<p>In recent years, an increase in the content of Zn, the impurity element, in ironmaking raw materials has led to the deterioration of iron-bearing resources and has introduced new challenges to sintering dezincification. A thorough understanding of the reaction behavior of Zn during the sintering process can form a theoretical foundation for the development of efficient dezincification technology. Therefore, the reaction behavior of Zn was investigated under different temperatures and atmospheres using thermodynamic calculations and experimental simulations, and the phase transformation of Zn in each pre-reductive sintering zone was investigated. The results showed that Zn-containing materials were mainly converted into ZnO when the temperature reached 700&#xa0;°C, and ZnO began to combine with Fe₂O₃ to form ZnFe₂O₄ at approximately 800&#xa0;°C. At low CO concentration, ZnFe₂O₄ was stable, while ZnO combined with iron oxide to form Fe_{0.85−<i>x</i>}Zn_<i>x</i>O in a strong reduction atmosphere. ZnFe₂O₄ could also be converted into Fe_{0.85−<i>x</i>}Zn_<i>x</i>O and FeO. A part of Zn was converted to elemental Zn, which was volatilized and removed into the gas phase above 1000&#xa0;°C. Therefore, the feasibility of dezincification via pre-reductive sintering was confirmed. At the coke ratio of 18.0 wt.% of the sintering material, the Zn removal rate reached 62.3 wt.%.</p>