Impact of Substituting Coke with Biomass on the Mineralogical Composition of the Iron Ore Agglomerate

Abstract

Coke breeze is a special type of fossil fuel that significantly contributes to environmental pollution. Therefore, ways and opportunities to reduce its negative impact on climate change are being sought. Alternative fuels constitute one of the opportunities where biomass can play an important role. Biomass represents a new fuel for the sintering process and an attractive way to decrease CO2 emissions. Today, biomass is not considered for complete substitution of coke. Opportunities for its partial substitution are instead being sought. Each type of fuel is characterized by different properties and thus also by an appropriate scope of its substitution in an agglomeration mixture. This study covers the available options and the potential impact of this substitution on the structural and mineralogical composition of the agglomerate. These experiments were carried out by substituting coke breeze with biomass (hydrolyzed lignin). To perform the experimental sintering, a sintering apparatus—laboratory sintering pan (LSP)—was used, which was fully equipped with measuring devices and analyzers. The samples of agglomerates prepared by substituting 0%, 20%, 50% and 86% of coke breeze with biomass (hydrolyzed lignin) in dried form were analyzed by chemical and microscopic analysis-The representation of individual minerals in agglomerates was determined by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Based on the results of the study regarding the impact of partial coke substitution with biomass on the mineralogical composition of the agglomerate, it can be stated that it is possible to substitute about 50% of coke with lignin in the sintering process. When lignin was used to substitute up to 50% of coke, agglomerates with minimal variations in the chemical and mineralogical composition were produced.