Application of Micro Blast Furnaces in the Integrated Processing of Metallurgical and Coal Benefication Wastes

An analysis of the operational conditions for utilizing a small-volume blast furnace (BF) both in metallurgical production and processing of resulting wastes is carried out. Micro blast furnaces can be recommended for integrated waste processing in metallurgical production and coal benefication due to the small effective height of the furnace (no more than 10–12 m) reducing the strength requirements of products following compacting operations for obtaining pellets or briquettes. On the example of a complex equipped with a 70 m3 micro-blast furnace, the application of carbon-containing pellets obtained from metallurgical production and coal benefication sludges was shown to result in reduced unit costs for the production of 1 ton of cast iron. However, for stable furnace operation, it is necessary to resolve outstanding problems involved in the preparation of ferrous wastes for the subsequent manufacture of carbon-containing pellets.