A briquette cooling conveyor system includes an apron pan conveyor. The apron pan conveyor includes: an apron pan with openings adapted to drain water from the apron pan conveyor, an apron pan upper, carry strand, and an apron pan lower, return strand. The briquette cooling conveyor system further includes a carriage side flushing hopper positioned between the apron pan upper, carry strand and the apron pan lower, return strand, and the carriage side flushing hopper is configured to capture fines and water from the system.

A method of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.

A method and an apparatus method for producing direct reduced iron (DRI) from iron ore using biomass as a source of reductant and as a heating source of the iron ore and electromagnetic energy as a further heating source in a furnace having multiple zones. The zones include a preheat zone and a reduction zone between an inlet for briquettes of iron ore and biomass and an outlet for direct reduced iron. The method includes counter-current movement of (a) briquettes of iron ore and biomass in a direction from the inlet to the outlet and (b) combustible gases in an opposite direction in the furnace.

A method for the production of cast iron starting from pre-reduced iron ore (DRI) with an electric arc furnace includes the steps of preparing a charge of pre-reduced iron ore DRI having a metallization higher than 90% and containing over 2.8% by weight of carbon, wherein at least 80% of the carbon is combined with the iron to form iron carbide Fe.sub.3C; charging the charge of pre-reduced iron ore into the electric arc furnace; and melting the DRI charge to form liquid cast iron having at least 80% by weight of actual carbon content deriving from the carbon in the charge of pre-reduced iron ore, the melting step being in a reducing atmosphere and in a melting chamber of the electric arc furnace subjected to a positive internal pressure generated by the gases produced by reduction reactions that develop during melting.

A method of direct reduction of iron (DRI) is disclosed, the method comprising generating metallic iron by removing oxygen from iron ore using a reducing gaseous mixture with excess carbon monoxide that produces an excess CO.sub.2 by-product is provided. CO.sub.2 by-product is optionally sequestered. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

A method and system for recovering a high yield of low carbon ferroalloy, e.g., low carbon ferrochrome, from chromite and low carbon ferrochrome produced by the method. A stoichiometric mixture of feed materials including scrap aluminum granules, lime, silica sand, and chromite ore are provided into a plasma arc furnace. The scrap aluminum granules are produced from used aluminum beverage containers. The feed materials are heated, whereupon the aluminum in the aluminum granules produces an exothermic reaction reducing the chromium oxide and iron oxide in the chromite to produce molten low carbon ferrochrome with molten slag floating thereon. The molten low carbon ferrochrome is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of low carbon ferrochrome. The molten slag is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of slag.

A method for the production of cast iron starting from pre-reduced iron ore (DRI) with an electric arc furnace includes the steps of preparing a charge of pre-reduced iron ore DRI having a metallization higher than 90% and containing over 2.8% by weight of carbon, wherein at least 80% of the carbon is combined with the iron to form iron carbide Fe.sub.3C; charging the charge of pre-reduced iron ore into the electric arc furnace; and melting the DRI charge to form liquid cast iron having at least 80% by weight of actual carbon content deriving from the carbon in the charge of pre-reduced iron ore, the melting step being in a reducing atmosphere and in a melting chamber of the electric arc furnace subjected to a positive internal pressure generated by the gases produced by reduction reactions that develop during melting.

The invention relates to a process for producing carburized directly reduced iron sponge from iron oxide material. Firstly, direct reduction is carried out by means of a reduction gas consisting at least predominantly of H.sub.2 and the carbon content in the iron sponge is then increased by means of a carburizing gas which is fed in, after which used carburizing gas is at least partly taken off while largely avoiding mixing with the reduction gas. The plant for producing carburized directly reduced iron sponge from iron oxide material comprises a reduction zone for directly reducing introduced iron oxide material to directly reduced product by means of reduction gas consisting predominantly of H.sub.2 and a reduction gas feed conduit opening into the reduction zone. It also comprises a carburization zone having a carburizing gas feed conduit opening into the carburization zone and a carburization offgas conduit.

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 of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.