Oxidising roasting behaviours of anthracite

containing haematite pellets

Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

Z. K. Tang, G. H. Li, H. L. Zhang, Y. B. Zhang* and X. Q. Li

In this investigation, the roasting features of haematite pellets to which a small amount of
anthracite was added and the effects of carbon on the induration behaviours of the pellets were
studied. The results indicate that the suitable dosage of pulverised anthracite is 1?01?5%. During
the roasting, part of the original haematite grains in the pellets are reduced to magnetite, and
some original haematite grains are decomposed into magnetite. Then, the newborn magnetite is
oxidised to secondary haematite, which is beneficial to the recrystallisation of Fe2O3 in the fired
pellets. Therefore, adding a certain proportion of anthracite is an effective way to improve the
roasting strength of haematite pellets, as well as to reduce the roasting temperature and the total
energy consumption of the pellet production.
Keywords: Haematite, Pellet, Anthracite, Oxidising roasting

Introduction
Oxidised pellets, possessing good mechanical and
metallurgical properties, are high quality burdens for
blast furnace ironmaking.1,2 However, with the rapid
development of the iron and steel industries, magnetite
resources are becoming scarce. Thus, it is imperative
to make good use of haematite resources to produce
pellets.3 Imported haematite concentrate is of high
iron grade, low gangue content and fine granularity.4
However, the high quality finished pellets from haematite concentrates require a higher roasting temperature
and narrower firing temperature range (13001350uC),
and the fired strength is relatively lower than that of
magnetite pellets.5,6 Hence, how to solve the problems
of oxidised pellets prepared from haematite concentrates becomes very important. Much research has been
conducted on oxidised pellets prepared from mixed
haematitemagnetite concentrates,4,6,7 where it has been
shown that roasting temperature can be reduced and
fired strength improved. However, to ensure adequate
strength for blast furnace use, magnetite needs to exceed
20%.7,8
Practical results for adding a certain proportion of
solid fuel to haematite concentrates show that the pellet
strength is increased, energy consumption is reduced and
the pellet metallurgical properties are improved.9,10
However, before the oil crisis of 1973, because of their
low price and easy use, oil and natural gas were widely
used as fuels, and the practice of adding solid fuel in
haematite pellets had not been well developed.9 Since the
oil crisis, the price of oil has soared and far exceeds that
of solid fuel, and much research on carbon containing

School of Minerals Processing & Bioengineering, Central South University,

Changsha 410083, China
*Corresponding author, email sintering@mail.csu.edu.cn

2013 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

Published by Maney on behalf of the Institute
Received 1 January 2012; accepted 7 March 2012
DOI 10.1179/1743281212Y.0000000024

pellet preparation has been conducted.9,11,12 However,

most of the research has focused on energy saving, and
few studies have been designed to reveal the induration
mechanisms of carbon containing haematite pellets.
In the last 20 years, some investigations on carbon
containing haematite pellets have been carried out in
China;1317 however, most of the research was directed
towards the preparation of reduced pellets for non-blast
furnace ironmaking.18 With the increasing requirement
for Blast Furnace (BF) fuel economy, adding solid fuel
to pellets as an energy saving measure could be greatly
developed in the oxidised pellets.
In this investigation, oxidised pellets were made from
haematite concentrate with a certain percentage of
pulverised anthracite. The behaviour of carbon during
oxidising roasting was studied to reveal the induration
mechanisms of anthracite containing haematite pellets.

Experimental
Raw materials
The haematite concentrate used in this investigation was
from Brazil and is characterised by high total iron
(67?22%Fetotal) and low impurities (Table 1), and the
specific surface area measured by a permeability method
was 1630 cm2 g1.
Pulverised anthracite was used as the carbon containing material, of which the BET surface area was
6599 cm2 g1, and the analysis tested according to GB/
T 212-2008 is shown in Table 2.

Methods
The experimental procedure included ball preparation
and drying, roasting, strength measurement, FeO test
and microscopic analysis.
Ball preparation and drying

For each trial, 5 kg haematite concentrate was blended

with a given proportion of pulverised anthracite using

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Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

Tang et al.

