Use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder, in particular the use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder to form iron ore pellets.

Use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder, in particular the use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder to form iron ore pellets.

The present disclosure is generally directed to biopolymers having coiled nanostructures, methods of making those biopolymers, and applications involving those biopolymers. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may be produced through a biophysical process by which the shape of a biopolymer macromolecular chain is altered. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may then be cross-linked to prepare biopolymeric networks. The biopolymeric networks may be configured to incorporate solid particles, in which they serve to hold the solid particles together against external stresses, solvents, and the like. For this reason, the biopolymers having coiled nanostructures are useful in a variety of applications, including in an improved process for forming iron ore pellets.

The present disclosure is generally directed to biopolymers having coiled nanostructures, methods of making those biopolymers, and applications involving those biopolymers. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may be produced through a biophysical process by which the shape of a biopolymer macromolecular chain is altered. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may then be cross-linked to prepare biopolymeric networks. The biopolymeric networks may be configured to incorporate solid particles, in which they serve to hold the solid particles together against external stresses, solvents, and the like. For this reason, the biopolymers having coiled nanostructures are useful in a variety of applications, including in an improved process for forming iron ore pellets.

The present invention relates to the use of hydrophobically associative copolymers as binders for pelletizing metal containing ores such as iron containing ores. The copolymers comprise monomer unitsderived from at least one hydrophobically as sociative monomer, preferably at least one unsaturated hydrophobically associating monomer.

The present invention relates to the use of hydrophobically associative copolymers as binders for pelletizing metal containing ores such as iron containing ores. The copolymers comprise monomer unitsderived from at least one hydrophobically as sociative monomer, preferably at least one unsaturated hydrophobically associating monomer.

To provide a method for producing agglomerated ore, with which reduced iron can be efficiently produced by hydrogen reduction, without the need for preheating raw material and raising the temperature of reducing gas. A method for producing agglomerated ore, the method including sintering a sintering raw material containing an iron-containing raw material and a condensation material in a sintering machine to form a sinter cake, and obtaining agglomerated ore by crushing the sinter cake, in which iron oxide contained in the sinter cake is reduced by distributing a reducing gas through the sinter cake on the sintering machine, to make a degree of reduction of iron oxide contained in the agglomerated ore after crushing 50% or more.

The present disclosure relates to an iron briquette produced by providing sponge iron pellets, providing carbon powder, producing a mixture of the sponge iron pellets and the carbon powder, and briquetting the mixture to provide an iron briquette comprising compressed sponge iron pellets and carbon powder located in interstitial spaces between the compressed sponge iron pellets, wherein the iron briquette comprises at least 0.2 wt % carbon powder, and wherein the sponge iron pellets comprise at least 0.5 wt % iron oxide and are essentially free of carbon. The disclosure further relates to a method for producing such an iron briquette.

In some variations, the disclosure provides a renewable biocarbon composition comprising from 50 wt % to 99 wt % total carbon, wherein the biocarbon composition is characterized by a base-acid ratio selected from 0.1 to 10, an iron-calcium ratio selected from 0.05 to 5, iron-plus-calcium parameter selected from 5 to 50 wt %, a slagging factor selected from 0.001 to 1, and/or a fouling factor or modified fouling factor selected from 0.1 to 10. Some variations provide a process comprising: providing a biomass feedstock; pyrolyzing the biomass feedstock to generate an intermediate biocarbon stream; washing or treating the intermediate biocarbon stream with an acid, a base, a salt, a metal, H.sub.2, H.sub.2O, CO, CO.sub.2, or a combination thereof, and/or introducing an additive in the process, to adjust a base-acid ratio or other compositional parameter; and recovering a biocarbon composition comprising from 50 wt % to 99 wt % total carbon and optimized for a compositional parameter.

In some variations, the disclosure provides a renewable biocarbon composition comprising from 50 wt % to 99 wt % total carbon, wherein the biocarbon composition is characterized by a base-acid ratio selected from 0.1 to 10, an iron-calcium ratio selected from 0.05 to 5, iron-plus-calcium parameter selected from 5 to 50 wt %, a slagging factor selected from 0.001 to 1, and/or a fouling factor or modified fouling factor selected from 0.1 to 10. Some variations provide a process comprising: providing a biomass feedstock; pyrolyzing the biomass feedstock to generate an intermediate biocarbon stream; washing or treating the intermediate biocarbon stream with an acid, a base, a salt, a metal, H.sub.2, H.sub.2O, CO, CO.sub.2, or a combination thereof, and/or introducing an additive in the process, to adjust a base-acid ratio or other compositional parameter; and recovering a biocarbon composition comprising from 50 wt % to 99 wt % total carbon and optimized for a compositional parameter.