Characterization and Reduction Behavior of Carbonized Ore Prepared by Iron Ore Immersion in Tar Derived from Biomass Pyrolysis

Abstract

The provision of carbon reducing agents for the direct reduction process of iron ore is carried out by immersing the iron ore in a tar solution and then proceeding with the pyrolysis/ carbonization process to obtain carbon deposits on the surface of the iron ore. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characterization and reduction behavior of Fe compounds resulting from impregnation and carbonization processes. In this study, iron ore is immersed in the pine flower tar with immersion time varying from 0 - 12 hours and a fixed ratio of tar / ore 1: 1. The soaking mixture is then carbonized in a vertical tube reactor covered by furnace with N2 gas flowed during the carbonization/pyrolysis process. The carbonization runs with a temperature variation of 450-550°C, for 1 hour, and a heating rate of 10°C/min. From SEM-EDX-Mapping result shows that the immersion method in tar followed by carbonization caused the carbon content in iron ore to increase by 86.68% in a 1: 1 tar/ore ratio, the impregnating time of 6 hours, and a pyrolysis temperature of 450°C. Effect of impregnation duration evidence that immersion times of 6 and 12 hours are sufficient to produce the magnetite phase after the carbonization process. Furthermore, the 6 hours’ duration provides a more optimal peak intensity. Meanwhile, the effect of temperature on the carbonization process shows that 450°C is the optimal temperature to obtain the magnetite phase in the carbonized ore.