Oxidising roasting behaviours of anthracite containing haematite pellets

1 Effects of anthracite dosage on red pellet compressive strength (oxygen content: 20%; airow: 6 L min1;
roasting temperature: 1280uC; roasting time: 20 min)

2 Effects of roasting temperature on red pellet compressive strength (oxygen content: 20%; airow: 6 L min1;
roasting time: 20 min)

1?25% bentonite as binder. The green balls (915 mm in

diameter) were prepared in a disc pelletiser with a
diameter of 1000 mm and then statically dried at 105uC
in an oven for 4 h.

dosage reaches 1?01?25%, the compressive strength is

maximum and then decreases greatly if the anthracite
dosage further increases from 1?5 to 4%. The results
indicate that the appropriate anthracite amount of 1?0
1?5% can improve the strength of the fired haematite
pellets.

Roasting tests and strength measurement

Firing tests were carried out in an electrically heated

shaft furnace. To simulate the firing atmosphere, mixed
gas of N2/O2 at given oxygen content (volume fraction)
was pumped into the shaft furnace at a certain flowrate.
The dry balls were charged into a heat resistant pot,
which was then pushed downwards into the high
temperature zone in the furnace every minute in five
steps. The pellets were fired at the stated temperature for
a certain period and then naturally cooled to ambient
temperature. The compressive strength of the pellets was
measured with an LJ-1000 experimental machine. An
average value of 10 pellets was used as the compressive
strength for each test.
FeO test

To analyse the behaviour of carbon during the roasting

process, the FeO content of fired pellets was measured
by chemical titration.
Microscopic analysis

Microstructure features of fired pellets at various roasting

conditions were studied using a Leica DMRXE microscope with an automatic image analyser (Germany).

Results and discussion

The curve of the compressive strength as a function of

roasting temperature is presented in Fig. 2.
As shown, the strength of the pellets with 1?0%
anthracite is always higher than that of the pellets without
anthracite at the same roasting temperature; moreover, for
the anthracite containing haematite pellets, the strength
increases with increasing temperature. However, the
strength of the pellets in the absence of anthracite not
only does not increase markedly until 1200uC but also
actually decreases due to the decomposition of Fe2O3
above 1300uC. The results imply that the roasting temperature can be decreased, and the suitable firing temperature range is enlarged by adding an appropriate
amount of anthracite into haematite pellets.
Effects of roasting time

The curve of the roasting time affecting the fired pellet

compressive strength is plotted in Fig. 3. It can be seen
that the compressive strength increases gradually with
the prolonging of roasting time and reaches a maximum
at y25 min.
Effects of oxygen content

Roasting characteristics of anthracite

containing haematite pellets
The effects of anthracite dosage on the fired pellet
compressive strength are shown in Fig. 1. It can be seen
that the pellet strength with 0?5% anthracite is a little
lower than that with no anthracite. When the anthracite

The fired pellet compressive strength is greatly affected

by the change in the roasting atmosphere in the furnace,
as shown in Fig. 4. The strength of the pellets roasted in
the inert atmosphere (0%O2) is slightly higher than that
roasted in 10%O2. The pellet strength reaches the
maximum when the oxygen content is 20% and then
decreases gradually with increasing oxygen content.

Table 1 Chemical composition of materials/wt-%

Table 2 Analysis of anthracite/wt-%

Effects of anthracite dosage

Materials

Fetotal FeO SiO2

CaO MgO Al2O3 LOI*

Iron concentrate 67.22 0.55 2.17 0.01 0.05 0.55 0.59

Bentonite
7.07
60.61 0.94 2.2 17.98 10.41

Ironmaking and Steelmaking

Main chemical composition of ash

FCd Vd

Ad

Fetotal

77.6 6.48 15.6 9.26

*LOI, loss on ignition.

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CaO

MgO

Al2O3

SiO2

9.45

1.50

36.82

42.95

Tang et al.

