Pyrolysis of coal and iron oxides mixtures. 2. Reduction of iron oxides

Abstract

The reduction of iron oxides during the pyrolysis of blends of coal and iron oxides on a laboratory scale, has been studied. The pyrolysis of blends of bituminous coal and 30 wt% of magnetite or hematite has been studied by thermogravimetry and analysis of gases, using a heating rate of 3.2 K min −1. The state of iron in ferrocoke has been established by X-ray diffraction. A primary reduction by hydrogen and carbon monoxide of the hematite has been observed at between 400 °C and 500 °C, but hidden in thermogravimetric measurements by primary volatilization of the coal. At ≈600 °C magnetite is progressively reduced to wustite and then to iron. This reduction starts a little earlier if the heating rate is slow and the coal rank is low and progresses more rapidly when using hematite. Except for higher heating rates in the coal-magnetite blends, the reduction is complete at 1000 °C. The reductants are H 2 and CO, with production of H 2O and CO 2. When the temperature is increased the reduction by CO becomes of increasing importance, being mainly produced from the coke by the Boudouard reaction. The consumption of coke for the reduction of iron oxides is therefore more important at higher temperatures. Lignite is clearly a better reducing agent than the other coals, because of larger quantities of CO produced from the start of its pyrolysis, and the good reactivity of its char towards CO 2 and H 2O.