Comparison of the Oxidation Behaviors of High FeO Chromite and Magnetite Concentrates Relevant to the Induration of Ferrous Pellets

Oxidation process plays an important role in producing sufficiently strong ferrous pellets for blast furnace, and the oxidation behavior of pellet feed greatly affects the quality of pellets. As a supplementary research to earlier published work, the present study fixes its particular attention on the fundamental oxidation behavior of a high FeO South African chromite concentrate in comparison to that of typical magnetite concentrate using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis, and thermogravimetry at various temperatures ranging from 473 K to 1273 K (200 A degrees C to 1000 A degrees C). The reaction mechanism and phase transformation during the oxidation process of chromite spinel is further explained by thermodynamics calculation performed by FactSage software. Besides, routine laboratory preheating-roasting test of single ore pellets is also conducted to reveal the relevance of oxidizability to the consolidation of pellets. The results show that the chromite spinel possesses much poorer oxidizability than magnetite, usually accompanying complex phase transformations via a preferential nucleation of Fe-rich sesquioxide from the chromite spinel matrix at low temperatures and thereafter the formation of Cr-rich sesquioxide on the substrate of Fe-rich phase at high temperatures. The oxidation of chromite spinel is inferior to that of magnetite from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and dynamic kinetics. Good inherent oxidizability of raw materials is found to have a positive effect on the induration process of pellet.