellets in reduction roasting process

One kind of facile coal-based direct reduction process is using hot preheated pellets for reduction in grate kiln. In this work, effects of reduction parameters on swelling index of hot preheated pellets were investigated by photographic technique under isothermal conditions. Experimental results show that swelling index of pellets is firstly increased then gradually decreased with increasing reduction time, while that is found to be an obvious decrease from 175 % to 30% with the variation of temperature from 900 °C to 1100 °C. Results of XRD combined with SEM reveal that swelling behavior of pellets is decided by structure of newly formed metal iron grains. The formation and growth of fibers iron grains promote the increase in volume. Low temperature and low CO content are favored to the formation and orientated growth of metal iron grains in the one step process.

Reduction and melting behavior of carbon composite lateritic bauxite pellets

Direct reduction of low-grade lateritic bauxite was studied at high temperature to recover Fe and beneficiate AlzO3 slag. The re- sults show that a metallization rate of 97.9% and a nugget recovery rate of 85.1% can be achieved when the reducing and melting tempera- tures are 1350 and 1480℃, respectively. Moreover, a higher-grade calcium aluminate slag （A1203 = 50.52wt%） can also be obtained, which is mainly composed of ct-A1203, hercynite （FeAI：O4）, and gehlenite （Ca2A12SiO7）. In addition, high-quality iron nuggets have been produced from low-grade lateritic bauxite. The nugget is mainly composed of iron （93.82wt%） and carbon （3.86wt%）, with almost no gangue （slag）.

Effect of carbon species on the reduction and melting behavior of boron-bearing iron concentrate/carbon composite pellets

Iron nugget and boron-rich slag can be obtained in a short time through high-temperature reduction of boron- bearing iron concentrate by carbonaceous material, both of which are agglomerated together as a carbon composite pellet. This is a novel flow sheet for the comprehensive utilization of boron-bearing iron concentrate to produce a new kind of man-made boron ore. The effect of reducing agent species （i.e., carbon species） on the reduction and melting process of the composite pellet was investigated at a laboratory scale in the present work. The results show that, the reduction rate of the composite pellet increases from bituminite, anthracite, to coke at temperatures ranging from 950 to 1300~C. Reduction temperature has an important effect on the microstructure of reduced pellets. Carbon species also affects the behavior of reduced metallic iron particles. The anthracite-bearing composite pellet melts faster than the bituminite- bearing composite pellet, and the coke-bearing composite pellet cannot melt due to the high fusion point of coke ash. With anthracite as the reducing agent, the recovery rates of iron and boron are 96.5% and 95.7%, respectively. This work can help us get a further understanding of the new process mechanism.

Effect of Cr2O3 addition on oxidation induration and reduction swelling behavior of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets with simulated coke oven gas

The oxidation induration and reduction swelling behavior of chromium-bearing vanadium titanomagnetite pellets(CVTP)with Cr2O3 addition were studied,and the reduction swelling index(RSI)and compressive strength(CS)of the reduced CVTP with simulated coke oven gas(COG)injection were investigated.The results showed that the CS of the CVTP decreases and the porosity of the CVTP increases with increasing amount of Cr2O3 added.The Cr2O3 mainly exists in the form of(Cr,Fe)2O3 solid solution in the CVTP and as Fe-Cr in the reduced CVTP.The CS of the reduced CVTP increases and the RSI of the reduced CVTP decreases with increasing amount of Cr2O3 added.The limited aggregation and diffusion of metallic iron contribute to the formation of dense lamellar crystals,which leads to the slight decrease for reduction swelling behavior of reduced CVTP.This work provides a theoretical and technical basis for the utilization of CVTP and other Cr-bearing ores such as chromite with COG recycling technology.

Reduction kinetics of iron oxide pellets with H_2 and CO mixtures

Reduction of hematite pellets using H2-CO mixtures with a wide range of H2/CO by molar （1：0, 3：1, 1：1, 1：3, and 0：1） at different reducing temperatures （1073, 1173, and 1273 K） was conducted in a program reducing furnace. Based on an unreacted core model, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant in several cases were determined, and then the rate-control step and transition were analyzed. In the results, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant increase with the rise in temperature or hydrogen content. Reduction of iron oxide pellets using an H2-CO mixture is a compound control system; the reaction rate is dominated by chemical reaction at the very beginning, competition during the reduction process subsequently, and internal gas diffusion at the end. At low hydrogen content, increasing temperature takes the transition point of the rate-control step to a high reduction degree, but at high hydrogen content, the effect of temperature on the transition point weakens.

