PELLETIZATION AND CHARACTERISATION

OF MEDIUM GRADE IRON ORE FINES

Bonafide record of work done by

ANISHA A (14Y101)

GOWRIPRIYA R (14Y104)

KALPANA S (14Y109)

KAVIPRIYA G (14Y211)
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING

Branch: METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING

of Anna University, Chennai

April 2018

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING

PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
(Autonomous Institution)
COIMBATORE – 641 004
 PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
(Autonomous Institution)
COIMBATORE – 641 004

PELLETIZATION AND CHARACTERISATION

OF MEDIUM GRADE IRON ORE FINES
Bona fide record of work done by

ANISHA A ( 14Y101 )
GOWRI PRIYA R ( 14Y104 )
KALPANA S ( 14Y109 )
KAVIPRIYA G ( 14Y211 )
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
Branch: METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING
of Anna University

April - 2018

……………………………….. ……………………………….. ………………………………..

Ms.P.Ahila Dr. M. Kavitha Dr.P.GOPALAKRISHNAN

Faculty guide Co-Guide Head of the department

Certified that the candidate was examined in the viva-voce examination held on ..................

................................ ...................................
(Internal Examiner) (External Examiner)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, we thank Dr. R. Rudramoorthy, Principal, PSG College of

Technology, for permitting us to undertake this project.
We thank Dr. P. Gopalakrishnan, Head of the Department, Department of
Metallurgical Engineering, PSG College of Technology for giving us an opportunity to
undertake this project.
We also extend our sincere gratitude to our faculty guide Ms. P. Ahila,
Assistant Professor, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, PSG College of
Technology for her kind and valuable guidance for doing this project.
We also extend our sincere gratitude to our co- guide Dr. M. Kavitha,
Assistant Professor, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, PSG College of
Technology for her kind and valuable guidance for doing this project.
We would also like to thank to all non-teaching staffs in the Department of
Metallurgical Engineering, PSG College of Technology for their support in this
project.
Finally, we would like to thank our parents and all who had helped directly or
indirectly during this project work.
 SYNOPSIS

With increasing global demand of iron ores due to the huge requirement of steel all
over the world, important iron ore producing countries have increased their
production by initiating steps to utilize the low grade iron ores ,fines and slimes. The
main difficulty in processing and utilization of low grade iron ores primarily stems
from their mineralogical characteristics as well as the soft nature of some ores and
their high silica content. Thus, beneficiating the low grade iron ores to remove the
gangue minerals and enhancing their grade in an attractive proposition today.
Among the known iron deposits in Karnataka, many are of low grade which require
beneficiation to produce an acceptable feed for steel making plants .
 CONTENTS
CHAPTER Page No.
Acknowledgement………………………………………………………….....i

Synopsis………………………………………………………………………..ii

List of Figures………………………………………………………………...iii

List of Tables…………………………………………………………………..iv

CHAPTER 1

1.INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………….1

CHAPTER 2

2. LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 Introduction.........................................................................................2

2.2 classification of iron ore......................................................................2

2.3 Resources..........................................................................................3

2.4 Problem identification.........................................................................4

2.5 Remedies

2.5.1 Methods of beneficiation............................................................5

2.5.2 Advantages of beneficiation.......................................................5

2.5.3 Pelletization................................................................................6

2.5.4 Mechanism of Pelletization.........................................................6

2.5.5 Advantage of pellets...................................................................6

2.5.6 Disadvantages associated with pellets.......................................7

2.6 Characterization

2.6.1 Mineralogy of ore........................................................................7

2.6.2 Phases present...........................................................................7

 2.6.3 Crystal structure..........................................................................8

2.6.4 Chemical composition analysis..................................................10

2.7 Summary.............................................................................................11

CHAPTER 3

3. EXPERIMENTAL WORK

3.1 Methodology...........................................................................................12

3.2 Materials and methods

3.2.1 Iron ore concentrates....................................................................14

3.2.2 Binders..........................................................................................14

3.3 Design of experiments ..........................................................................14

3.4 Preparation of iron ores ........................................................................15

3.5 Pellet quality testing

3.5.1 Drop number of dry pellets............................................................15

3.5.2 Compressive strength...................................................................15

3.5.3 Mouldability..................................................................................15

CHAPTER 4

4.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Raw material characterization

