This invention provides processes and systems for converting biomass into high carbon biogenic reagents that are suitable for a variety of commercial applications. Some embodiments employ pyrolysis in the presence of an inert gas to generate hot pyrolyzed solids, condensable vapors, and non-condensable gases, followed by separation of vapors and gases, and cooling of the hot pyrolyzed solids in the presence of the inert gas. Additives may be introduced during processing or combined with the reagent, or both. The biogenic reagent may include at least 70 wt %, 80 wt %, 90 wt %, 95 wt %, or more total carbon on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may have an energy content of at least 12,000 Btu/lb, 13,000 Btu/lb, 14,000 Btu/lb, or 14,500 Btu/lb on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may be formed into fine powders, or structural objects.

Some variations provide a carbon-negative carbon product that is characterized by a carbon intensity less than 0 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative carbon product, wherein the carbon-negative carbon product contains at least about 50 wt % carbon. In some embodiments, the carbon intensity is less than −500 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative carbon product. Other variations provide a carbon-negative metal product (e.g., a steel product) that is characterized by a carbon intensity less than 0 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative metal product, wherein the metal product contains from 50 wt % to 100 wt % of one or more metals and optionally one or more alloying elements. In some embodiments, the carbon-negative metal product is characterized by a carbon intensity less than −200 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative metal product. The carbon-negative metal product can contain a wide variety of metals.

A fine ratio measuring device that measures the fine ratio of fines adhering to the surface of the material in the form of lumps includes: an illumination unit that illuminates the material in the form of lumps; an imaging unit that captures an image of the material in the form of lumps and produces image data; and an arithmetic unit including a computation unit that computes a characteristic quantity of the image data produced by the imaging unit and a conversion unit that converts the characteristic quantity computed by the computation unit to the fine ratio.

A cooperative emission reduction method for sintering using an energy-carrying composite gas is disclosed. A surface of a sintered material is divided into an ignition section, a heat preservation section, a middle section, a flue gas heating section, and a machine tail section from a machine head to a machine tail of a sintering machine; according to flue gas components, temperature characteristics, and heat requirements of different sections, a hot exhaust gas is introduced to the ignition section for ignition, a hot exhaust gas is introduced to the heat preservation section and a hydrogen-rich gas is cascadingly sprayed synchronously, cascaded spraying of water vapor is coupled based on spraying of a hydrogen-rich gas in the middle section, and the high-temperature flue gas in the machine tail section and the flue gas in the ignition section and/or the heat preservation section are circulated to the heating section.

Some variations provide a carbon-negative carbon product that is characterized by a carbon intensity less than 0 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative carbon product, wherein the carbon-negative carbon product contains at least about 50 wt % carbon. In some embodiments, the carbon intensity is less than −500 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative carbon product. Other variations provide a carbon-negative metal product (e.g., a steel product) that is characterized by a carbon intensity less than 0 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative metal product, wherein the metal product contains from 50 wt % to 100 wt % of one or more metals and optionally one or more alloying elements. In some embodiments, the carbon-negative metal product is characterized by a carbon intensity less than −200 kg CO.sub.2e per metric ton of the carbon-negative metal product. The carbon-negative metal product can contain a wide variety of metals.

This invention provides processes and systems for converting biomass into highcarbon biogenic reagents that are suitable for a variety of commercial applications. Some embodiments employ pyrolysis in the presence of an inert gas to generate hot pyrolyzed solids, condensable vapors, and non-condensable gases, followed by separation of vapors and gases, and cooling of the hot pyrolyzed solids in the presence of the inert gas. Additives may be introduced during processing or combined with the reagent, or both. The biogenic reagent may include at least 70 wt %, 80 wt %, 90 wt %, 95 wt %, or more total carbon on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may have an energy content of at least 12,000 Btu/lb, 13,000 Btu/lb, 14,000 Btu/lb, or 14,500 Btu/lb on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may be formed into fine powders, or structural objects.

Processes and systems for converting biomass into high-carbon biogenic reagents that are suitable for a variety of commercial applications. Pyrolysis in the presence of an inert gas is employed to generate hot pyrolyzed solids, condensable vapors, and non-condensable gases, followed by separation of vapors and gases, and cooling of the hot pyrolyzed solids in the presence of the inert gas. Additives may be introduced during processing or combined with the reagent, or both. The biogenic reagent may include at least 70 wt %, 80 wt %, 90 wt %, 95 wt %, or more total carbon on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may have an energy content of at least 12,000 Btu/lb, 13,000 Btu/lb, 14,000 Btu/lb, or 14,500 Btu/lb on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may be formed into fine powders, or structural objects. The structural objects may have a structure and/or strength that derive from the feedstock, heat rate, and additives.

Some variations provide a composition for reducing a metal ore, the composition comprising a carbon-metal ore particulate, wherein the carbon-metal ore particulate comprises at least about 0.1 wt % to at most about 50 wt % fixed carbon on a moisture-free and ash-free basis, and wherein the carbon is at least 50% renewable carbon as determined from a measurement of the .sup.14C/.sup.12C isotopic ratio. Some variations provide a process for reducing a metal ore, comprising: providing a biomass feedstock; pyrolyzing the feedstock to generate a biogenic reagent comprising carbon and a pyrolysis off-gas comprising hydrogen or carbon monoxide; obtaining a metal ore comprising a metal oxide; combining the carbon with the metal ore, to generate a carbon-metal ore particulate; optionally pelletizing the carbon-metal ore particulate; and utilizing the pyrolysis off-gas to chemically reduce the metal oxide to elemental metal, such as iron. The disclosed technologies are environmentally superior to conventional processes based on coal.

A device for mounting and/or dismantling staves on/from an inner wall of a shaft furnace, the device including a circular monorail for supporting at least one stave positioning hoist, where the monorail is divided into at least four separate arc portions, where each arc portion is connected to a neighboring arc portion by means of a rotatable connection, the arc portions are moveable between an unfolded position, in which the arc portions form a circular monorail, and a folded position, in which the overall size of the monorail is, in one direction, reduced.

A blast furnace control system may include a hardware processor that generates a deep learning based predictive model for forecasting hot metal temperature, where the actual measured HMT data is only available sparsely, and for example, measured at irregular interval of time. HMT data points may be imputed by interpolating the HMT measurement data. HMT gradients are computed and a model is generated to learn a relationship between state variables and the HTM gradients. HMT may be forecasted for a time point, in which no measured HMT data is available. The forecasted HMT may be transmitted to a controller coupled to a blast furnace, to trigger a control action to control a manufacturing process occurring in the blast furnace.