Preparation of Refractory Materials by Co-sintering of Ferronickel Slag and Ferrochromium Slag: Thermodynamic Analysis

Abstract

During the past ten years, the stainless-steel industry has undergone rapid development around the world. At the same time, a great quantity of stainless-steel slag (mainly ferronickel slag and ferrochromium slag) was co-generated. It is urgent to seek an efficient method for the comprehensive utilization of ferronickel slag and ferrochromium slag. In this study, the feasibility of preparing refractory materials by co-sintering of ferronickel slag and ferrochromium slag was evaluated based on thermodynamic analysis. The thermodynamic results showed that by co-sintering of ferronickel slag and ferrochromium slag in the presence of magnesia, the phase composition of the system is forsterite, spinel, and perclase, which is beneficial to prepare high refractoriness of the refractory materials. The experimental results verified those findings, a refractory material with refractoriness of 1780 °C, bulk density of 2.30 g/cm3, apparent porosity of 16.19%, and compressive strength of 89.18 MPa could be obtained.