A metal agglomerate production configuration including an induration apparatus configured to provide a metal oxide material manufacturing thermal process (MTE) including indurating a metal ore material into a metal oxide material and a method of production of metal agglomerates. A cooler device is configured for cooling the metal oxide material discharged from the induration apparatus and includes a first heat transferring arrangement configured for transferring a first heat energy content (HE) to the induration apparatus, which first heat energy content (HE) is recovered from the metal oxide material holding the thermal energy (TE). The configuration includes a second heat transferring arrangement configured for transferring a second heat energy content (HE) from the induration apparatus to the cooler device for cooling of the metal oxide material, which second heat energy content (HE) is recovered from the metal oxide material manufacturing thermal process (MTE).

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.

A method is disclosed for extracting metals from concentrated sulphurated minerals containing metals by direct reduction with regeneration and recycling of the reducing agent, iron, and of the flux, sodium carbonate. It is a combination of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes which differ from the conventional processes. They do not require previous toasting of the concentrated sulphurated minerals and are technically and economically more advantageous than the presently used processes, since they directly reduce to zero the positive oxidation state of the metal, using a single reactor for extracting the metal, regenerating and recycling the metallurgical feed materials in complementary processes, the kinetics of the chemical reactions being characterised by high speed, without generating any slags or pollutant gases. The metals can be extracted at a reduced cost and in an environmentally sustainable manner

A method for smelting magnesium quickly and continuously includes: preparing dolomite or magnesite with reductants and fluorite at a predetermined ratio, uniformly mixing the prepared ingredients to obtain pellets, and calcining the obtained pellets in an argon or nitrogen atmosphere; continuously feeding the high-temperature calcined pellets (without being cooled) under argon protection into a reduction furnace, and performing a high-temperature reduction reaction in a flowing argon atmosphere to obtain high-temperature magnesium steam; and enabling the high-temperature magnesium steam to be carried out of the high-temperature reduction furnace by an argon flow, and performing condensation to obtain metal magnesium. The present invention eliminates a vacuum system and a vacuum reduction tank, so that quick and continuous production of the metal magnesium is realized, the reduction time is shortened to 90 min or less, and the recovery rate of magnesium is increased to 88% or more.

Provided is a method for smelting nickel oxide ore by which the occurrence of cracking due to heat shock can be suppressed when nickel oxide ore is pelletized and charged into a smelting step (reduction step). A method for smelting nickel oxide ore according to the present invention uses pellets of nickel oxide ore, the method being characterized by comprising a pellet production step S1 for producing pellets from nickel oxide ore, and a reduction step S2 for heating the resulting pellets at a predetermined reduction temperature in a reduction furnace, the reduction step S2 comprising preheating the pellets obtained in the pellet production step S1 to a temperature of 350 to 600 C. in the reduction furnace and thereafter charging the pellets into the reduction furnace and raising the temperature of the reduction furnace to the reduction temperature.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for producing composite pellets comprising a core comprising: iron ore and a carbonaceous reducing agent; and a shell comprising: iron ore; and having a core and shell transition in a manner such that no visible boundary exists between the core and the shell in a cross-section of the pellet. The methods can be used to produce composite pellets with improved productivity and quality, and the resulting composite pellets can be used to produce direct reduced iron (DRI).

In the present pelletizing apparatus, the induration of iron ore concentrate pellets is achieved in a tunnel furnace heated by plasma torches, wherein the generation of CO2 by the conventional iron ore pelletizing processes is reduced by using electricity powered plasma torches instead of burning natural gas, heavy oil or pulverized coal in burners, thereby reducing considerably industrial pollution of the atmosphere.

In the present pelletizing apparatus, the induration of iron ore concentrate pellets is achieved in a tunnel furnace heated by plasma torches, wherein the generation of CO2 by the conventional iron ore pelletizing processes is reduced by using electricity powered plasma torches instead of burning natural gas, heavy oil or pulverized coal in burners, thereby reducing considerably industrial pollution of the atmosphere.

Provided is a method for smelting nickel oxide ore by which the occurrence of cracking due to heat shock can be suppressed when nickel oxide ore is pelletized and charged into a smelting step (reduction step). A method for smelting nickel oxide ore according to the present invention uses pellets of nickel oxide ore, the method being characterized by comprising a pellet production step S1 for producing pellets from nickel oxide ore, and a reduction step S2 for heating the resulting pellets at a predetermined reduction temperature in a reduction furnace, the reduction step S2 comprising preheating the pellets obtained in the pellet production step S1 to a temperature of 350 to 600 C. in the reduction furnace and thereafter charging the pellets into the reduction furnace and raising the temperature of the reduction furnace to the reduction temperature.

A method for smelting nickel oxide ore according to the present invention uses pellets of nickel oxide ore and is characterized by comprising: a pellet production step S1 for producing pellets from nickel oxide ore; a reduction step S2 for heating the resulting pellets at a predetermined reduction temperature in a reduction furnace to obtain a mixture of iron-nickel alloy and slag; and a separation step S3 for separating out and recovering the iron-nickel alloy form the resulting mixture, the separation step S3 comprising the creation of pulverized matter by pulverizing the mixture so that at least the slag becomes smaller than 2 mm, and sorting the resulting pulverized matter with a magnetic force of 300 to 600 gauss.