Experimental Production of Iron-Bearing Sinters Using Chars from Waste Car Tires

Abstract

The metallurgical industry is seeking raw material substitutes more and more intensively in order to replace materials traditionally used in pig iron production. Research has been conducted on the use of char obtained from waste car tires via a pyrolysis process in an iron ore sintering process. The char obtained from car tires could be a potential substitute for some of the coke breeze used in the iron ore sintering process. However, the Zn and S content of the char is a major technological issue. This paper presents the results of research conducted to assess the possibility of substituting coke breeze with a commercial char from waste tires. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory stand capable of sintering 200 kg of sintering blend. The results obtained show that it is possible to replace 10 %m/m of coke breeze with waste tire char without any technological danger for sintering lines. The application of waste tire char in metallurgical processes is an example of actions that form part of the circular economy and also of the appropriate use of anthropogenic resources that are technologically available.