SGER: Environmentally Benign Iron Manufacture with Renewable Reductants

0904459 Kawatra目前的铁制造工艺是高度不可持续的，因为它们依赖于化石燃料将氧化铁化学还原为金属铁。钢铁行业长期以来一直认为，只有化石燃料产生的碳才能用于炼铁，因此一直没有寻求可持续的替代品。研究人员最近发现，与工业界的信念相反，没有必要使用碳或其他化石燃料来生产铁。可再生生物质材料，特别是富含碳水化合物如淀粉和纤维素的那些，已经显示出能够将氧化铁还原为金属铁。该项目的目的是证明可再生还原剂在炼铁中的价值，并开始必要的基础研究，以确定生物质成分和铁氧化物之间反应的化学和动力学。该行业尚未认识到生物质等可再生还原剂用于此目的的潜力。工业人员认为，还原的机制还没有得到很好的理解，而且还没有证明生物质还原氧化铁会迅速进行或产生高质量的铁。拟议的项目将进行必要的初步研究，以展示生物量技术的潜力，并鼓励工业界支持将该技术转化为工业实用过程所需的进一步基础研究。更广泛的影响。美国每年从天然氧化铁中生产4000万吨金属铁。2006年，其生产消耗了约2300万吨冶金煤。由于它是一种化石燃料，使用这种煤直接导致大气二氧化碳水平的净增加。用生物质取代煤炭将减少碳排放，因为每释放一吨二氧化碳，都会被为这一过程生产的额外生物质的增长所平衡。因此，碳在炼铁过程中将处于闭环状态，大气中的二氧化碳不会净增加。生物质的使用也将比煤炭更清洁，因为它含有较低水平的汞，硫和其他污染物。它还含有较低水平的不可燃成灰矿物，因此在生物质工艺中将减少炉渣形式的固体残留物。

0904459KawatraCurrent processes for manufacturing iron are highly non-sustainable, as they are dependent on fossil fuels to chemically reduce iron oxides to metallic iron. The iron and steel industry has long believed that only carbon produced from fossil fuels can be used in ironmaking, and so sustainable alternatives have not been pursued. The investigator has recently discovered that, contrary to the beliefs of the industry, it is not necessary to use carbon or other fossil fuels for iron production. Renewable biomass materials, particularly those that are rich in carbohydrates such as starches and cellulose, have been shown to be capable of reducing iron oxides to metallic iron. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the value of renewable reductants for ironmaking, and begin necessary fundamental studies that will determine chemistry and kinetics of the reactions between biomass components and iron oxides Intellectual Merit Recent developments in ironmaking furnace design have made it possible to use reductants other than metallurgical coke to manufacture liquid metallic iron. The industry does not yet appreciate the potential of renewable reductants such as biomass for this purpose. Industry personnel feel that the mechanisms of the reduction are not well understood, and that it has not yet been demonstrated that iron oxide reduction by biomass will proceed quickly or produce high-quality iron. The proposed project will carry out the necessary preliminary studies to demonstrate the potential of biomass technology, and to encourage industrial support for further fundamental research needed to convert the technology into an industrially-practical process. Broader Impact. Annually, 40 million tons of metallic iron are produced in the US from natural iron oxides. Its manufacture consumed an estimated 23 million tons of metallurgical coal in 2006. Since it is a fossil fuel, use of this coal contributes directly to a net increase in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Replacing coal with biomass will reduce carbon emissions, as every ton of carbon dioxide released will be balanced by the growth of additional biomass as it is produced to feed the process. As a result, carbon will be in a closed loop in the ironmaking process, and there will be no net increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Biomass use will also be cleaner than coal, as it contains lower levels of mercury, sulfur, and other pollutants. It also contains lower levels of non-combustible ash-forming minerals, and therefore solid residues in the form of slag will be reduced in the biomass-based process.