Abstract: Self-reducing agglomerates of an iron oxide-containing material, such as an iron ore concentrate, having a compressive strength of at least about 100 lbs. are produced by preparing a moistened mixture of the ore concentrate, a finely-divided natural pyrolyzed carbonaceous material having a volatile matter (on dry basis) content of about 20 weight % or less in an amount at least sufficient to reduce all the iron oxide to metallic iron, about 1 to about 30 weight % of a bonding agent, such as burned or hydrated lime, and 0 up to about 3 weight % of a siliceous material (as SiO.sub.2), such as silica; forming green agglomerates from this mixture; and hydrothermally hardening the green agglomerates by contacting them with steam under pressure.

Abstract: Lignite is formed into high strength pellets having a calorific value of at least 9,500 Btu/lb by blending a sufficient amount of an aqueous base bituminous emulsion with finely-divided raw lignite containing its inherent moisture to form a moistened green mixture containing at least 3 weight % of the bituminous material, based on the total dry weight of the solids, pelletizing the green mixture into discrete green pellets of a predetermined average diameter and drying the green pellets to a predetermined moisture content, preferrably no less than about 5 weight %. Lignite char and mixture of raw lignite and lignite char can be formed into high strength pellets in the same general manner.

Abstract: Highly metallized, non-pyrophoric pellets are produced from a finely-divided iron ore concentrate by preparing a moistened mixture of the ore concentrate, a finely-divided carbonaceous material in an amount at least sufficient to reduce all the iron oxide to metallic iron, about 1 to about 30 weight % of a bonding agent, such as burned or hydrated lime, and 0 to up to about 3 weight % of a siliceous material (as available SiO.sub.2), such as silica, forming green pellets from this mixture, drying the green pellets to a moisture content of 5% or less, hydrothermally hardening the dried, green pellets by contacting them with steam under pressure, and metallizing the hardened pellets by tumbling them in a reduction furnace, such as a rotary kiln, at a reduction temperature of about 1033.degree. C.

Abstract: Carbonaceous fines, such as coke fines, bituminous coal fines, anthracite coal fines, lignite fines, coal char, lignite char, wood char and mixtures thereof, are formed into hardened, crush-resistant agglomerates by preparing a moistened mixture including a major proportion of the carbonaceous fines, about 1 to about 15 weight % of a bonding agent, such as burned lime, CaO, or hydrated lime, Ca(OH).sub.2, and about 0.25 to about 10 weight % of a siliceous material, such as silica, having available SiO.sub.2 for reacting with the bonding agent to form silicate or hydrosilicate bonds therewith; allowing the resulting mixture to stand a time period sufficient for a substantial portion of the free internal moisture in the pores of the carbonaceous fines to migrate to the surface thereof; forming the mixture into green discrete agglomerates; drying the green agglomerates to reduce the free moisture content therein to about 5% or less; and hydrothermally hardening the green agglomerates.