Enhancing the Reduction of High-Aluminum Iron Ore by Synergistic Reducing with High-Manganese Iron Ore

How to utilize low grade complex iron resources is an issue that has attracted much attention due to the continuous and huge consumption of iron ores in China. High-aluminum iron ore is a refractory resource and is difficult to upgrade by separating iron and alumina. An innovative technology involving synergistic reducing and synergistic smelting a high-aluminum iron ore containing 41.92% Fe-total, 13.74% Al2O2, and 13.96% SiO2 with a high-manganese iron ore assaying 9.24% Mn-total is proposed. The synergistic reduction process is presented and its enhancing mechanism is discussed. The results show that the generation of hercynite (FeAl2O4) and fayalite (Fe2SiO4) leads to a low metallization degree of 66.49% of the high-aluminum iron ore. Over 90% of the metallization degree is obtained by synergistic reducing with 60% of the high-manganese iron ore. The mechanism of synergistic reduction can be described as follows: MnO from the high-manganese ore chemically combines with Fe2SiO4 and FeAl2O4 to generate Mn2SiO4, MnAl2O4 and FeO, resulting in higher activity of FeO, which can be reduced to Fe in a CO atmosphere. The main products of the synergistic reduction process consist of Fe, Mn2SiO4, and MnAl2O4.