4.1.1 Wet chemical results...................................................................16

4.1.2 Particle size analysis...............................................................16

4.1.3 Sem results ..............................................................................17

4.1.4 EDS results……………………………………...…………............18

4.1.5 XRD results…………………………………………………............21

4.2 Pellet characterization

4.2.1 Density, porosity and shrinkage calculations..............................21

4.2.1.1 Before induration....................................................................22

4.2.2 Pellet Drop Number(PDN).............................................................22

 4.2.2.1 Before induration...................................................................22

4.2.2.2 After induration......................................................................23

4.2.3 Pellet Compressive Strength(PCS)..............................................23

4.2.3.1 Before induration.................................................................23

4.2.3.2 After induration....................................................................23

4.2.4 Mouldability test............................................................................24

CHAPTER 5

5.CONCLUSION..........................................................................................25

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………….………………………………………………….26

iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure.No Figure Title PAGE No

1 Production of iron ore 4

2 Quality and value of iron ore production 4

3 Bulk structures of a) hematite, b) gibbsite, and c) kaolinite. 9

 4 Particle size distribution curve 17

5 SEM analysis 17

6 Particle size distribution 17

7 Area analysis of EDS result 18

8 Point analysis of EDS result 19

9 Elemental analysis 20

10 Elemental analysis 20

11 XRD Results 21

LIST OF TABLES

Table.No Table Title PAGE No

1 Phases Present 7

2 Taguchi design of experiment 14

3 Wet chemical analysis 16

4 Particle size analysis 16

 5 Before induration for %porosity and density 22

6 Calculation for %shrinkage 22

7 Before induration for pellet drop number 22

8 After induration for pellet drop number 23

9 Before induration for pellet compression strength 23

10 After induration for pellet compression strength 23

11 Mouldability test 24

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The iron ore consumption in India has increased rapidly over past decade. Blast
furnace used for iron making makes use of different kinds of iron ore products as
feed in the form of lumps and sinter/pellets (which are agglomerates of iron ore
fines) both containing less than 2% alumina.
 The most important iron ore types found in India are hematite and magnetite.
Nearly 61% of hematite ore deposits are found in the eastern part of India and 82%
of magnetite ore deposits occur in southern part of India,especially in the state of
karnataka. In the near future, the ore supply scenario will be stringent due to
commissioning of several upcoming steel and sponge iron plants in many parts of
India. The only way to overcome this shortage is to utilize the low grade ores, fines,
and slimes stock piled in the mines site for years.

CHAPTER - 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Iron is the most important metal in the universe. It is considered the most abundant
element in the earth as a whole and ranks fourth in the abundance in the crust after
oxygen, silicon and aluminium. The fact that it may be oxidised or reduced in natural
environment markedly affects its geochemical cycle. [1]

Iron is the most indispensable of all metals. It is difficult to imagine life without iron
and steel, which form the basic foundation of today’s society. Mineral resources are
nowadays almost synonymous with industrial power. A glance at the history of
development of leading industrial nations reveals that their rise has coincided with
the utilisation of their mineral resources, initially coal and iron, since coal is one
energy that makes the wheel go round and the wheel are made of iron.[1]

Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically
extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in colour from dark grey,
bright yellow or deep purple to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of
magnetite, hematite, goethite, limonite or siderite. [2]

Ores containing very high quantities of hematite or magnetite are known as “Natural
ore or direct shipping ore”, meaning they can be fed directly into iron making blast
furnaces. Iron ore is the raw material used to make pig iron, which is one of the main
raw materials to make steel – 98% of the mined iron ore os used to make steel. [2]

2.2 CLASSIFICATION OF IRON ORE

The most common classification is by iron content and size range. In India, ores
containing 63% iron and above are classified as high grade ores while 58% iron
content forms the dividing line between medium and low grade ores. In Canada, ore
with +58%, 40-57% and below 40% iron content are classed as high, medium and
low grade ore respectively. Medium grade ores containing 50% iron are also referred
to as off grade ores. Ores above 6-10 mm in size are generally referred to as lumps
and rest as fines. [1]

