Usefulness of Quartzites for the Production of Ferrosilicon

Abstract

The selection of quartzites most suitable for the production of ferrosilicon is realized by way of time-consuming industrial trials or laboratorial studies of, among others, the ability of the silica contained in quartzite to form silicon carbide with a selected reducer. Under industrial conditions, the basic criterion for the evaluation of the suitability of a raw material for the production of ferrosilicon are the technical and economic indicators of the process. Under laboratorial conditions, simple and reliable research methods are searched for, which would allow to determine the usefulness of quartzite in the process of carbon silica reduction. The article discusses comparative thermogravimetric studies as well as alternative investigations of the specific heat of three selected quartzites which fulfill the chemical composition criterion, used in the mixed charge as raw materials for ferrosilicon FeSi75 smelting.