Research progress and prospect of fluidized bed metallic ore roasting technology: A review

Roasting of metallic ore is an important process in the metal smelting industry, in which the ore undergoes intense chemical changes to purify the metallic components. Fluidized bed technology has the advantages of strengthening mass and heat transfer, enhancing the chemical reaction rate, and at the same time the temperature uniformity in the furnace, which often makes it the preferred choice in metallic ore roasting. The development of fluidized bed roasting technology in the roasting of different types of metal ores with the latest advances in reaction kinetics, flow and heat transfer characteristics, and process optimization are introduced by taking three typical applications of fluidized bed roasting of pyrite, hematite, and zinc sulfide concentrate as examples. The future development trend in the context of carbon neutrality is prospected. Fluidized bed roasting technology is anticipated to be applied to more types of metallic ores. Meanwhile, it could be rapidly developed in flow and particle size optimization, pollutant control, and energy utilization.