2.3 RESOURCES

Haematite and magnetite are the most important iron ores in India. About 59%
haematite ore deposits are found in the Eastern Sector while about 92% magnetite
ore deposits occur in Southern Sector, especially in Karnataka. Of these, haematite
is considered to be superior because of its higher grade. Indian deposits of
haematite belong to the Precambrian Iron Ore Series and the ore is within banded
iron ore formations occurring as massive, laminated, friable and also in powdery
form.[3]
As per UNFC system, the total resources of haematite as on 1.4.2010 are estimated
at 17,882 million tonnes of which 8,093 million tonnes (45%) are under 'reserves'
category and the balance 9,789 million tonnes (55%) are under 'remaining
resources' category. By grades, lumps constitute about 56% followed by fines (21%),
lumps with fines (13%) and the remaining 10% are black iron ore, unclassified, not-
known and other grades. Major resources of haematite are located in Odisha -5930
million tonnes (33%), Jharkhand - 4,597 million tonnes (26%), Chhattisgarh - 3,292
million tonnes (18%), Karnataka - 2,159 million tonnes (12%) and Goa- 927 million
tonnes (5%). The balance resources of
haematite are spread in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthanand Uttar Pradesh .[3]

Magnetite is another principal iron ore that also occurs in the form of oxide, either in
igneous or metamorphosed banded magnetite-silica formation,
possibly of sedimentary origin. As per UNFC system, the total resources of
magnetite as on 1.4.2010 is estimated at 10,644 million tonnes of which 'reserves'
constitute a mere 22 million tonnes while 10,622 million tonnes are placed under
'remaining resources'.[3]

Classification on the basis of grades shows 21% resources are of metallurgical

grade while 79% resources belong to unclassified, not-known and other grades. The
resources of coal washery and foundry grades constitute meagre proportions. India's
97% magnetite resources are located in four states, namely, Karnataka - 7,802
million tonnes(73%) followed by Andhra Pradesh - 1,464 million tonnes (14%),
Rajasthan - 527 million tonnes and Tamil Nadu - 507 million tonnes (5% each).
Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Odisha together account for the remaining 3% resources.
[3]
Figure: 1

Figure: 2

2.4 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

The problem with Indian iron ores is twofold:

 Alumina and silicon bearing minerals
 Soft nature of the ore( results in generation of fines) [1]

High alumina and silica content pose a very serious problem

• Viscous slag formation
• High coke rate
• Enhanced slag volume
• Decreased productivity
• Increase in fuel rates
 • High energy consumption [6,1]

During mining process, huge amount of fines is generated which cannot be used
directly in the furnaces, these fines are needed to be recycled and re-utilized. [4]
Due to the depletion of high-grade ore at the mines and increased loss of mineral
values during processing, along with the lack of space to store these rejects, it has
become essential to develop efficient and cost-effective methods to recover iron
values from the ore fines.[5]The extraction of Fe content from low grade iron ores are
not suitable for iron making process due to its production cost and they are crushed
in to fines, these fines can be enhanced through mineral-agglomeration processes.
[4]

2.5 REMEDY
2.5.1 METHODS OF BENEFICIATION

 Gravity separation
It is an industrial method of separating two components, either a suspension, or dry
granular mixture where separating the components with gravity is sufficiently
practical i.e, the components of the mixture have different specific weight.

 Froth flotation
Froth flotation is a process for selectively separation hydrophobic materials from
hydrophilic.The development of froth flotation has improved the recovery of valuable
minerals, such as copper and lead bearing minerals.

 Magnetic separation
Magnetic separation is a process in which magnetically susceptible material is
extracted from a mixture using a electromagnetic force.

2.5.2 ADVANTAGES OF BENEFICIATION

 Utilization of available dumps
 Reduction in smelting cost due to reduction in quantity of feed processed
 Unwanted material is discarded at the site of ore processing reducing logistics
related costs and concerns
 Consistency in quality and uniformity in size of product obtained after
processing improving the efficiency of smelters

The limitation in the utilization of beneficiated ultrafine concentrates in Sintering

could be overcome through the process of Pelletization [7]

2.5.2 PELLETIZATION
Pelletization is the process of agglomeration where ultra fines of the order of microns
are rolled into green balls 9-16 mm before subjecting to a thermal regime for proper
induration. These pellets having superior properties compared to lump ores, can be
stored for a prolonged period and transported over long distances without any
adverse effects on the properties. The present Indian raw material scenario offers an
opportunistic disposition towards pellet making owing to the availability of large
quantities of sub grade fines, slimes and wastes, etc; at different mine heads.
Beneficiation followed by pelletization appears to be the only possible route for
salvaging these otherwise waste but valuable mineral. With the sharp rise in the
price of calibrated lump ore, it is
Imperative for the coal and gas based Direct Reduction or Sponge iron units to
switch over to the use of iron ore pellets from use of lump ores. At present, the total
installed capacity of pellet plants in India is about 18 Mt which is a world share of
4.5%. Currently all the plants operate on hematite ore. [7]

