Proposition of a Thermogravimetric Method to Measure the Ferrous Iron Content in Metallurgical-Grade Chromite

Abstract

The oxidation state of iron in minerals is an important part of analysis. Especially for minerals used as a raw material for metallurgical processes, the oxidation state has a significant impact on the process. One crucial impact is the varying carbon requirement in smelting furnaces, which can be significantly different if the oxidation state is not assessed correctly. Compared to methods usually used to determine the oxidation state, a relatively simple and fast thermogravimetric method is proposed in this article. As a sample, a detailed analyzed chromite sample from Turkey is used. Bulk chemical analysis, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and QEMSCAN® are used to determine the preconditions of the sample. Mössbauer spectroscopy is used as a reference method to determine the oxidation state of iron in the sample. Uncertified wet chemical methods are investigated as well in this paper and the results are compared with the reference measurement. Using a thermochemical simulation tool, parameters for the thermogravimetric method are investigated and the limitation of this method is examined. The mean ferrous ratio in the sample determined by the proposed method is 75.205%, which is only slightly lower than the ferrous ratio of 76% determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy.