Upgrading and utilisation of residual iron oxide materials for hot metal production (URIOM)

For reuse of residual iron oxides from stainless steelmaking within the steelworks itself, two new technologies have been developed. One technology is the inductively heated coke bed reactor (ICBR), which is coupled either with a cupola furnace or a flash reactor as pre-melting unit. Furthermore, a new briquetting technology using vegetable binders for briquette utilisation in the EAF has been developed. The first step of the investigations is the characterisation and selection of suitable residual iron oxide materials to be processed by the new technologies. For both technologies comprehensive process concepts have been developed based on laboratory- and technical-scale trials. Furthermore, a software process model has been developed for the coke bed reactor in order to support the development of the process concept. Finally, as a base for assessing economic aspects and metal yield, energy and material balances have been set up and the composition of products has been measured or calculated for both technologies.