2.5.3 MECHANISM OF PELLETISATION

The formation of pellets consists of two processes – Ball formation and Induration
(Heat Hardening).
 Ball Formation – Surface tension (S) of water and gravitational force
generates pressure on particles, so they blend together and form nuclei which
grow in size into ball.
 Induration (Heat Hardening) – Solid state diffusion take place at particle
surfaces when the balls are subjected to higher temp causing recrystallization
and growth. This process provides strength to the green pellets. [8]

2.5.4 ADVANTAGES OF PELLETS

 Very good reducibility because of high micro-porosity (25-35 %)

 Spherical shape and uniform size give very good bed permeability

 High strength (about 150-250 kg) or more for acid pellets

 Heat consumption is much less than that of sintering.

 High Iron content and uniform chemical composition hence lower flux and fuel
requirement in the furnace.

 Ease of handling [8]

2.5.5 DISADVANTAGES ASSOCIATED WITH PELLETS

  High cost to manufacture due to firing and grinding

 Loss of strength & swelling in the furnace

 Difficulty in producing fluxed pellets

 Opposition to the gas flow more than gas flow in sinter for same sized, due to
lesser void ratio. [8]

2.6 CHARACTERISATION
2.6.1 MINERALOGY OF ORE

The characterization of the sample indicates that the ore is lateritic in nature with
ochreous brown colour.[9]Using X-Ray Differential analysis, it was found that the iron
ores sample consisted of goethite, hematite, quartz, calcite kaolin and feldspar. The
major constituents were goethite as an iron mineral and quartz as a gangue mineral,
and rest were minor minerals.[6] Presence of goethite interlocked with kaolinitic clay
is responsible for high alumina.[9]

2.6.2 PHASES PRESENT

We can be seen that the major ironbearing mineral phases are goethite and hematite
and gangue. mineral phases are gibbsite, quartz and kaolinite.
Size (μm) Wt(%) Assay value(%)
Fe SiO2 Al2O3
+850 3.7 63.50 4.35 3.60
-850+500 9.0 64.10 2.90 4.00
-500+355 5.3 63.65 3.20 4.20
-355+250 15.7 63.79 4.00 4.75
-250+210 6.0 63.70 3.22 4.63
-210+150 6.4 63.71 3.00 4.87
-150+105 7.1 60.48 3.36 5.13
-105+75 6.8 60.67 3.10 5.10
-75+63 4.3 60.04 3.52 5.58
-63+53 0.1 59.64 4.62 5.15
-53+45 2.6 60.05 3.52 5.46
-45+37 2.2 61.50 3.69 5.14
-37+25 1.8 63.21 3.92 4.84
 -25 28.30 52.90 7.88 8.22

2.6.2 CRYSTAL STRUCTURE

Hematite [a-Fe2O3], Gibbsite [a-Al(OH)3] and Kaolinite [Al2Si2O5(OH)4] Crystal

Structures
The crystal structures of hematite and gibbsite are modelled. The conventional
hexagonal unit cell of hematite contains 30 atoms (18-O and 12-Fe) with oxygen
atoms occupying the hexagonal close packed lattice sites and the iron atoms filling
two-thirds of the octahedral voids (Fig. 1a). The ideal stacking of atomic layers along
the c-axis can be described
by the sequence ___Fe–O3–Fe–Fe–O3–Fe___ (the subscript denotes the number of
atoms per unit cell in that particular layer). Hematite, in its ground state, is
antiferromagnetic with Fe-atoms within Fe–Fe double layers having parallel spins
while those between adjacent double layers (separated by an O3 layer) having
antiparallel spins. The spins are aligned parallel to the c-axis. The spin polarized
calculations used in this work successfully predict this antiferromagnetic structure to
be the most stable ground state structure with lattice parameters a = 5.013 A ° and c
= 13.801 A ° which are within 0.5 % of the experimental values of a = 5.035 A ° and
c = 13.747 A ° .
Figure:3-Bulk structures of a) hematite, b) gibbsite, and c) kaolinite. Red, indigo, blue, pink and
orange spheres indicate O, Fe, H, Al and Si respectively.

