Research Projects

Solid waste EAFD is a significant environmental hazard due to its high concentration of heavy metals like lead, chromium, and cadmium, as well as valuable metals like iron and zinc. To achieve global warming goals, the Paris Climate change agreement requires a decrease in emissions and energy by 2050, with a greater reduction in emissions than energy. This requires a decrease in the fractional use of coal-based BF-BOF route and the use of low-emission technologies such as bio-energy, carbon capture and storage, and increased secondary production with scrap. Reducing emissions from coal-based BF-BOF requires a greater focus on low-carbon inputs. One such technology is Reduction-in-Heat (RHF), which converts self-reducing iron ore-carbon composite pellets to sponge iron/iron nuggets using low-carbon fuel like coke oven gas/methane. This process has a lower carbon rate and temperature (1350oC) than the BF-BOF process. The use of carbon-neutral bio-char as a carbon source further reduces emissions. This study aims to study the nugget formation behavior of EAFD-biochar composite pellets in a controlled atmosphere tube furnace, reduce the pellets in a laboratory scale RHF, and test it in a pilot scale RHF at ASP, Durgapur. The preliminary investigation demonstrated the conversion of iron ore-graphite composite pellet to an iron nugget in a muffle furnace at 1200oC, featuring a unique coconut shell shape. The study aims to develop a low-carbon technology to produce iron nuggets by converting EAFD-biochar composite pellets in RHF.