State Analysis of Iron Oxides in Sintered Ore for Steel Manufacturingafter Hydrogen Reduction

User Benefits

- The mineral structure of sintered ore can be investigated by quantitative mapping of Al, Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe. - EPMA analysis is a useful technique in research on the composition of the calcium ferrite phase due to differences in the reduction reaction depending on the furnace temperature. - Investigation of the oxidation state of iron is useful in study of the production conditions for sintered ore, such as oxidation and reduction.

Introduction

Reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is being promoted with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. In the hydrogen reduction ironmaking process, iron ore is reduced with hydrogen (H₂) in place of coke (C), forming water (H₂O) instead of CO₂, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions. Targeting a reduction of 10% or more in CO₂ emissions, research on a hydrogen reduction technology using hydrogen in the blast furnace is now underway in the Japanese national project COURSE50, focusing on reduction of the heat requirement and optimization of the reaction conditions of the raw materials, together with circulating use of gas with a regenerated reduction capacity, by promoting hydrogen reduction, which is a smaller endothermic reaction than direct reduction by coke. Development of a Super COURSE50 technology has also begun, and will make it possible to inject a larger amount of hydrogen into the blast furnace. This article introduces a state analysis of the iron oxides in sintered ore, which was carried out by measuring the detailed spectra of micro-regions in sintered iron ore after hydrogen reduction using an EPMA electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA-8050G).

November 25, 2025 GMT