Unlike hematite, gibbsite has a fairly open, monoclinic structure consisting of sheets
of Al(OH)3 bound together by weak hydrogen bonds (Fig. 1b). Each sheet consists
of a OH-double layer with Al-atoms occupying two-thirds of the octahedral voids
within this double layer. The computed lattice parameters for gibbsite are also in
good agreement with experimental and previous calculated DFT results.

Kaolinite is a layered aluminosilicate mineral possessing a triclinic structure with C1

(centered symmetry) space group (Fig. 1c). Within each layer, there is an aluminate
sublayer, wherein each aluminumatomcoordinates octahedrally with six oxygen
atoms, connected through oxygen atoms to a silicate sublayer, wherein each silicon
atom coordinates tetrahedrally with four oxygen atoms. The O-atoms connected to
Al-atoms are hydroxylated. The layers are held together by hydrogen bonds across
the (001) cleavage plane. The calculated lattice parameters: a = 5.184 A ° , b= 9.002
A ° , c= 7.387 A ° , a = 91.89_, b = 105.13_ and c = 89.48_ agree well with those
determined experimentally by X-ray single crystal diffraction: a = 5.154 A ° , b =
8.942 A ° , c = 7.401 A ° , a = 91.69_, b = 104.61_, c = 89.82_. The results are also
in good agreement with previous DFT calculations by Hu and Michaelides.

2.6.4 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION ANALYSIS

Chemical Composition (weight percent on dry basis)

Iron Ore Fe Fe2O3 Al2O3 SiO2 TiO2 MnO Loss

Source (Total) on
Ignition

62.63 89.56 4.09 3.80 0.11 0.01 2.43

From
mines

Binders - 3.96 58.36 21.14 - - 6.75

2.7 SUMMARY

Iron-ore is a common element in the earth crust (5-6%) and it is most used metal,
accounting for 93% of global metallic and alloy products .[10] As the demand of iron
ore is increasing, it is necessary to recover the resources from the mines wastes or
lean-grade iron ore through beneficiation. In that case the feed to sinter or pellet can
be recovered. Pelletization technology is a sustainable, economical and eco friendly
option to dominate in future due to its utilization of waste iron ore fines.[11] In
Popular pelletization process moisture, flux and binders are added to the iron ore
powder and make pellets subsequently thermally treated to attain the required
strength (ISO).[10] The use of bentonite is favorable concerning physical,
mechanical and metallurgical properties. However, because of its acid constituents
(SiO2 and Al2O3), it is considered as a chemical impurity, especially when
concentrate with high SiO2 content.[10] These have adverse effects on the process.
De Souza, Kater and Steeghs (1984) reported that with the addition of 1 %
bentonite, containing 85 % SiO2+Al2O3 decreases the iron content (0.6-0.7 wt %) in
the pellets [12]. The increase in silica content can lead to increases in the steel
production cost .[10] Different researchers have tried to find alternative to bentonite
to overcome problems as mentioned above. In recent times they have focused on
organic binders due to its outstanding binding properties and free from acid
constituents. In the present study SODIUM ALGINATE AND STARCH are used to
study the effect on agglomeration of iron ore at various firing temperatures and
induration times. This present study was focused on the effect of firing temperature
and induration time on the properties of pellets
 CHAPTER -3
EXPERIMENTAL WORK
3.1 METHODOLOGY

ICOSC r hi h o re ea
nmfvr oa i n iuc c t n d t o
oabge l[rre a ie z a
famta nt e ao d l i u m
eyg7n sr5 ai s d e
o r e
3.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.2.1 Iron ore concentrate: Raw material was collected from noamundi iron ore
mines. The weight of collected ore is 2000g. The ore was divided into representative
samples for SEM analysis (125) and XRD (50) kg by coning and quartering method
and sealed in plastic bags, and its nominal chemical composition has been outlined
in Table 1. From the chemical composition, Hematite concentrate has a relatively
high amount of Fe2O3 and aluminum, and silicon oxides are major gauge
constituents. Particle size measurements of the iron ore al fines were performed by
using the Vibratory Laboratory Sieve Shaker.

