Assessment of the internal chemistry nexus of coke and biomass-based sinters

Abstract

The present study highlights the differences/similarities in the sinter’s microstructure that are essentially caused due to the adjustment in the fuel framework. In general, sintering draws energy from fuel to initiate the melt phase formation which is significant for sinter bond formation. Thus, it is possible that changing the fuel and its proportion may reflect various phenomena while sintering, and that can propagate changes in the mineralogy, morphology, and subsequently the sinter strength and metallurgical properties. Here, two types of sinters (a) conventional coke-based sinter and (b) biomass-coke blend-based sinter at a 70:30 ratio are assessed based on the comparative investigation of the microstructural and morphological aspects, which further relate to the sinter indices. Sinters are characterized for acquiring their internal chemistry, phase transitions, phase identification, textural transformations, bond phase distribution, elemental distribution, and metallurgical indices. The findings are similar for both the sinter types that concluded the technical feasibility of the biomass blend-based sinters. When biomass proportion went higher than 30%, the extent of phase transition started to subside, and some unreacted hematite phases started to surface as the effect of underheating. However, 30% coke substitution with biomass feasibly ensured a cleaner sinter production with energy sustainability without compromising the internal chemistry nexus.