About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
External Field-Intensified Materials Processing
|
| Presentation Title |
A Review: Microwave Processing for Sustainable Ironmaking |
| Author(s) |
Joonho Lee, Ziwei Peng, Joon Seok Oh, Junwoo Park |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Joonho Lee |
| Abstract Scope |
Microwave processing is regarded as an environmentally friendly technique, especially in pyrometallurgy. It has been applied in various areas, including nanoparticle synthesis, recovery of metals from industrial waste, and pre-treatment of iron ore. Specifically, microwave pre-treatment of low-grade magnetite can improve the reducibility of the iron ore by hydrogen gas, potentially leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions. From the microscopic analysis, it was found that the increased surface area of the magnetite by microwave irradiation would accelerate the reduction rate. The reduction rate of the magnetite ore by CO gas increased from 0.185 %/min to 0.767 %/min after microwave irradiation. To achieve a cold strength that can be handled in the ironmaking furnace (blast furnaces or shaft furnaces), microwave sintering should be carried out at 1200 °C or above, which can be reduced by increasing the compacting pressure of the briquettes. Due to the endothermic nature of iron ore reduction by hydrogen gas, the microwave pre-treatment can be considered an auxiliary process to balance heat supply and demand in the hydrogen ironmaking process. For the mass production, a high-power microwave furnace module is proposed. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Extraction and Processing, Pyrometallurgy, Recycling and Secondary Recovery |