Hot-briquetted iron

Direct reduced iron (DRI), also called sponge iron,^[1] is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore (in the form of lumps, pellets, or fines) into iron by a reducing gas which either contains elemental carbon (produced from natural gas or coal) or hydrogen. When hydrogen is used as the reducing gas there are no greenhouse gases produced. Many ores are suitable for direct reduction.

Direct reduction refers to solid-state processes which reduce iron oxides to metallic iron at temperatures below the melting point of iron. Reduced iron derives its name from these processes, one example being heating iron ore in a furnace at a high temperature of 800 to 1,200 °C (1,470 to 2,190 °F) in the presence of the reducing gas syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, or pure hydrogen.^[2]

Production of direct-reduced iron and breakdown by process

Process

Direct reduction processes can be divided roughly into two categories: gas-based, and coal-based. In both cases, the objective of the process is to remove the oxygen contained in various forms of iron ore (sized ore, concentrates, pellets, mill scale, furnace dust, etc.), in order to convert the ore to metallic iron, without melting it (below 1,200 °C (2,190 °F)).

The direct reduction process is comparatively energy efficient. Steel made using DRI requires significantly less fuel, in that a traditional blast furnace is not needed. DRI is most commonly made into steel using electric arc furnaces to take advantage of the heat produced by the DRI product.^[3]

History

Producing sponge iron and then working it was the earliest method used to obtain iron in the Middle East, Egypt, and Europe, where it remained in use until at least the 16th century.

The advantage of the bloomery technique is that iron can be obtained at a lower furnace temperature, only about 1,100 °C or so. The disadvantage, relative to a blast furnace, is that only small quantities can be made at a time.

Chemistry

The following reactions successively convert hematite (from iron ore) into magnetite, magnetite into ferrous oxide, and ferrous oxide into iron by reduction with carbon monoxide or hydrogen.^[7]

${\displaystyle {\ce {3 Fe2O3 + CO/H2 -> 2 Fe3O4 + CO2/H2O}}}$

${\displaystyle {\ce {Fe3O4 + CO/H2 -> 3 FeO + CO2/H2O}}}$

${\displaystyle {\ce {FeO + CO/H2 -> Fe + CO2/H2O}}}$

Carburizing produces cementite (Fe₃C):

${\displaystyle {\ce {3 Fe + CH4 -> Fe3C + 2H2}}}$

${\displaystyle {\ce {3 Fe + 2CO -> Fe3C + CO2}}}$

${\displaystyle {\ce {3 Fe + CO +H2 -> Fe3C + H2O}}}$

Economy

India is the world’s largest producer of direct-reduced iron.^[8]

Uses

Sponge iron is not useful by itself, but can be processed to create wrought iron or steel. The sponge is removed from the furnace, called a bloomery, and repeatedly beaten with heavy hammers and folded over to remove the slag, oxidize any carbon or carbide, and weld the iron together. This treatment usually creates wrought iron with about three percent slag and a fraction of a percent of other impurities. Further treatment may add controlled amounts of carbon, allowing various kinds of heat treatment (e.g. "steeling").

Today, sponge iron is created by reducing iron ore without melting it. This makes for an energy-efficient feedstock for specialty steel manufacturers which used to rely upon scrap metal.

See also

• Krupp-Renn Process
• Blast furnace
• Pig iron
• Steel mill
• Direct reduction

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Valipour MS, and Saboohi, Y, "Numerical investigation of nonisothermal reduction of hematite using Syngas: the shaft scale study", Modelling Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 15(5), p. 487, 2007.
• Grobler, F. and Minnitt, R.C.A "The increasing role of direct reduced iron in global steelmaking", The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

External links