Application of a Peat as an Additive to Prepare Ferrous Gas-Cleaning Sludge for Sintering

The purpose of the research is to increase consumption of iron-bearing gas cleaning sludge to the sintering mix in order to utilize both fresh and stored wastes. Utilizing of iron-bearing sludge produced by gas cleaning facilities of integrated steelmaking plants is an urgent problem. In Ukraine, steelmaking industry produces over 10 million tons of such wastes a year. With Fe content of 35-55% sludge is valuable by chemical composition but its application as component of a burden to produce sinter is challenged with high moisture content and tendency to self-aggregation. Activated peat has been applied as high absorbency additive to sludge. Moisture capacity of a peat ensures absorption of water by this material from the sludge within the whole range of moisture content. Treatment of dehydrated sludge with the peat allows the obtaining of a mixture with mechanical properties comparable to those of other sintering mix components. Preparation of sludge produced by wet gas cleaning systems of blast furnaces, sintering plant, BOF (basic oxygen furnace), and open-hearth furnaces while mixing with peat during formation of piles has been experimentally investigated. Increasing of sinter yield ratio and plant productivity in the industrial conditions has been observed.