Disclosed herein, in some aspects, are systems and methods for producing a material comprising iron through self-reduction of iron ore using bio-oil and/or other reducing agents (e.g., bio-based reducing agents), such as biocrude, ethanol, or other bio-based liquids or biologically sourced liquids. The bio-oil and/or other reducing agents can be mixed with the iron ore to form a furnace mixture, which can be heated, such that the components of the bio-oil and/or other reducing agents in the furnace mixture reduce the iron ore to form an iron product (e.g., a material that includes metallic iron). In some cases, the pre-formed furnace mixture allows for the reducing agents to interact with the iron more readily, thereby providing for quicker reaction rates, and thereby quicker reduction of iron ore, as compared to direct reduction iron production.

A system and method for fluidized reduction of iron ore powder. Use of oxidation increases the iron ore reduction rate. Use of high-gas-velocity processing accelerates iron ore reduction speed and greatly improves the gas-treatment capabilities of a unit-cross-sectional fluidized bed. Use of parallel-connections involving reduced coal gas lessens the volume of gas passing through a single-stage fluidized bed. The invention achieves the highly-effective reduction of iron ore powder in a fluidized bed under near-atmospheric pressure.

A system for the production of sponge iron, the system including a direct reduction shaft including a first inlet for introduction of iron ore into the shaft, a first outlet for removing sponge iron from the shaft, a reduction gas source, connected through a gas line with the shaft, a first compressor in said gas line, and a primary circuit for conducting at least a part of the top gas therethrough. The primary circuit is connected in one end with shaft and in another end with said gas line downstream said first compressor. The system also includes a secondary circuit for conducting at least a portion of gas removed from gas conducted through the primary circuit, said secondary circuit being connected in one end to the primary circuit and in another end to said gas line upstream said first compressor. The system further includes means therein for reducing the pressure of said portion of gas conducted through the secondary circuit, and a first valve for controlling a flow of said portion of gas into the secondary circuit.

The present disclosure provides a pre-reduced pellet preparation device and method based on grate-rotary kiln. The pre-reduced pellet preparation device comprises a grate-rotary kiln pellet oxidation system and a hydrogen-based shaft furnace reduction system. In the pre-reduced pellet preparation method, a roasting process and a reduction process for an iron-containing green pellet are organically combined, and a pellet cooling process after roasting and a heating process before pellet reduction are eliminated; physical heat of a roasted pellet is used to satisfy heat required in the heating and reduction processes; the technical problems of a low hydrogen utilization rate and high energy consumption of pellets in oxidative roasting and direct reduction processes in traditional direct reduction processes are solved; a reduced pellet having a certain metallization rate is obtained; the prepared pre-reduced pellet is used as blast furnace burden, such that blast furnace fuel consumption and carbon emission can be significantly reduced; the method is a new, low-carbon, and green pre-reduced pellet preparation process.

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing steel in an integrated metallurgical plant comprising at least one direct reduction reactor for directly reducing iron ore to give sponge iron, at least one electric furnace for melting the sponge iron to give pig iron or crude steel, at least one blast furnace for smelting iron ore to give pig iron, and at least one converter for refining pig iron to give crude steel. In accordance with the invention, the process gas discharged from the direct reduction reactor is admixed at least partly to the hot blast air and/or at least partly to an optional charging material, said air and/or said material being blown into the blast furnace.

A flash ironmaking system and a flash ironmaking method are provided. The flash ironmaking system includes a pulverized coal gasifier; a drying pre-reduction kiln; and a flash furnace having a horizontal bottom in which a molten iron layer region, a slag layer region and a carburizing bed layer region are sequentially formed, a reduction tower, a concentrate nozzle, and a flue.

A system and method for the fluidized direct reduction of iron ore concentrate powder. A two-phase fluidized bed is used for the direct reduction of iron ore concentrate powder. Each phase of the fluidized bed is formed by a bubbling bed and a circulating bed. Use of serial-connection processing involving gas and of high-gas-velocity processing of the circulating bed increase the gas utilization rate and the reduction efficiency of single-phase reduction. Once reduced gases are subjected to preheating, each gas is sent into an initial reduction phase and a final reduction phase so as to implement reduction of minerals. Use of mixed-connection processing involving gas appropriately reduces processing pressure. Hot flue gas produced by combustion in a gas heater is sent to a mineral pre-heating system that is used for pre-heating iron ore concentrate powder.

A system for the production of sponge iron, including a direct reduction shaft, a reduction gas source, a reduction gas container, a primary circuit for conducting at least a part of a top gas therethrough, a secondary circuit for conducting at least a portion of gas removed from gas conducted through the primary circuit, said secondary circuit being connected in one end to the primary circuit and in another end to the reduction gas container, a second gas line connecting the reduction gas source with the reduction gas container, and a third gas line connecting the reduction gas container with the first gas line. The system also includes a control unit configured to control a flow of reduction gas from reduction gas source to the first gas line and to control a flow of reduction gas from the reduction gas container to the first gas line through the third gas line, wherein the control unit is configured to enable a flow of reduction gas from the reduction gas container to said first gas line while correspondingly reducing a flow rate of reduction gas from the reduction gas source to said first gas line.

A device for manufacturing molten iron is provided. The device for manufacturing the molten iron includes a multi-stage fluidized reduction furnace for reducing a powdered iron ore including hematite and limonite, a melting gas furnace connected to the fluidized reduction furnace through an ore conduit and a gas conduit, a fluidized bed oxidation furnace for oxidizing magnetite to be converted into hematite through steam provided from the fluidized reduction furnace, and a hydrogen processing unit for processing hydrogen generated by the oxidation reaction of magnetite in the fluidized bed oxidation furnace.

Method and apparatus for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) powder or molten iron from iron ore fines by mixing said iron ore fines with hydrogen and oxygen and igniting the mixture in a flame reactor with flame temperatures controlled to produce solid iron powder or molten iron.