Title

SMELTING MUSTAVAARA TITANOMAGNETITE CONCENTRATE USING DC-FURNACE AND SELECTIVE OXIDATION OF VANADIUM FROM THE HOT METAL

SMELTING MUSTAVAARA TITANOMAGNETITE CONCENTRATE USING DC-FURNACE AND SELECTIVE OXIDATION OF VANADIUM FROM THE HOT METAL

Authorship

Tikka, Janne; Lindvall, Mikael

Tikka, Janne

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Lindvall, Mikael

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DOI

10.5151/2594-357X-23956

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Abstract

Mustavaaran Kaivos Oy is currently working on its business objective to put the large Mustavaara vanadium-iron-titanium deposit in northern Finland back into production. As part of the on-going feasibility study, pilot scale test work has been carried out at Swerea MEFOS facilities in Luleå, Sweden. Titanomagnetite concentrate was smelted using the 3 MW DC-furnace with hollow electrode feeding. The principal aim of the test work was to produce hot metal with high vanadium content by treating Mustavaara concentrate and slag formers, thereby establishing the hot metal composition that can be expected in full scale operations. The next target was to produce a vanadium slag with low phosphorus content out of the vanadium rich hot metal containing around 1.7% vanadium and 0.1% phosphorus by selective oxidation using the 6 tons universal converter at Swerea MEFOS. In total 45 tons of hot metal were treated and more than 3 tons of vanadium slag with low phosphorus content and 43 tons of de-vanadized hot metal were produced. Due to the high vanadium content, the vanadium slag has the potential to be either sold as an intermediate product, used for the production of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) or direct production of ferrovanadium alloy. Mustavaaran Kaivos is also investigating a process for pyrometallurgical production of ferrovanadium alloy. This paper will highlight some of the results obtained from the pilot test campaigns.

Mustavaaran Kaivos Oy is currently working on its business objective to put the large Mustavaara vanadium-iron-titanium deposit in northern Finland back into production. As part of the on-going feasibility study, pilot scale test work has been carried out at Swerea MEFOS facilities in Luleå, Sweden. Titanomagnetite concentrate was smelted using the 3 MW DC-furnace with hollow electrode feeding. The principal aim of the test work was to produce hot metal with high vanadium content by treating Mustavaara concentrate and slag formers, thereby establishing the hot metal composition that can be expected in full scale operations. The next target was to produce a vanadium slag with low phosphorus content out of the vanadium rich hot metal containing around 1.7% vanadium and 0.1% phosphorus by selective oxidation using the 6 tons universal converter at Swerea MEFOS. In total 45 tons of hot metal were treated and more than 3 tons of vanadium slag with low phosphorus content and 43 tons of de-vanadized hot metal were produced. Due to the high vanadium content, the vanadium slag has the potential to be either sold as an intermediate product, used for the production of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) or direct production of ferrovanadium alloy. Mustavaaran Kaivos is also investigating a process for pyrometallurgical production of ferrovanadium alloy. This paper will highlight some of the results obtained from the pilot test campaigns.

Keywords

Smelting reduction; Titanomagnetite; Ferrovanadium; Selective oxidation.

Smelting reduction; Titanomagnetite; Ferrovanadium; Selective oxidation.