Reduction of MnFe2O4 without and with carbon

Abstract

We succeeded in studying the mechanism of hydrogen added carbothermic reduction process of iron-manganese oxide by means of the new technique, simultaneous measurement of evolved gas analysis (EGA) and humidity sensor (HS). Water vapor evolved by the reduction with hydrogen can be detected by HS. Other gas was detected by TCD. Without carbon, the hydrogen reduction process was followed to the formation of the intermediate product between MnO and FeO and finally reduction to the mixture of MnO and Fe. With carbon, the intermediate products between MnO and FeO was formed at about 780 K. The methane was formed in higher temperature than 1073 K and the reduction with carbon proceeded mainly. At higher temperatures, methane decomposed to yield nascent carbon that tended to result in the acceleration of the reduction rate with carbon. The study is concerned with the mechanism of the hydrogen reduction of MnFe2O4 and the effect of without and with carbon on this reduction by means of combining EGA and HS.