Walnut Shells as a Potential Fuel for Iron Ore Sintering

Iron ore sintering is a predominant process for fine iron ore and its concentrate to be applied in the blast furnace process. However, sintering produces a negative impact on the environment. One of the effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from iron ore sintering is to use CO2-neutral biomaterials for the fuel needs of this technology. Walnut shells (WNS) are a promising raw material for such fuel substitute. Herein, the effect of the raw and the pyrolyzed WNS with a constant fineness of 3-0 mm on the sintering process and the sinter properties were studied. The proportion of WNS in the fuel composition was set to 25 wt.%. It has been established that the use of WNS pyrolyzed up to 873 K is optimal. Additionally, the difference in the reactivity of WNS and coke breeze has provoked the studies on the influence of the pyrolyzed WNS size on the sintering process. WNS size was set to 1-0, 3-0, 5-0, and 7-0 mm. It has been found that the most optimal both for the iron ore sintering process and the sinter quality is the use of WNS with a particle size of 3-0 mm, subjected to preliminary pyrolysis up to 873 K.