About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Fundamentals of Sustainable Metallurgy and Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Biochar as a Low-Carbon Reductant for Coal-Based Rotary Kiln DRI: Mechanistic Insights from Single-Pellet and Multi-Pellet Reduction |
| Author(s) |
Andugula Ashish Babu |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Andugula Ashish Babu |
| Abstract Scope |
Partial substitution of non-coking coal with bamboo biochar offers a promising pathway for decarbonizing the coal-based rotary kiln direct reduced iron (DRI) process, which accounts for over 70% of India's DRI production. This study compares the isothermal reduction behavior of single-pellet and multi-pellet DRI-grade iron ore systems using 0–15 wt.% bamboo biochar–coal blends at 900–1200°C. Single-pellet experiments demonstrated the intrinsic kinetic advantage of biochar, with 15 wt.% biochar increasing the degree of reduction from 77.1% to 95.8% after 120 min at 900°C and improving metallization across the investigated temperatures. In contrast, multi-pellet reduction exhibited severe pellet sticking and fusion at 1100–1200°C, reducing overall reduction efficiency. XRD, SEM-EDS, ash fusion analysis, and FactSage thermodynamic simulations revealed that alkali-rich biochar ash promotes low-melting eutectic phases and early liquid slag formation, restricting CO diffusion through pore blockage. These findings provide mechanistic insight for optimizing biochar utilization in low-carbon rotary kiln DRI production. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Sustainability, Iron and Steel, Pyrometallurgy |