Reduction of Carbon- Coated- Iron Ore in a Drop- Tube Reactor

Abstract

Particles of carbon-coated-iron ore were prepared by heating of a mixture of iron ore and phenolphthalein at 773 K in a nitrogen stream. Reduction behavior of iron ore and carbon-coated-iron ore particles during rapid heating has been observed by using a drop-tube reactor in a nitrogen stream at temperatures from 1, 340 to 1, 860 K. The reduction rate of the carbon-coated-iron ore rapidly increased with the beginning of melting and coexistence of metallic iron with bivalent and trivalent iron during heat treatment over 1, 650 K. A fraction of 53% of total iron in iron ore was reduced to metallic iron within 0.5 s by rapid heating at 1, 860 K.