Iron ore pellet with 0 to 100-micron particles is available worldwide in pellet feed for pelleting. The price is always per ton or kg and In case of additional grinding in a short time, this primary material is considered suitable for charging direct recovery units equipped with pelletizing equipment such as our company. In some direct regeneration processes, green and hardened green pellets are also used.Raw materials for the manufacture and production of iron ore pellet Commercial iron ore with a particle size of less than 10 mm (typically 6 mm) is supplied as bulk feedstock to blast furnaces and direct reduction units worldwide. These materials are added directly to the sintering machine's initial charge to the blast furnace, for the direct regeneration method, and they can also be added to the initial charge of pellets after regrinding. In direct regeneration complexes equipped with pelletizing units, block feed is also suitable for pelleting, especially since this material is easier to transport than pelleted feed, and its relative loss during transport is less, in addition to special transport equipment, it is not necessary.
natural particles
Iron stones in sizes around 6 to 7 mm are also available in the international market. If the stone has a grain size of 15 mm, it is sold as a natural particle. The material is cooled before use and after softening is removed it can be used in DRI furnaces. Due to the special surface of these stones, especially the sharp corners of their grains and their lower hardness compared to baked grains, it gives more softness in the oven. Natural particles can also be added to the initial charge of agglomerates after crushing and grinding. Iron pellets are the raw material for the production of pig iron. Granules are small particles made from iron ore and other additives that have been hardened or roasted. Compared to blast furnace pellets, the pellets used in the direct regeneration method have higher iron quality and fewer impurities. The mass used in the blast furnace must have a larger size and higher strength, which also depends on the size of the blast furnace. The degree of its regeneration also depends on the porosity, the interface, and the degree of gas-solid contact. Its preparation process uses soft iron ore, which includes additives, 91% of which are equal to 45 microns in size. To obtain a round shape, the resulting material is mixed with water and centrifuged in a grinder to produce a pig iron grind. To improve the quality and metallurgical properties during the production of mash, additives, and binders such as calcium hydroxide may be added. At this stage, granules of the desired size and sufficient hardness are produced and sent for baking and curing. To harden them in an oxidizing atmosphere, they are gently heated in a machine to the iron ore's softening temperature, first dried and then baked so that their porosity does not decrease. Finally, after cooking, the raw balls must cool down to avoid cracks forming in them. Iron ore pellet raw materials include
- bentonite
- lime stone
- organic material
- cement
- water
Granulation history
Granulation was invented in 1912 by AJ Anderson in Sweden. But in the United States, the commercial use of projectiles dates back to after World War II. In 1955, the world's first pill factory also opened in Minnesota. In the early 1980s, 50% of blast furnaces in the US, Canada, and Mexico used pellets. In general, there are two ways to make pellets:
- Conical or rotating cylinder method
- disc method
conical or rotating cylinder method In industrial size, pelletizing drums are between 9 and 11 meters long and approximately 3 to 3.6 meters in diameter and are used to produce raw material pellets with a capacity of 90 to 120 tons per hour. The angle between the cylinder and the horizon is 6 to 10 degrees. The smooth walls of the drum are covered with wet particles to improve the adhesion and hardness of the drum. In addition, a rotating scraper is used to control the height of the particle mixture. The prepared pellet mixture is filled from the upper end of the drum. The drum has springs along its length that spray water inside. This is done to form particles. Depending on the length, inclination, speed of rotation and the amount of raw material loaded into the drum, pellets of different sizes can be produced. Drama has limitations. For example, raw granules in a drum are not sorted by size. This problem causes the larger particles to be crushed and reloaded into the drum along with the smaller ones.
