Hydrogen plasma smelting reduction for fast production of green ferronickel

The production of ferronickel through conventional methods results in substantial CO2 emissions. To mitigate CO2 impact, using hydrogen gas as a reductant in Hydrogen Plasma Smelting Reduction (HPSR) shows great potential by overcoming thermodynamic and kinetic barriers. This study aimed to produce green ferronickel using the HPSR process. Results indicate that the feed must undergo calcination before HPSR process to ensure effective reduction. Green ferronickel can be produced rapidly through HPSR smelting in just 180 s, yielding Fe 70.64% and Ni 23.98%, with no carbon, sulfur and phosphorus detected, eliminating decarburization, desulfurization and dephosphorization steps. The green ferronickel product aligns with the thermodynamic calculations using FactSage 8.2. The process parameters of total gas flow rate and sample weight were investigated, revealing that the chemical composition of products is not significantly affected by total gas flow rate, whereas sample weight has a considerable impact. Therefore, green ferronickel production via HPSR shows great potential.