Additive Enhances Iron Ore Reducibility and Pig Iron Productivity

Abstract

The reducibility of iron ore with coke is an important parameter in a blast furnace process which significantly affects the production of pig iron. When iron ore and coke mixed with developed high energetic additive in blast furnace it promotes low temperature iron ore reduction and leads to coke saving. Results of proximate analysis values for moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon content were 15.28%, 16.62%, 1.02% 67.07% and 14.15%, 15.29%, 0.48% and 70.07% respectively with and without additive. Additive increased metallization of iron (Fe) content from 48.61% to 51.89% and decreased the ferrous oxide (FeO) from 12.26% to 9.28%. Additive reduced the CaO, SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and MgO by 10.90%, 8.31%, 2.79%, and 1.47% respectively which showed improvement of quality of sinter and further reduction of the pig iron sulphur content from 0.22 to 0.08% which reflected improvement in metal product quality. Additive increased the slag chemical composition of CaO, SiO₂, MgO, Al₂O₃ and MnO by 4.79%, 2.62%, 7.35%, 2.82 % and 19.56% respectively and decreased the FeO by 32.23%. Additive reduced the consumption of coke by 700 kg and increased production by 2% resulting saving of coke by 91 kg per ton of pig iron production. Additive increased reducibility, quality and productivity of pig iron with decrease in batch maturing period. Further it exhibited better performance in sintering process and reduced the un-agglomerated material. This paper describes the effect of additive used in the blast furnace process during industrial pig iron production.