The present invention relates to a process for the production of iron ore fines agglomerate, resistant to handling, transport, and contact with water. The process consists of mixing iron ore fines with sodium silicate, nanomaterials, catalyst, fluxes and plasticizer; adjusting the moisture of the mixture; agglomerating the mixture by pelletizing, briquetting or extrusion; performing curing at room temperature. The process does not require energy input for heat treatment and allows obtaining an agglomerated product with high physical and metallurgical performance to replace metallic load, including sinter, in reduction furnaces, without the emission of harmful gases such as CO.sub.2, dioxins, furans, and SO.sub.x.

Process for the direct reduction of metal oxides (2) using a reduction gas, which is based on at least one precursor gas, wherein at least one precursor gas (15, 22) is based on reformer gas obtained by catalytic reforming of hydrocarbon-containing gas (4) in a reformer (3), and in the preparation of the reduction gas at least one precursor gas based on reformer gas is heated up by means of electrical energy. An apparatus for the direct reduction (1) of metal oxides (2) by means of a reduction gas comprises a catalytic reformer (3) for producing a reformer gas, a reformer gas line (5) for removing reformer gas from the catalytic reformer (3), a reduction unit (9), a reduction gas line (8) for introducing reduction gas into the reduction unit (9), and at least one precursor gas line (6), wherein at least one precursor gas line extending from the reformer gas line comprises an electrical gas heating device (7, 10, 17), and at least one precursor gas line (6) extends from the reformer gas line (5), and each precursor gas line (6) opens out into the reduction gas line (8).

A hot briquetted iron (HBI) production apparatus including a feeder unit, a quantitative dispenser unit, a hot briquette forming unit, and a cylindrical cooler, the feeder unit cooling and transporting direct reduced iron (DRI), the quantitative dispenser unit pulverizing the DRI and discharging a fixed amount of the DRI each time, the hot briquette forming unit forming hot iron briquettes by hot-pressing the DRI, the cooler unit cooling the hot iron briquettes, and including a cylindrical body with an inlet and an outlet, a transport screw or blade for transporting the hot iron briquettes, and a cooling water spray nozzle, the transport screw and the cooling water spray nozzle being disposed inside the cylindrical body, the hot iron briquettes being introduced into the cooler unit through the inlet and discharged from the cooler unit through the outlet, and cooling water being discharged from the cooler unit through the inlet.

A method and an apparatus for recycling a significant amount of heat within a linear hearth furnace by means of an endless conveyor that transports briquettes through the furnace from an inlet (briquette feed) end to an outlet (DRI discharge) end and then returns to the inlet end and transfers a significant amount of heat from the outlet end to the inlet end of the furnace.

Stabilized volatile briquettes and processes and apparatuses for making and using the same are provided. The stabilized volatile briquette includes a volatile material and a thermoplastic binder material such that the thermoplastic binder material binds the volatile material together to define a briquette that is stable. The process includes mixing a volatile waste material and a thermoplastic binder material to form a briquette mixture, shearing the briquette mixture, extruding the briquette mixture to form a thermoplastic briquette extrusion, and hardening the thermoplastic briquette extrusion to form a stabilized volatile briquette. The apparatus includes an extruder, a heating portion operably connected to the extruder, and a heated die operably connected to the heating portion such that the extruder, the heating portion, and the heated die are configured to gradually heat a thermoplastic binder material such that the thermoplastic binder material binds a provided volatile material together.

The present invention relates to an ironmaking feedstock comprising a solid CaFe.sub.3O.sub.5 phase. The ironmaking feedstock may be produced by a process comprising reacting a combination of a calcium source and magnetite at elevated temperature under reducing conditions sufficient to produce the solid CaFe.sub.3O.sub.5 phase. The product may be in the form of agglomerates such as pellets, with a compressive strength such that the product is suitable for transportation.

A method and its related plant for the thermal treatment of iron containing oxide, in which fine-grained solids are heated in a preheating calcining stage and exposed to a reduction gas in a subsequent reduction stage. Off-gas from the reduction stage is guided through a separation device wherein water originating from the reduction stage is separated. The water separated in the separation device is recycled into a water treatment section, from which the recycled water is supplied to a water electrolysis plant and/or a steam reforming plant producing hydrogen, and the produced hydrogen is supplied to the reduction stage as reductant and/or to the preheating calcining stage as fuel and/or to the gas heater as fuel and/or from which the recycled water is supplied to the separation device.

A raw material for direct reduction which is reduced in a shaft furnace includes a raw material, and a coating layer which coats the raw material and has a porosity of 20 volume % or more.

Examples herein generally relate to sinter blend compositions for use in a sintering process that do not contain coke breeze (0.0% coke breeze), or contain only very small amounts of coke breeze. In particular, these sinter blend compositions are capable of repurposing mixture of iron-making reverts, having high total and metallic iron levels that re-oxidize so as to become a replacement fuel source for the coke breeze typically used in sinter blend compositions for use in a sintering process, while still managing to produce a sinter with sufficient ISO tumble strengths.

A method and its related plant for the thermal treatment of iron containing oxide, in which fine-grained solids are heated in a preheating calcining stage and are exposed to a reduction gas in a subsequent reduction stage. Off-gas from the reduction stage is guided through a separation device wherein the water originating from the reduction stage is separated. The off-gas from the preheating calcining stage is guided through a venturi scrubber and a packed bed section downstream of the venturi scrubber to condense water vapor.