Abstract:
The steelmaking industry has been faced with significant adversity as the global economy and over-supply of products continue to saturate the market and lower profitability. These economic conditions are compounded with stronger environmental regulations of the industry with regards to process by-products such as dust, scale, sludge, and slag, which are often classified into hazardous waste increasing the manufacturing costs of steelmakers. Process by-products are formed in various sections of the steel production route from the blast furnace to the rolling operations. To lessen the impact and utilize the by-products, this study investigates the reducibility of various iron and carbon sources in the form of composite briquettes and cylindrical pellets heated using process off-gas from the electric arc furnace. Compositional variations were found to exist in the raw materials, which affected the overall reduction ability of the composite briquette. Optimal mixture of various components with binders and fluxing agents are required to enhance durability of the briquette and inhibit bursting within the hot zone of the reaction chamber. The rate and final reduction degree was dependent on the reducing agent. Results show that partial reduction of the composite briquette is possible, which can be charged directly into the EAF for final smelting reduction and production of steel.
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