Ferroalloy Production Using Russian Crude Ore

Abstract

The key problem of ferroalloy production in Russia is the availability of crude ore. Only few types of alloys are produced at domestic plants from domestically-produced raw materials (ferrosilicon, vanadium alloys). The bulk of ferroalloys is either imported from abroad or smelted from imported raw materials. The development of ferroalloy production is a challenging situation for Russia: raw material import addiction in the presence of large domestic mineral and raw material base, but substandard in terms of world standards quality. One of the main reasons for this situation (in addition to organizational and financial ones) is a well-established conservative approach to the ferroalloy smelting technology using the same type of crude ore and obtaining products as per GOST Standard. Domestic ferroalloy raw materials, as a rule, are of low quality. They have a low content of main elements (manganese, chromium ores), a high content of phosphorus (manganese, niobium ores), and sulfur (manganese ores). This requires physical and chemical studies and the development of new alternative technologies. It is possible to create new technology processes and different ferroalloy combinations that are not inferior in terms of their technical and economic indicators to products obtained from imported non-traditional domestic ore crude, based on deep physical, chemical and technological studies. For solving the domestic crude ore problem found in the ferroalloy industry, it is necessary for scientists, geologists, processing experts and metal-makers to work together.