1 / 41

IRON

IRON. IRON: An abundant Metal. Makes of 5 wt% of the crust; 0.48 vol % Accounts for 95% of all metals consumed 2006: 1.69 x 10 9 metric tons of iron ore were produced in the world. Major Producers in 2006. China 520 million metric tons Brazil 300 million metric tons.

bono
Download Presentation

IRON

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. IRON

  2. IRON: An abundant Metal • Makes of 5 wt% of the crust; 0.48 vol % • Accounts for 95% of all metals consumed • 2006: 1.69 x 109 metric tons of iron ore were produced in the world

  3. Major Producers in 2006 • China 520 million metric tons • Brazil 300 million metric tons

  4. U.S. Production and Use • In 2006, the U.S. produced 54 million tons of iron ore • In 2006, the U.S. used 57 million tons of iron ore

  5. U.S. versus World ProductionFe ore (metric tons)

  6. What are the two most important Fe ore minerals? • Magnetite • Contains both Fe +2 and Fe +3 • Hematite • Contains only Fe +3

  7. What are other Fe ore minerals? • Fe hydroxides • Fe silicates

  8. How are they concentrated in a large enough amount to mine? • A. Igneous • Intrusive, layered • One of our sources of Vanadium (V) • Contact Metamorphic • Volcanic

  9. How are they concentrated in a large enough amount to mine? • Sedimentary • Residual (those laterites again) • Bog Iron • Iron Stones • Banded Iron Formations (fondly known as BIF)

  10. Bog Iron • Swamps • Very small • Fe hydroxides

  11. Iron Stones • Deposits extend from 10’s to 100’s km, up to 10 m thick • Form in a shallow marine environment • Common in rocks aged in the last 600 million years as a result of direct sedimentation

  12. Iron Stones • Initially were the major Fe supply, especially during the Industrial Revolution • Names that apply to them include: • Phanerozoic • Minette (Germany, France, England) • Clinton (U.S.)

  13. BIF: World’s Major Fe Source • Taconite • Jaspilite • Itabirite

  14. A BIF

  15. An Example: Carajas, Brazil • CARAJÁS is an integrated mine-railroad-port system, built and operated by Companhia Vale do Rio Doce-CVRD, and it is today the backbone of the economic and social development of a huge area of north/northeastern Brazil.  Today at Carajás, CVRD mines and processes 45 million tons of iron ore annually, as well as 1.5 millions tons of manganese, and 10,000 kilograms of gold. It is also preparing to produce copper, bauxite and other metals. All these activities are constantly monitored by an environmental policy that strives to conserve and recuperate delicate Amazon ecosystems.  • http://www.ctc.puc-rio.br/icee-98/carajas.htm

  16. BIF • All around the world, all formed during a period 2.6 to 1.8 billion years ago

  17. What is common to all? • All banded, composed of iron ore and quartz • All are low in Al • All are free of cobbles/pebbles i.e. detritus • Do not appear to be related to volcanism

  18. Where were they formed? • Broad sedimentary basins • Following long periods of continuous weathering and erosion • Land was inundated by shallow seas

  19. How exactly did they form? • Chemical Precipitation • Fe was held in solution (water) • Atmosphere was rich in carbon dioxide and methane • There was no free oxygen

  20. Here come the algae!

  21. Modern Stromatolites

  22. More Modern Stromatolites

  23. Why cycles of Fe and Si? • Climatic changes (water turn over) • Micro-organisms • Cyclical evaporation

  24. Natural Ore • Or Direct Shipping ore • How was it formed?

  25. Brazil

  26. What is the dominant type of Mining? • Surface Mining: Open Pit

  27. WHY? • Larger production capacity • Cheaper to operate/ton • Easier and safer to maintain

  28. Open Pit Mining

  29. U. S. Iron open pit mines • Operate at a disadvantage in comparison to those in Brazil • For each metric ton of iron-oxide we must remove • 5 to 6 tons of rock • 3 tons of ore • 2-3 tons of overburden

  30. Comparison • That’s about 12 ton of material in comparison to a comparable mine in Brazil which only has to remove 1.5 to 2 tones of rock for each ton of iron oxide

  31. Beneficiation • What does this mean?

  32. Concentration • Just another word!

  33. Taconite Process • I will talk about this!!!

  34. Blast Furnace

  35. Blast Furnace Simplified

  36. The Charge for 1 Ton of Fe • 1.6 ton ore • 0.7 ton coke • 0.25 ton limestone • 3.6 ton AIR at 1600 degrees C

  37. The Reaction • C + ½ O2 yields CO • 3CO + Fe2O3 yields 2 Fe + 3CO2 • Limestone does two things. It works as a flux (lowers the melting temperature) and it aids in making a slag that absorbs undesirable elements

  38. Pig Iron

  39. Not Quite • Pig iron is used in the manufacture of Steel

  40. Reserves 2006 • When will we run out? • 160,000,000,000 Reserves • 370,000,000,000 Reserve Base • World Production 1,690,000,000

  41. China: the beast driving the system

More Related