A Laboratory Study and Full-Scale Testing of Brex in Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) Production

Abstract

The process of mini steel mills using oxidized pellets as a feedstock includes production of metallized pellets, which are used further for the production of direct reduction iron (DRI), production of steel in electric arc furnaces (EAF), and its continuous casting and rolling. Companies that are importing large amounts of iron ore pellets annually for DRI production and also during the course of the transportation, stockpiling, and charging of the pellets into metallization reactors, as well as the discharging of the metallized pellets, generate tens of thousands of tons of fine materials containing iron every year. Pellets fines and DRI sludge are usually dumped in piles and EAF dust and mill scale are sold to a third party. The results of a preliminary analysis indicate that the recycling of such materials in the form of briquettes would help to produce additional quantities of steel, and would also free up a significant area occupied by dumped wastes. Recovery of these wastes would generate additional revenues, surpassing revenue from direct sales of wastes.