Composite Binder-Assisted Cold Briquetting of High-Iron Bauxite Feedstocks for Rotary Kiln–Electric Arc Furnace Smelting
摘要
The ringing of high-iron bauxite in rotary kiln hinders the combined smelting of brown corundum in a rotary kiln-electric arc furnace. A cold-briquetting strategy was developed and a composite binder was designed. When the binder addition is 3 wt.% with a bentonite:waste tire powder:lignin ratio of 1.5:1.0:0.5, the pellet strength reaches 438.67 N at 1200°C. In-situ visual deformation indicates a net, anisotropic macroscopic shrinkage without abnormal bloating (V/V0 = 0.817). Meanwhile, mercury intrusion porosimetry reveals that the accessible porosity increases from 36.6% to 49.48% and the dominant pore-throat size shifts from 184 nm to 504 nm upon heating to 1200°C, indicating progressive opening and coarsening of the connected pore network driven by devolatilization and reduction reactions. Phase and microstructural analyses suggest a two-step strengthening mechanism: (1) in the 400–800°C range carbonaceous residues from organic binders provide crack-bridging and toughening to alleviate the mid-temperature strength minimum; and (2) near 800°C in-situ hercynite formation contributes a thermally stable inorganic bonding framework that dominates high-temperature strength development. Static high-temperature contact tests with alumina refractory bricks further indicate reduced flux penetration and a more stable pellet–brick interface for the optimized binder system.