heal.abstract |
This thesis studies the application of hydrogen in mining metallurgy and more specifically in iron ore, which is crucial for Europe's transition to a climate-neutral continent by 2050. In this context, the use of hydrogen as a reducing agent in metallurgy is essential to replace conventional methods using mineral coal, as the by-product of this process is water vapour. Research studies show that the production of ferronickel from laterite ore, using hydrogen, is possible either through a complex pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical process or through a direct pyrometallurgical process using additives. This study focuses on the evaluation of ore reduction using hydrogen as the reducing agent, at low temperatures, and the extractability of the results obtained. A Greek hematitic nickel-containing laterite from the LARCO GMMSA company from the BRYSAKIA mine was used. The material, after being properly pre-treated, was fed into a tubular furnace, without the presence of atmospheric air, into which a H2/N2 mixture is introduced. The products of this process were analyzed by XRD and by Rietveld, Mössbauer spectroscopy methods. Finally, tests were carried out to determine the chemical composition and extractability of the material in order to investigate the possibility of further hydrometallurgical treatment for the production of nickel and cobalt. A total of nine experiments were carried out to compare the effect of temperature and duration of the experiment on the final product. Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that the hematite (Fe+3) phase progressively transforms into magnetite (Fe+3/Fe+2) and wustite (Fe+2) at temperatures above 350 °C, while a secondary metallic iron phase starts to form at 450 °C. For the reduction at 500 °C the hematite phase is reduced to magnetite and wustite from the first 30 minutes, while the metallic iron phase shows rapid formation after 120 minutes. |
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