3.2.2 Binder: Binders used for this experiment are bentonite, sodium alginate and
starch. Tests are conducted with different composition of binders (0.5 and 1 wt % of
sodium alginate, starch and bentonite) and without binder added to the iron ore and
pellets were prepared.

3.3 DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS

Taguchi design of experiment

Taguchi method is a systematic application of design and analysis of experiments for

the purpose of designing. Optimization of process parameters is key step in Taguchi
method to achieving high quality without increasing cost. The Taguchi method uses
a special orthogonal array to study all the designed factors to minimum experiment
levels. In orthogonal array each factor is independently evaluated and the effect of
one factor does not interface with another factor.

As per Taguchi design of experiment three different binders each having three
different % amount ,indurated temperature and time.

Table:2 Taguchi design of experiment

BINDERS %BINDERS TEMPERATURE(°C TIME(IN HRS)

)
A 0 900 1
A 0.5 1000 1.5
A 1 1100 2
B 0 1000 2
B 0.5 1100 1
B 1 900 1.5
S 0 1100 1.5
S 0.5 900 2
S 1 1000 1
Where,
A-Alginate
B-Bentonite
S-Starch

In this study, an L9 (34) orthogonal array with 4 columns and 9 rows was used. This
array can handle three process parameters. Nine experiments were necessary using
this orthogonal array. The experiments were conducted by using process parameters
given in this table of design of experiment.

3.4 PREPARATION OF IRON ORE PELLETS

The green pellets were prepared by mixing of dry concentrate of iron ore particles,
required amount of moisture (Water) and pre-defined binder percentage, for 5-10
min.The pellets was prepared manually between 10-12 mm diameters. The pellets
were exposed to the atmosphere for 24 h and then dried in muffle furnace at 110°C
for four hours. Induration was done according to following temperature and time with
different composition of binders. After induration, pellets were furnace cooled. Then
indurated pellets were then subjected for characterization.

3.5 PELLET QUALITY TESTING

Pellet qualities were determined by testing the pellets at different stages of the
process. Tests were conducted for the pellets: 1) drop test for dry pellets, 2)
compressive strength and 3) porosity for dry and heated pellets.

3.5.1 Drop number of dry pellets: 10 dried pellets were utilized to focus the dry
pellet drop number by dropping a fired pellet over and over from a stature of 46 cm
(18 inch) onto a steel plate. The drop test for a fired pellet was preceded until a split
happened on the pellet and the last esteem recorded. A pellet should withstand at
least 4 drops .

3.5.2 Compressive Strength: Compressive strengths of individual pellets depend

on the chemical composition and physical properties of the concentrate, additives
used in the pelletizing method, particle size, firing technique, and temperature. A
dried pellet is crushed and the maximum load is recorded. It measures the ability of
dried pellets to survive handling during the firing process. It should be a mean value
at least 2.24 kg/pellet. A fired pellet is crushed and maximum load is recorded.

3.5.3 Mouldability: Mouldability is the condition of the iron ore before compaction.
Mouldability tester consists of rotating sieve with a timer arrangement and a power
electric lamp over sieve. A standard specimen is placed in the cylindrical sieve and
the latter is rotated at a fixed speed for a given time. The weight of iron ore pellet
retained on the sieve indicates mouldability.
CHAPTER - 4
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 RAW MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION

4.1.1 WET CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

ELEMENT Fe Fe2O3 FeO SiO2 Al2O3 CaO

WEIGHT(x) 64.86 92.12 0.57 1.3 2.44 0.08

Table:3

4.1.2 PARTICLE SIZE ANALYSIS

Particle size measurement of the iron ore fines was performed using standard
laboratory sieve shaker and the resilts are presented in table:4. This test is
performed on sand to determine the percentage of different particle sizes contained
within the iron ore fines. The test method used is dry sieve analysis.

Size in mm Cumulative weight Cumulative % pass

retained
0.231 10.3 100

0.181 20.3 79.5

0.128 27.8 72.2

0.09 34.6 65.4

0.06 40.2 59.8

0.05 44.6 55.4

0.02 100 0

Table:4
100
90
80
70
60
50 Cum Passing
40 Cum Retained
30
20
10
0
0 0.02 0.05 0.07 0.1 0.13 0.15 0.18 0.2 0.23 0.25

Figure:4

From the sieve analysis tests of the representative iron ore fines obtained, the
average particle size was found to be 0.045mm.

