Prospects of Using Pseudobrookite as an Iron-Bearing Mineral for the Alkaline Electrolytic Production of Iron

• Published in: Materials 2022-02, Vol.15 (4), p.1440
• Main Authors: Lopes, Daniela V, Lisenkov, Aleksey D, Ruivo, Luís C M, Yaremchenko, Aleksey A, Frade, Jorge R, Kovalevsky, Andrei V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cathodic polarization; Ceramics; Chemical reduction; Cooling; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Electrowinning; Emissions; Energy consumption; Hydrogen; Hydrogen evolution reactions; Iron and steel making; Iron oxides; Phase composition; Raw materials; Steel production; Titanium
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma15041440

The alkaline electrolytic production of iron is gaining interest due to the absence of CO emissions and significantly lower electrical energy consumption when compared with traditional steelmaking. The possibility of using an iron-bearing pseudobrookite mineral, Fe TiO , is explored for the first time as an alternative feedstock for the electrochemical reduction process. To assess relevant impacts of the presence of titanium, similar electroreduction processes were also performed for Fe TiO ·Fe O and Fe O . The electroreduction was attempted using dense and porous ceramic cathodes. Potentiostatic studies at the cathodic potentials of -1.15--1.30 V vs. an Hg|HgO|NaOH reference electrode and a galvanostatic approach at 1 A/cm were used together with electroreduction from ceramic suspensions, obtained by grinding the porous ceramics. The complete electroreduction to Fe was only possible at high cathodic polarizations (-1.30 V), compromising the current efficiencies of the electrochemical process due to the hydrogen evolution reaction impact. Microstructural evolution and phase composition studies are discussed, providing trends on the role of titanium and corresponding electrochemical mechanisms. Although the obtained results suggest that pseudobrookite is not a feasible material to be used alone as feedstock for the electrolytic iron production, it can be considered with other iron oxide materials and/or ores to promote electroreduction.