Oxidising roasting behaviours of anthracite containing haematite pellets

Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

3 Effects of roasting time on red pellet compressive

strength (oxygen content: 20%; airow: 6 L min1;
roasting temperature: 1280uC; anthracite dosage: 1?0%)

5 Schematic diagram of test on role of anthracite during

roasting

content within the pellets is decreased, so that the decomposition temperature of Fe2O3 is lowered.
A direct reduction reaction occurs when solid carbon
comes into contact with iron oxides in the pellets.
Therefore, Fe2O3 in anthracite containing haematite
pellets would be reduced to Fe3O4 by the solid carbon in
anthracite
6Fe2 O3 zC~4Fe3 O4 zCO2

(2)

Moreover, CO and H2 will be produced during the

heating of anthracite, which will also be reduced to
magnetite19
4 Effects of oxygen content on red pellet compressive
strength (airow: 6 L min1; roasting temperature:
1280uC; roasting time: 20 min; anthracite dosage: 1?0%)

Induration mechanisms of anthracite containing

haematite pellets
Roles of carbon during roasting

In the oxidative atmosphere during the oxidised pellet

production, the growth of Fe2O3 grains was not observed
until the roasting temperature reached 1300uC. However,
if the temperature is too high (.1350uC), Fe2O3 will be
decomposed as per the following reaction5,18
DG 8 ~140 380{81:38T J
(1)
70 649:22
z40:96
lnPo2 ~{
T
The relative decomposition temperatures with different
oxygen contents were calculated according to equation (1) and given in Table 3.
It can be seen that the decomposition temperature of
Fe2O3 increases with increasing oxygen content. For the
anthracite containing pellets, some of the oxygen is
consumed by the burning of carbon, and the oxygen

6Fe2 O3 ?4Fe3 O4 zO2

3Fe2 O3 zH2 ~2Fe3 O4 zH2 O

(3)

3Fe2 O3 zCO~2Fe3 O4 zCO2

(4)

To clarify the effects of anthracite on the induration of

haematite pellets, a test, as depicted in Fig. 5, was
designed to analyse the reduction and decomposition of
haematite in the anthracite containing pellets during the
roasting. In this experiment, to ensure a reducing atmosphere, the proportion of anthracite is relatively high
compared with that in anthracite containing pellets.
As shown in Fig. 5, a cylinder was first made by
briquetting haematite concentrate, and then the cylinder
bottom was closed. Its inner diameter is 20 mm, whereas
the outer diameter is 30 mm. To allow the upward gas
flow into the inner cylinder, several holes of 0?1 mm in
diameter were drilled through the cylinder bottom.
Dry pellets of 23 mm in diameter were prepared
from haematite concentrates in the absence of anthracite
in advance and then were charged onto the surface layer
of the inner cylinder. The cylinder bottom, the pulverised anthracite layer and the pellets were separated by
the inert material of Al2O3 powder to avoid their contact
with each other.

Table 3 Relationship between atmospheric oxygen content and decomposition temperature of Fe2O3
Oxygen content/wt-%
Decomposition temperature/uC

0.1
1203

1
1278

5
1334

10
1360

21
1389

30
1403

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Oxidising roasting behaviours of anthracite containing haematite pellets

gasification of anthracite according to equations (3) and

(4). Therefore, the increase in FeO content of the small
pellets is caused by both the decomposition and the
reduction of haematite, and the latter is predominant.
The above results show that anthracite plays the role
of reductant during the roasting, and a large number of
newborn magnetite are produced due to the reductive
reaction of haematite by CO/H2, the outcome of the
gasification of anthracite.
Changes in FeO content during roasting

6 Effects of roasting time on FeO content of anthracite containing haematite pellet (oxygen content: 20%; anthracite
dosage: 1?0%; airow: 6 L min1; roasting temperature:
1280uC)

Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

At the beginning of the trial, the sample was placed in

an electrically heated shaft furnace, and 6 L min1 N2
with 99?99% purity was pumped in from below. The
sample was taken out and immersed into water immediately after roasting at 1280uC for 20 min. Subsequently, the FeO contents of the cylinder bottom and
the small pellets were measured.
It is shown that the FeO contents of the cylinder
bottom and the small pellets were 4?35 and 28?69%
respectively, i.e. the FeO content of the small pellets is
obviously higher than that of the cylinder bottom.
In N2 atmosphere, haematite may decompose into
magnetite and release a little O2 according to equation (1),
and the FeO content increases accordingly. It is the
decomposition reaction of haematite that occurs within
the cylinder bottom. However, because of being separated by Al2O3 powder, the haematite within the cylinder
bottom cannot be reduced by anthracite or upward flowing reducing CO/H2 gases, which are produced by the
gasification of anthracite at high temperature. Therefore,
the increase in FeO content in the cylinder bottom is only
caused by the decomposition of haematite.
However, as regards the haematite in the small pellets,
on the one hand, it may be decomposed into magnetite
in N2 gas, as in the haematite within the cylinder bottom; on the other hand, it can be also reduced into
magnetite by upward flowing CO/H2 produced by the

Figure 6 illustrates the effects of roasting time on the

FeO content of the fired pellets.
The reduction of haematite mainly occurs in the initial
roasting stage. The FeO content first increases and then
decreases after 6 min. The reason is that the reduction
rate of haematite to magnetite is faster than the oxidation
rate of newborn magnetite to haematite in the initial
roasting stage. However, the reduction rate decreases
while the oxidation rate increases, accompanied by the
consumption of carbon, and the maximum FeO content
is attained when the reduction rate is equal to the
oxidation rate. Subsequently, FeO decreases along with
the oxidation of magnetite until oxidation is complete.
The results show that partial original haematite (OH)
grains can be reduced first and turned into magnetite
grains by the anthracite powder dispersed in the pellets.
However, the newborn magnetite can be subsequently
oxidised into secondary haematite (SH) grains.
Crystallisation of Fe2O3 in anthracite containing pellets

The microstructures of haematite pellets with no anthracite and with 1?0% anthracite are presented in Fig. 7. For
the haematite pellets roasted in the absence of anthracite, because of the high recrystallisation temperature
(.1300uC) of OH grains, most of the OH particles keep
their original shape and discernible angularities (grain 1
in Fig. 7a). A few bond junctions between Fe2O3 grains
are formed by the recrystallisation of OH grains (grain 2
in Fig. 7a).
As shown in Fig. 7b, a large number of crystal bond
junctions between grains and a compact microstructure
are formed. The recrystallisation between grains can be
enhanced because the activity of the newborn SH grains
is higher than that of OH grains, which is helpful to the
recrystallisation of Fe2O3 grains.4 Therefore, the formation of SH grains during the roasting of anthracite
containing haematite pellet is able to improve the pellet strength. It is the reason why adding a certain

7 Microstructures of red haematite pellets with anthracite dosages of a 0% and b 1?0% (oxygen content: 20%; airow:
6 L min1; roasting temperature: 1280uC; roasting time: 20 min)

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proportion anthracite is an effective way to improve the

roasting performance of pure haematite pellets.

Published by Maney Publishing (c) IOM Communications Ltd

Conclusions
The roasting characteristics of anthracite containing haematite pellets were studied. The findings indicate that the
addition of some pulverised anthracite to the haematite
pellets is able to improve the compressive strength of the
finished pellets. The appropriate dosage of anthracite is
1?01?5%.
The effects of anthracite powder on the induration of
haematite pellets have also been investigated. On the one
hand, part of the heat needed in the roasting process can
be supplied by the combustion of anthracite. On the other
hand, some of the haematite is reduced by carbon or CO/
H2, and a part of haematite is also readily decomposed at
high temperature due to the decrease in lower oxygen
content within the pellets, which leads to the transformation of haematite into magnetite during roasting.
Based on microstructure analysis, it can be found that
newborn magnetite is oxidised into SH during roasting.
Because the activity of Fe2O3 from the SH grains is
higher than that from the OH grains, Fe2O3 recrystallisation junction between grains can be strengthened by
the SH grains at lower roasting temperature. The SH
grains in the haematite pellets are able to improve the
pellet strength.

Acknowledgement
The authors wish to express their thanks to the National
Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos.50604015
and 50804059) for the financial support of this research.

Oxidising roasting behaviours of anthracite containing haematite pellets

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