4.1.3 SEM RESULTS

SEM ANALYSIS

Figure:5

• Bright phase - quartz, alumina

• Dark phase - haematite, goethite
• Ore porous in nature

Figure: 6 Particle size distribution

 4.1.4 EDS RESULTS

Area analysis

Title : IMG1

---------------------------
001
Instrument : 6360(LA)

Volt : 25.00 kV

Mag : x 1,000

Date : 2004/08/23

Pixel : 512 x 384

30
30 µm
µm
Figure:7

001
3000
Acquisition Parameter
2700
Instrument : 6360(LA)
FeKa

2400
Acc. Voltage : 25.0 kV
2100
Probe Current: 1000.00000 nA
1800
Counts

1500 PHA mode : T4

1200 Real Time : 63.81 sec

FeKb
SKa SKb

900 Live Time : 50.00 sec

AlKa

600 Dead Time : 22 %

300 Counting Rate: 2362 cps
0
Energy Range : 0 - 20 keV
0.00 3.00 6.00 9.00 12.00 15.00 18.00 21.00
keV

ZAF Method Standardless Quantitative Analysis

Fitting Coefficient : 0.3090

Element (keV) mass% Error% At% Compound mass% Cation K

Al K 1.486 3.07 0.77 6.16 0.6295

S K 2.307 0.02 0.37 0.03 0.0085

Fe K 6.398 96.91 0.86 93.81 59.2187

Total 100.00 100.00

 Point analysis

Title : IMG1
006 ---------------------------

Instrument : 6360(LA)

Volt : 25.00 kV

Mag : x 1,000

Date : 2004/08/23

Pixel : 512 x 384

30 µm

Figure: 8

006
1600 Acquisition Parameter

1400 Instrument : 6360(LA)

FeKa

Acc. Voltage : 25.0 kV

1200
Probe Current: 1000.00000
1000 nA
Counts

PHA mode : T3
800
Real Time : 33.17 sec
600
FeKb

Live Time : 30.00 sec

400 Dead Time : 9 %

200 Counting Rate: 1852 cps

0 Energy Range : 0 - 20 keV

0.00 3.00 6.00 9.00 12.00 15.00 18.00 21.00
keV

ZAF Method Standardless Quantitative Analysis

Fitting Coefficient : 0.2363

Element (keV) mass% Error% At% Compound mass% Cation K

Fe K 6.398 100.00 0.35 100.00 59.7367

Elemental analysis

Figure: 9

Figure: 10

The characterisation studies were conducted using SEM with an EDS attachment.
The study focused, mainly to identify the elemental composition of the iron ore fines
present in the grains present in the sample, through photomicrographs.the number of
images were processed. It can be seen from the figure 7& 8 that hematite is the
major iron bearing mineral. It is evident from the detailed characterisation of the iron
ore fines that most of the alumina and sulphur are concentrated at finer sizes.
Elemental mapping was done and figure 9 & 10 were done. In figure 9 it is evident
that pink colour dominates other colours which is a clear proof that iron bearing
mineral is constituted in a major proportion in the obtained sample. In figure 9, green
colour indicates the presence of aluminium.

4.1.5 XRD RESULTS

Figure: 11

The XRD study was carried out to identify mineral phases present in the sample. The
diffractogram is shown in figure 11. It can be seen that the major iron bearing mineral
phases are goethite and hematite which is evident from the planes indicated in the
diffractogram.

4.2 PELLET CHARACTERIZATION

4.2.1 DENSITY, POROSITY AND SHRINKAGE CACULATIONS

The circumference of individual pellet from representative samples was measured

using a thread from which the radius was found out. Using the radius the volume of
pellet was calculated. The mass of individual pellet was measured using a weighing
machine.The actual density was calculated using the below formula:

Actual density = mass/volume

% porosity was determined in the green pellets.

% porosity = Theoretical density – actual density

*100
Theoretical density

4.2.1.1BEFORE INDURATION

SAMPLES ACTUAL DENSITY % POROSITY

0.5% starch 3.68 53.18
0.5% sodium alginate 2.58 67.17
0.5% bentonite+0.5% 2.33 70.36
sodium alginate
1% sodium alginate 2.67 66.03
1% starch 3.98 49.36
0.5% bentonite+0.5% 2.57 67.30
starch

%Shrinkage was calculated for the indurated samples,

%Shrinkage = Final volume – initial volume

*100
initial volume

SAMPLES % SHRINKAGE
0.5% starch 70.10
0.5% sodium alginate 19.19
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 26.25
1% sodium alginate 36.76
1% starch 79.62
0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch 4.37

4.2.2 PELLET DROP NUMBER(PDN)

The PDN of the iron ore pellets was obtained by using different types of binders, and
the results were compared with pellets made using bentonite as binder and pellets
made without any binder.

