Abstract: The present invention provides a method for upgrading low-rank coal unsuitable for production of a reduced metal by a conventional carbon composite method to produce an upgraded coal suitable for the carbon composite method. The prevent invention also provides a method for producing a high-quality reduced metal using the upgraded coal as a carbonaceous material to be incorporated. In these methods, coal is first aged by heating in an organic solvent to produce upgraded coal for metallurgy having higher thermal plasticity than that of the coal. Then, a mixture of the upgraded coal for metallurgy and a metal oxide-containing raw material is agglomerated by an agglomerator, and the resultant agglomerates are reduced by heating in a moving hearth furnace and then melted by further heating to produce a reduced melt. The reduced melt is cooled and solidified in the moving hearth furnace to produce a reduced solid, and then the reduced solid is discharged to the outside of the furnace.

Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pelletizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing a chromium-containing material at a high chromium reduction degree. In the method of the present invention, a mixture of a feedstock containing chromium oxide and a carbonaceous reductant is heated and reduced by radiation heating in a moving hearth furnace. The average rate of raising the temperature of the mixture in the reduction is preferably 13.6° C./s or higher in the period from the initiation of the radiation heating of the mixture until the mixture reaches 1,114° C.

Abstract: A bicycle chain connecting pin comprises a pin body dimensioned to fit within an opening in a link plate of a bicycle chain, wherein the pin body has an intermediate part and first and second ends. At least one of the first and second ends has a corresponding first or second recess defining a floor that faces in a longitudinal direction of the pin away from the pin. The floor has a floor diameter of from approximately 60% to approximately 90% of an outer diameter of the intermediate part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process that is useful in producing ferronickel having a high Ni content at low cost with high efficiency and reproducibility even if a low-grade feedstock containing nickel oxide is used. In particular, a feedstock containing nickel oxide and iron oxide is mixed with a carbonaceous reductant, the mixture is formed into agglomerates with an agglomerator, and the agglomerates are heated and reduced in a moving hearth furnace, whereby reduced agglomerates in which the Ni metallization degree is 40% or more and the Fe metallization degree is at least 15% less than the Ni metallization degree are prepared by adjusting the retention time of the agglomerates placed in the moving hearth furnace. The reduced agglomerates, in which the Ni component has been primarily reduced as compared with the Fe component, are smelted in a smelting furnace, whereby ferronickel having a high Ni content is obtained.

Abstract: A method for making reduced iron using blast-furnace sludge is provided. The method includes a mixing step of mixing the blast-furnace sludge and an iron-oxide-containing powder to prepare a mixed material, an agglomerating step of agglomerating the mixed material to form agglomerates, a feeding step of feeding the agglomerates onto a continuously moving hearth, and a reducing step of heating the agglomerates to remove zinc and reduce the agglomerates.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for efficiently manufacturing a titanium oxide-containing slag from a material including titanium oxide and iron oxide, wherein a reduction of titanium dioxide is suppressed and the electric power consumption is minimized. The method includes the steps of: heating a raw material mixture including titanium oxide, iron oxide, and a carbonaceous reductant, or the raw material mixture further including a calcium oxide source, in a reducing furnace; reducing the iron oxide in the mixture to form reduced iron; feeding the resultant mixture to a heating melting furnace; heating the resultant mixture in the heating melting furnace to melt the reduced iron and separate the reduced iron from a titanium oxide-containing slag; and discharging and recovering the titanium oxide-containing slag out of the furnace.

Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pelletizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.

Abstract: A method for supplying a granular raw material for reduced iron in which when the granular raw material is fed into a hopper and from there supplied onto a hearth of a movable hearth furnace through a material supplying device, the material supplying device is moved vertically to thereby adjust the gap between the lower end of the material supplying device and the hearth. Thus, the amount of granular raw material supplied onto the hearth of the movable hearth furnace is adjustable. Further, granular raw material is dispersed in the hearth width direction over the entire surface of the hearth of the movable hearth furnace with minimal breakage or pulverization of the granular raw material for reduced iron and leveled by a spiral vane rotated on the downstream side, with respect to a hearth moving direction, of a material discharge outlet of the material supplying device.

Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pelletizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.

