Effect of basicity on the reduction swelling properties of iron ore briquettes

The influence mechanism of basicity on the reduction swelling index (RSI) of iron ore briquettes was investigated using the SEM analysis and Factsage 7.3 thermodynamic calculations based on the addition of pure CaO to Bayan Obo iron concentrate. The results revealed that the solid solution of Ca2+ in the FeO lattice increased with the basicity of the briquettes, whereas the diffusion channels of Fe2+ ions increased during the reduction process from FeO to Fe and resulted in the formation of a great number of slender and anisotropic iron whiskers, which consequently increased the RSI. Furthermore, the melting point of the slag phase decreased as the CaO content increased; this reduced its ability to resist the reduction swelling of iron oxides. When the basicity was increased from 0.3 to 0.8, the RSI reached a maximum of 69.85%. However, due to the saturated solid solution of Ca2+ in FeO lattice, as the basicity further increased from 0.8 to 1.2, excess CaO melting into the slag phase promoted the precipitation of spinel minerals with high melting points and difficult reduction properties. Thus, the diffusion of Fe2+ and the growth of the iron whiskers were hindered, and the RSI was reduced.