In the present study, calcination properties of Hekimhan-Deveci siderite (FeCO3) ore and the effect of calcination process before the pelletization on strength of pellet were investigated and evaluated. Two different calcination processes were followed. One of them is the traditional calcination process and the other one is microwave assisted calcination process which is a new process for siderite ore. The characterization of the calcined and uncalcined siderite ore was done using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis. The physical and mechanical properties of pellets which were obtained using the raw siderite and the calcined siderite were compared with each other. As a result of experimental studies, it was found that the calcination process decreased the milling time, causing the significant energy saving and the most suitable calcination process for siderite ore was found as 15 min at 700°C temperature. It was the first time that the calcination process of the siderite ore was achieved by microwave by adding 30 wt% sucrose as a thermal auxiliary. The microwave conditions were determined as 900 W at 3 min. In 3 min, the temperature of the siderite ore increased up to 1100°C and 32.14% weight loss for the sample was achieved.
Part of the book: Iron Ores and Iron Oxide Materials