Abstract: A method of producing reduced metals is disclosed in which a mixture of a metal oxide and a reducing agent is heated by a burner such that the metal oxide is reduced to a reduced metal. Dry-distilled gas generated during carbonization of an organic matter-containing component is used as fuel for the burner. The sensible heat of exhaust gas evolved by the burner is utilized as heat for carbonizing the organic matter-containing component. Carbide derived by carbonizing the organic matter-containing component is used as the above reducing agent. This method yields excellent cost performance. An apparatus for reducing metal oxides is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a reduced metal includes thermally reducing a metal oxide including a carbonaceous reductant disposed on a hearth moving in a reducing furnace, wherein the reducing furnace includes a plurality of primary burners for supplying fuel and primary combustion air, and a plurality of secondary combustion burners for supplying secondary combustion air; and wherein the primary combustion air and/or the secondary combustion air is oxygen-enriched air, the oxygen concentration in the primary combustion air supplied from at least one of the plurality of primary burners being controlled to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the secondary combustion air.

Abstract: The prevent invention provides a method for producing a feed material for molten metal production and a method for producing a molten metal capable of sufficiently carbonizing biomass and effectively using carbonized biomass as a reducing agent. In the method for producing a feed material for molten metal production, a mixture containing an iron oxide-containing material and biomass is heated in a heating furnace substantially isolated from oxygen to carbonize the biomass in the mixture and obtain a feed material for molten metal production, or the mixture is charged in a reducing furnace to reduce the iron oxide-containing material after being heated in the heating furnace. In the method for producing a molten metal, the feed material for molten metal production obtained by the method for producing a feed material for molten metal production is charged in a melting furnace to obtain a molten metal.

Abstract: In a rotary hearth furnace for producing reduced metal through heating and reducing carbon containing materials composed of at least metal oxide-containing material and carbon-containing reduction material, a hearth structure is provided by which a refractory in a hearth lateral end is not damaged and carbon containing materials do not fall down to a water sealing section of the rotary hearth furnace. The upper part of a hearth lateral end 1a is covered with the lower end 2a of a side wall 2 of a hood covering the whole hearth, and a cooling means 3 is installed in the side wall lower end 2a.

Abstract: A method for operating manufacturing equipment including a heating furnace is provided. The method comprises the step of spraying a blowdown water that has been in the manufacturing equipment into effluent gas discharged from the heating furnace so as to vaporize the blowdown water and remove solid dust contained in the effluent gas. In a plant implementing this method, the amount of the effluent water can be reduced to substantially zero, no purification equipment is required, and solid sludge which has been produced in the purification equipment is thus completely reduced. Moreover, in this method, iron and zinc can be recycled as fly ash which can be easily treated and recycled.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of purifying polluted soil and/or burned ash containing heavy metals and/or organic compounds with a higher throughput than a conventional method. In this method, polluted soil and/or burned ash is dried by, for example, a rotary dryer so that the moisture content is 5% by mass or less, preferably 3% by mass or less, and then large lumps having a particle diameter of 10 mm or more are removed by a vibrating screen. Only an undersize portion is formed into a briquette having a volume of about 6 cm3 by a press molding machine. The briquette is charged in a rotary hearth furnace together with the large lumps, and heated in the furnace to remove or detoxify the heavy metals and organic compounds by evaporation with high efficiency.

Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pellelizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.

Abstract: A method for making reduced iron using blast-furnace sludge is provided. The method includes a mixing step of mixing the blast-furnace sludge and an iron-oxide-containing powder to prepare a mixed material, an agglomerating step of agglomerating the mixed material to form agglomerates, a feeding step of feeding the agglomerates onto a continuously moving hearth, and a reducing step of heating the agglomerates to remove zinc and reduce the agglomerates.

Abstract: A method for producing an iron oxide pellet including the steps of adding water to a raw material mixture comprising iron oxide which serves as a primary component, a carbonaceous material in an amount sufficient for reducing the iron oxide, an organic binder in an amount sufficient for binding the iron oxide and the carbonaceous material, and an inorganic coagulant in an amount of not less than 0.05 mass % and less than 1 mass %; pelletizing the resultant mixture to thereby obtain a green pellet; and drying the green pellet until the moisture content is reduced to equal to or less than 1.0 mass %. The thus-produced iron oxide pellet is charged in a reducing furnace for reduction to thereby obtain a reduced iron pellet.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for supplying a granular raw material for reduced iron in which when the granular raw material for reduced iron is fed into a hopper and from there supplied onto a hearth of a movable hearth furnace through a material supplying device, the material supplying device is moved vertically to thereby adjust the gap between the lower end of the material supplying device and the hearth, whereby it is possible to adjust with high accuracy the amount of granular raw material for reduced iron supplied onto the hearth of the movable hearth furnace.