Beneficiation of Titanium Oxides From Ilmenite by Self-Reduction of Coal Bearing Pellets

The study on the beneficiation of titanium oxides from Panzhihua ilmenites by reduction of coal bearing pellets was carried out. The iron oxides in pellets were efficiently reduced to metal iron, and titanium oxide slag beneficiated was separated from metal iron. The effect of temperature, flux and coal blending ratio on the reduction and separation was investigated, and rational parameters were determined. A new process for the beneficiation of titanium oxides by rotary hearth furnace （RHF） was proposed.

Gas-solid reduction kinetic model of MgO-fluxed pellets

The reduction process of MgO-fluxed pellets was investigated and compared with traditional acidic pellets in this paper. Based on the piston flow concept and experimental data, a kinetic model fitting for the gas-solid phase reduction of pellets in tubular reactors （blast furnace, BF） was built up, and the equations of reduction reaction rate were given for pellets. A series of reduction experiments of pellets were carried out to verify the model. As a result, the experimental data and calculated result were fitted well. Therefore, this model can well describe the gas-solid phase reduction process and calculate the reduction reaction rate of pellets. Besides, it can give a better explanation that the reduction reaction rate （reducibility） of MgO-fluxed pellets is better than that of traditional acidic pellets in BF.

Effects of Catalyst and Additive Containing Li, Na, or Ca on Reduction of Iron Oxide/Carbon Composite Pellets

The catalyst containing 0.69% (mass fraction) of Li+, Na+, or Ca2+ were synthesized, and the catalytic effect on the reduction of iron oxide/carbon composite pellets were investigated by comparing with that of additive at 850 degreesC. The effect of the catalyst was greater than that of the additive, it can be considered that catalyst promoted the formation of iron nucleus early on reduction processes of iron oxide/carbon composite pellets. In addition, both effects of catalyst and additive increased after added carbon powder into the pellets, but the extent of increase decreased when the carbon powder exceeded a suitable content (about 4%), this amount is less than that of carbon needed theoretically on the reduction from hematite to iron.

Effect of CaO and CaCO3 on Reduction Rate of Iron Ore Pellets Containing Carbon

The effect of metallurgical fluxes CaO and CaCO3 on the reduction rate of iron ore pellets containing carbon in nitrogen atmosphere has been studied by a weight-loss thermal balance. The experimental results showed that adding CaO or CaCO3 can promote reduction reaction as the added CaO or CaCO3 probably decrease the apparent activation energy of iron ore concentrate-carbon-CaO or CaCO3 reaction, and the reduction rate constant changes with mass percent of CaO and CaCO3. The kinetic analysis also showed that the rate-controlling step of the reaction is inner gas diffusion.

Reduction mechanisms of pyrite cinder-carbon composite pellets

The non-isothermal reduction mechanisms of pyrite cinder-carbon composite pellets were studied at laboratory scale under argon （Ar） atmosphere. The composite pellets as well as the specimens of separate layers containing pyrite cinder and coal were tested. The degree of reduction was measured by mass loss. The microstmctures of the reduced composite pellets were characterized by scanning electron mi- croscopy （SEM）. It is found that the reduction processes of the composite pellets may be divided into four stages： reduction via CO and H2 from volatiles in coal at 673-973 K, reduction via H2 and C produced by cracking of hydrocarbon at 973-1123 K, direct reduction by carbon via gaseous intermediates at 1123-1323 K, and direct reduction by carbon at above 1323 K. Corresponding to the four stages, the apparent activation energies （E） for the reduction of the composite pellets are 86.26, 78.54, 72.01, and 203.65 kJ.mol-1, respectively.

Microwave enhanced chemical reduction process for nitrite-containing wastewater treatment using sulfaminic acid

High-concentration nitrite-containing wastewater that presents extreme toxicity to human health and organisms is difficult to be treated using traditional biological process. In this study, a novel microwave-enhanced chemical reduction process （MECRP） using sulfarninic acid （SA） was proposed as a new manner to treat such type of wastewater. Based on lab-scale experiments, it was shown that 75%-80% nitrite （NO2-） could be removed within time as short as 4 min under 50 W microwave irradiation in pH range 5-10 when molar ratio of SA to nitrite （SA/NO2-） was 0.8. Pilot-scale investigations demonstrated that MECRP was able to achieve nitrite and chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal with efficiency up to 80% and 20%, respectively under operating conditions of SA concentration 80 kg/m3, SA/NO2- ratio 0.8, microwave power 3.4 kW, and stirring time 3 min. Five-day biological oxygen demand （BODs）/COD value of treated effluent after MECRP was increased from 0.05 to 0.36 （by 620%）, which clearly suggested a considerable improvement of biodegradability for subsequent biological treatment. This study provided a demonstration of using microwave irradiation to enhance reaction between SA and nitrite in a short time, in which nitrite in wastewater was completely converted into nitrogen gas without leaving any sludge and secondary pollutants.