Sponge iron

This product is obtained from the direct regeneration of iron ore and its oxygen is removed during the immediate regeneration operation, without the need to melt iron ore. In this method, iron ore pellets with a grade of 67% are regenerated and porous pellets are formed. After melting and regenerating in steelmaking, this product becomes the required products in the casting process and is used in three forms: slab, billet, and rebar.

The appearance of this product is in the form of spherical pieces, which has a spongy appearance due to its porous structure; Hence, it is called sponge iron. This product has a high grade of iron, which is considered today due to the lack of iron waste, its price increase and environmental problems.

Important applications of sponge iron in casting

Sponge iron is also used in steel casting, and this product has a higher quality than iron, and because there are various sources for extracting and reviving blacksmithing in Iran, it is used in steel production. In fact, the porous pellet is the raw material for steel production in the foundry, which melts and can be used to produce steel.

Before the production of sponge iron, wastes and scraps were used in steel casting, but today, with the presence of sponge iron, the resulting steel has high quality and high strength and resistance.

Let’s add this point that during the production of sponge iron, about 5% of its raw materials are converted into soft sponge iron, which can be used for various applications. The application of this product is different from the sponge iron itself, and in most cases it can be used as a raw material in the production of iron briquettes.

What are the advantages of using sponge iron?

As we said, around 5% of the world iron market is made up of sponge irons; This statistic shows the importance of these iron products in various industries. But what advantages are hidden in the belly of sponge irons that can make it a very important product?

Sponge iron is the best alternative to waste

 Induction furnaces or direct regeneration units are less expensive than blast furnaces

 Sponge irons have much more quality than other iron products

 Sponge iron in the form of Hot Lumpy Iron (HBI) is very easy and hassle-free to transport.

 To produce sponge iron in a direct way, natural gas can be used without separating impurities.

 The economic efficiency of sponge irons is very high and you can enjoy high efficiency by producing them

Applications of sponge iron

Considering the shortage of scrap iron used for the production of ingots and other steel products, it is important to find a suitable alternative for it. Sponge iron is a product that can replace scrap iron in induction furnaces to produce these products

Today, up to 50% of sponge iron can be replaced in induction furnaces. Also, sponge iron is used in casting in three forms, billet, slab and rebar, and it has created a huge transformation in this industry.

The compressed type of sponge iron, which is called Briquette, has less transportation problems and is easier to store. In addition, the briquette has a higher resistance to wear and rust, and the possibility of creating porosity (separation of the surface) in it is less. According to the type of material and the temperature at which briquetting is done, there are three types of briquettes

hot briquettes

Cold briquettes

soft briquette

Hot briquettes are produced at a temperature of more than 650 degrees Celsius and are considered the most well-known and widely used type of briquettes. Cold and soft briquettes are produced at ambient temperature, but the type of materials used in them is different

Application of briquettes

Detergents and hygiene products

iron and steel

Chemicals

Minerals

Chemical fertilizers

What is the difference between briquette and sponge iron?

Briquettes are actually the same as sponge iron, except that they are placed in large molds and finally compressed. Briquettes can be produced through 2 hot and cold briquetting methods and will be available in hot briquettes, soft sponge iron briquettes and cold sponge iron briquettes.

Disadvantages of sponge iron

In addition to having many advantages, sponge iron or porous pellets also have some disadvantages to use. Here are some of these disadvantages:

 In order to enter the production cycle of steel sheets and alloys, sponge iron must go through many stages. But iron scraps do not have this problem.

 Because there are many steps to transform sponge iron into steel, various products with various compounds are created during production.

 The pellets created in different stages of steel production do not melt at the same temperature and this is a little troublesome.