4.2.2.1 BEFORE INDURATION

Sample Drop number

0.5% starch 1
0.5% sodium alginate 10
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 6
1% sodium alginate 11
1% starch 11
0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch 1
4.2.2.2 AFTER INDURATION

Sample Drop number

Without bentonite(950°C) 5
Without bentonite(900°C) 1
Without bentonite(850°C) 1
0.5% starch 1
0.5% sodium alginate 1
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 1
1% sodium alginate 14
1% starch 1
0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch 1
1% bentonite 2

The PDN values for the pellets made without binders and with binders starch and
sodium alginate were determined. Pellets made using Sodium alginate and bentonite
was found to survive number of drops in material handling system.

4.2.3 PELLET COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (PCS)

The PCS of the iron ore pellets was determined by using different types of binders.
Bentonite samples were considered as the reference point for strength calculation.

4.2.3.1 BEFORE INDURATION

Samples Load withstood (KN)

0.5% starch 0.014
0.5% sodium alginate 0.020
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 0.044
1% sodium alginate 0.050
1% starch 0.020
0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch 0.024
Without bentonite 0.010
1% bentonite 0.054

4.2.3.2 AFTER INDURATION

Sample Load withstood(KN)

Without bentonite(950°C) >0.1
Without bentonite(900°C) 0.019
Without bentonite(850°C) 0.014
0.5% starch 0.024
0.5% sodium alginate 0.68
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 0.049
1% sodium alginate >0.1
1% starch 0.022
 0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch >0.1
1% bentonite >0.1

The pellets made without binder is a lower than the required value. Therefore, they
can be considered insufficient, and the production of pellets without binder is not
suitable. The PCS produced with organic binders were found to be much greater
than required value suitable for the pelletization process. On the other hand, the
PCSs of pellets by organic binders were found to be lower than those obtained by
bentonite, but they are still greater than the minimum required limit.

4.2.4 MOULDABILITY TEST

Green strength percentage composition of the pellet can be related with the
mouldability test. The friability test measures the ability of the compacted iron ore
pellets to resist abrasion or scuffing. The amount of iron ore pellet abraded is
collected and weight.

Friability index = (weight retained /weight of pellets taken) *100

SAMPLES FRIABILITY INDEX (%)

0.5% starch 6.93
0.5% sodium alginate 97.64
0.5% bentonite+0.5% sodium alginate 97.58
1% sodium alginate 96.89
1% starch 8.34
0.5% bentonite+0.5% starch 26.75
Without bentonite 4.56

CHAPTER - 5
 CONCLUSION

In the present study , addition of sodium alginate binder into the pellet mixture was
proposed to increase the pellet compressive strength encountered with the use of
organic binder in iron ore pelletizing.the performance of organicbinders on physical-
mechanical pellet qualities were studied.

 The averagepractical size of the representative iron ore obtained was found to
be 0.045 cm.
 The PDN produced without binder is a little lower than the required value.
Therefore, they can be considered insufficient.The PDN values of 1wt% of
sodium alginate and 1wt% bentonite and mixture of Bentonite and alginate
show marginally higher value than the required value that is 4 and is suitable
for pelletization.
 The PCS of pellet by organic were found to be lower than those obtained by
bentonite pellet but that are still greater than the minimum required limit, due
to the presence of sodium alginate between the particle to particle.
 It was observed that firing temperature ,time, composition were affecting the
properties of iron ore pellets.we can conclude that with increasing the
induration time increases the bonding between the particles as well as
improves the strength.
 The porosity of the indurated pellets decreases with increasing temperature
and indurationtime.The porosity difference between pellets containing alginate
and mixture of alginate and bentonite were only 4 to 5%.
 The friability index of the pellets containing 1wt% ,0.5wt% alginate and
mixture of alginate and bentonite were found to have higher friability
index.Hencethemouldabilityof the pellets containing these binders have good
pellet strength.
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