Use of Iron Ore Fines in Cold-Bonded Self-Reducing Composite Pellets

The feasibility of producing direct reduced iron from cold-bonded, self-reducing composite pellets, constituted from beneficiated iron ore slime, coke, and different binders (dextrin, bentonite, calcium lignosulfonate, and carboxymethyl-cellulose [CMC]) was studied. This was done using a design of experiments approach. It was found that as-received beneficiated iron ore slime is suitable as a raw material for the production of self-reducing composite pellets with carboxymethylcellulose as the most suitable binder. Dry strengths in excess of 300 N/pellet were attained by curing the pellets under ambient conditions. The composite pellets reduced within 20 min to degrees of metallization in excess of 90% at 1100°C, with decrepitation indices significantly below 5%. The degree of metallization of composite pellets increased with an increase in reduction temperature (from 1000 to 1100°C), reduction time (20 min. vs. 40 min), and coke quantity (15% vs. 20%). CMC was identified as the most economical and suitable binder for the Sishen concentrate.