Sponge Iron Production by Direct Reduction of Iron Oxide

This book provides a fascinating study of the newly emanating field of direct reduction in which iron ore is 'directly reduced' in the solid state, using either natural gas or non-coking coal, to produce a highly metallised material, referred to as sponge iron, which is subsequently melted in electric arc furnaces (sometimes in induction furnaces) to produce liquid steel. This methodology enables steel to be produced without using coking coal, which is an expensive input in the normal blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace route of steelmaking adopted in integrated steel plants. The book offers comprehensive coverage and critical assessment of various coal-based and gas-based direct reduction processes. Besides dealing with the application of the theoretical principles involved in the thermodynamics and kinetics of direct reduction, the book also contains some worked-out examples dealing with sponge iron production under various conditions. The concluding part of this seminal book summarises the present and future scenario of direct reduction, including the use of gas generated from coal in direct reduction processes.