Pellet production by the disc method
Used industrially for pelletizing disks with diameters between 6 and 7.5 meters and production capacities between 90 and 120 t/h. In this method, raw materials are placed on the surface of a special rotating disk and granulated. The disc rotates at about 6 to 8 revolutions per minute and is angled 45 degrees from the horizon. Around 70% of the disc surface is effectively used for pellet production. The speed of rotation of the disk, the angle of deviation from the horizontal, and the period of motion of the disk are among the factors that affect the properties of the particles produced by this method. In the turntable, the particles are the same size and their mechanical properties can be adjusted. Iron ore price per ton Iron ore is one of the most important minerals in the world and is known as the raw material for steel production. In today's industry, the price is calculated per ton and kg and many different metals are used to make products. The most important of these metals is undoubtedly steel, which is produced by extracting iron ore and subjecting it to processing and refining operations. Today's advanced industries and civilizations largely require steel and cast-iron structures made from this ore. Iron (Fe) is a metallic element that makes up about 5% of the Earth's crust and is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. The main iron ore reserves are found in sedimentary rocks. Iron ore is a rock from which metallic iron can be extracted economically. These ores are formed by the chemical reaction of the combination of iron and oxygen in sea and fresh water. Two important minerals in these deposits are iron oxides: hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). Almost all iron ore in blast furnaces is used to produce pig iron, the main raw material for steelmaking. Small amounts of this ore are used in other applications such as coal washing plants and cement production. Iron is the most abundant metal, accounting for about 95% of total global metal production. The price per kilogram of iron today depends on raw material prices and energy consumption. There is another mineral called magnetite, which is derived from a Greek word meaning magnet. The chemical formula of this iron ore mineral is Fe3O4 and its highest purity contains 70% iron-Fe. Of course, there are other types of iron ore, distinguished by the names of their constituent minerals, zeolite, limonite, siderite, diatomite, and macerate. Almost all major iron deposits on Earth are in rocks that formed more than 1.8 billion years ago. At that time, Earth's oceans contained a lot of dissolved iron and little dissolved oxygen. Iron deposits began to form when the first organisms capable of photosynthesis released oxygen into the water. This oxygen immediately combines with abundant dissolved iron and produces hematite or magnetite. Minerals were deposited in large quantities on the sea floor, creating what is now called "iron belt formations." The rocks are banded because iron minerals are deposited alternately with silica and oil-bearing rocks. These bands may have arisen due to seasonal changes in biological activity.
How iron ore is mined
The first step in characterizing iron ore is to identify mines that are rich in this ore, which is done by specialized engineers and experts. After experts have identified potential mines, the extraction of iron ore begins and it is ready to be purified and obtained as pure metal. Pure iron obtained from ore is dark in color and is very susceptible to oxidation and impact. To use iron in applications such as metal construction and various steel industries, it is necessary to combine it with elements such as carbon, nickel and chromium and obtain an alloy of iron to eliminate its weaknesses and increase its strength. Australia and Brazil are the world's largest producers of iron ore. China is also the world's largest importer and consumer of this mineral. As minerals of different size and size are obtained in the extraction stage, in the first stage the rough stones have to be separated for crushing and this physical separation is called sieving according to the size of the stones. Iron ore must be crushed and turned into powder to increase concentration and quality. The work is carried out in several stages by a stone crusher, which is then ground according to the type and hardness of the stone. There are different types of stone crushers. Iron ore obtained from mines is characterized by low quality and must be purified. After iron ore is extracted, it is first prepared for processing and goes through several steps into the furnace. These steps include pulverizing, grinding, filtering and washing. Finally, by using the flotation method or by using a magnetic separator, they increased its quality to 65-65%. The resulting stones are then cut into sizes from 6 to 25mm to fit into the kiln. In smelting furnaces called blast furnaces, concentrated iron ore known as iron concentrate is exposed to a lot of heat along with limestone and coking coal. Next, the desired metal is melted due to the heat and gas flow from the coke fuel. The molten iron and slag from its stone impurities are gradually discharged from the furnace. In this system, the furnace is constantly filled with new metal ore and molten iron is produced from it. The product of this furnace is cast iron, which is used in certain industries. But most metal structures and industries related to metalworking require a very durable form called steel. For this reason, cast iron is reworked and the necessary steel is obtained from it. The temperature of the furnace reached 1925 degrees Celsius and the output of the furnace was molten iron with carbon monoxide gas. Reactions in these furnaces are also known as direct regeneration. Refers to the reaction in which primary iron ore is regenerated by a solid or gaseous reducing agent. Ultimately, the product of this reaction is called cast iron or steel, depending on the percentage of carbon in it. To sum up we can say that Iron ore is the main source of iron for the world's iron and steel industry. Iron, as the main raw material for iron and steel production, is mainly used in industries such as construction, engineering, automobiles and machinery. Compositions Steel of different shapes and sizes is produced in different ways. In some applications, no other material has the strength required to construct large buildings like steel. Therefore, the supply of iron ore is an important factor in the global economy. Almost all (98%) iron ore is used to make steel. In fact, as long as it needs steel, the world needs iron ore. About 50 countries around the world mine iron ore, with the seven largest producers accounting for about three-quarters of world production. Australia and Brazil are among the largest iron producers in the world, while Australia and Brazil are the largest exporters of iron ore and China is the largest importer of iron. Steel is 100% recyclable, meaning it can be processed into the same quality material over and over again. Recycling saves a lot of energy and raw materials. Steel recycling significantly reduces energy consumption compared to producing primary steel from ore. If you are interested in buying the best quality products in the market you can easily contact our specialists, we are available 24/7.