Research Regarding Iron Sludge Recovery Technology

One of the most important wastes in iron metallurgy is the blast furnace sludge. This sludge consists of fine particles of iron ore, coke and fine particles of flux. The furnace sludge is characterized by the chemical composition similar to that of the furnace load, the major difference being the concentration of zinc and lead. Due to the similarity with the blast furnace load, this material, after pelletization, can be recycled in the technological process. However, this recirculation is limited by the zinc content, which significantly disrupts the operation of the furnace. This paper presents tests to reduce the zinc content of the furnace sludge by hydrometallurgical and pyrometalurgical processes.