Posted on 13 Dec 2024
China has achieved breakthroughs in flash ironmaking technology, a process capable of boosting ironmaking efficiency by up to 3,600 times, according to a recent study published by a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in Nonferrous Metals (a leading technical journal in the nonferrous metals industry in China).
Flash smelting involves injecting metal concentrates and reducing gases such as hydrogen or natural gas into a furnace, where the wide dispersion of concs creates optimal conditions for chemical reactions, enabling the rapid production of high-purity metals, according to the study paper. This method has been widely used in the nonferrous metals production but remains in the experimental stage for ironmaking, it noted.
A research team from the University of Utah first proposed applying this technology to iron ore concentrates processing a decade ago, and it achieved a reduction rate of over 90% from iron ore concentrates to direct reduced iron in experiments, sparking extensive industry research since then, the paper said.
Against this backdrop, Zhang Wenhai, the CAE researcher, and his research team independently developed a pilot-scale furnace system, successfully reducing over 90% of the injected concentrates to hot metal directly suitable for the steelmaking process within 10 seconds, according to the paper.
Compared to the traditional 5-6 hour ironmaking process in blast furnaces, flash ironmaking is much more efficient. Since it skips high-pollution raw material preprocessing steps such as sintering, pelletizing, and coking, it is more environmentally friendly as well, particularly suitable for processing China's low- and medium-grade domestic iron ore, Mysteel Global noted.
If this process is widely adopted in the ironmaking industry, China could significantly reduce its reliance on imported iron ore and accelerate the ferrous industry's transition to a low-carbon future, Mysteel understands.
Source:Mysteel Global
