A process and an apparatus for producing direct reduced iron (“DRI”) from iron ore and biomass are disclosed. The process includes heating a batch of iron ore and biomass in a batch oven (3) and reducing iron ore and forming a solid DRI product having a metallisation of 80-99% and generating an offgas. The process includes discharging the solid product at the end of the batch cycle and discharging offgas during the course of the batch cycle. The process operates the batch oven in a temperature range of 700-1100#C in a batch cycle time of 10-100 hours.

A smelting apparatus for smelting metallic ore comprising a furnace having a continuous curved wall and end walls defining a longitudinal volume having a longitudinal axis in a horizontal direction. The continuous curved wall has a lowermost area. The longitudinal volume is divided in at least three longitudinal layers comprising a top layer within which gasified fuel is combusted for creating a hot gas composition to release, from the metallic ore, at least molten metal and slag, a lowermost layer at the lowermost area for holding molten metal, and a mid-layer above the lowermost layer in which the slag accumulates. The present document also describes processes using the smelting apparatus for producing ferrous and non-ferrous minerals from a metallic ore.

A process for treating a material, such as by calcination or reduction processes, is disclosed. The process comprises reacting hydrogen and oxygen in a reaction chamber and producing heat and steam, discharging steam from the reaction chamber, using the heat to treat the material and produce a treated material, and returning at least some of the steam discharged from the reaction chamber to the process. An apparatus is also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to a process for the production of carburized sponge iron. The process comprises the steps of reducing iron ore pellets using a carbon-lean reducing gas in a direct reduction shaft reactor to provide a sponge iron intermediate; transferring the sponge iron intermediate to a carburization unit; and carburizing the sponge iron intermediate in the carburization unit using a carburizing gas to provide carburized sponge iron. The disclosure further relates to a system for the production of carburized sponge iron, a carburized sponge iron produced by the aforementioned process, and a sponge iron intermediate obtained during the production of such a carburized sponge iron.

A method and system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process including: monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring step is carried out one or more of upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the compressor; and adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. The method includes maintaining the pH level of the water stream upstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.5 and 10 and maintaining the pH level of the water stream downstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.8 and 9.5.

A compacted ‘green’ briquette between 5 cm.sup.3 and 20 cm.sup.3 including, prior to reduction in a direct reduction process, a composition including at least 30% lignocellulosic biomass material by dry weight and at least 55% iron ore fines by weight, a density of between 1.4 g/cm.sup.3 and 2.0 g/cm.sup.3, and a compaction strength of at least 500N. A direct reduced iron briquette suitable for the production of iron and/or steel including at least 85% iron by weight and at least 1% fixed carbon by weight, and a volume of between 7.5 cm.sup.3 and 30 cm.sup.3, wherein the briquette has, prior to reduction (i.e. as a ‘green’ briquette), the above composition.

A process for producing direct reduced iron (“DRI”) from iron ore and biomass in a single stage fluidised bed includes injecting (a) iron ore, (b) gaseous oxygen and (c) a solid reductant including biomass into a reaction zone of the fluidized bed operating in a temperature range of 750-850#C and reducing iron ore and forming DRI in the fluidized bed and discharging DRI having a metallisation of at least 70% from the fluidised bed.

The invention relates to a method for the direct reduction of oxidic iron carrier particles to a reduction product in a fluidized bed through which a reduction gas containing 30-100 mol % hydrogen H.sub.2 flows in crossflow. At least 90% by mass of oxidic iron carrier particles introduced into the fluidized bed have a particle size of less than or equal to 200 micrometers. The superficial velocity U of the reduction gas flowing through the fluidized bed is set between 0.05 m/s and 1 m/s such that, for the particle size d equal to d.sub.30 of the oxidic iron carrier particles introduced into the fluidized bed, it is above the theoretical suspension velocity U.sub.t and is less than or equal to U.sub.max.

A method and system for operating a seal gas compressor utilized in a direct reduction process including: monitoring a pH level of a water stream used in the seal gas compressor, wherein the pH level of the water stream is affected by a reformer flue gas stream that comes into contact with the water stream, wherein the monitoring step is carried out one or more of upstream of the seal gas compressor and downstream of the compressor; and adjusting the pH level of the water stream to maintain the pH level of the water stream within a predetermined range based on feedback from the monitoring step. The method includes maintaining the pH level of the water stream upstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.5 and 10 and maintaining the pH level of the water stream downstream of the seal gas compressor in a range between 7.8 and 9.5.

A method for producing liquid pig iron comprises: i) providing a DRI product with an iron content of at least 75.0 wt. %, a carbon content of at least 0.10 wt. % and a content of acidic and basic slag components, comprising CaO, SiO.sub.2, MgO and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 of max. 15.0 wt. %; ii) supplying the DRI product, adding slag formers, into an electrically operated smelting unit; iii) optionally supplying further iron and/or carbon components into the electrically operated smelting unit; iv) smelting the DRI product and optionally the further iron and/or carbon components in the presence of the slag formers, so that a liquid pig iron phase and a liquid slag phase are formed; v) adjusting the slag phase such that it has a basicity of (CaO+MgO/SiO.sub.2) from 0.95 to 1.5; vi) tapping the liquid pig iron phase; and vii) tapping and granulating the slag phase.