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In Turkey, pyrite ash is created as waste from the roasting of pyrite ores in the production of sulfuric acid. These processes generate great amounts of pyrite ash waste that creates serious environmental pollution due to the release of acids and toxic substances. Pyrite ash waste can be used in the iron production industry as a raw material because of its high Fe2O3 concentration. The aim of this study was to investigate the reduction behaviour of pyrite ash pellets. The pyrite ashes were reduced to obtain the iron contained in pellets. Pyrite ashes samples were pelletized dried at 105 °C for 24 h and sintered at 1200 °C for 30 min. then reduced in a pressure of 4 atm. under argon gas. The mineralogical transformations that occurred during reduction were analysed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence measurements of these samples showed that Fe3O 4 was successfully reduced to a metallic iron phase in a laboratory-scale electric arc furnace.

Pyrite ash is created as waste from the roasting of pyrite ores during the production of sulphuric acid. These processes generate great amounts of pyrite ash waste that is generally land filled. This creates serious environmental pollution due to the release of acids and toxic substances. Pyrite ash waste can be utilized in the iron production industry as a blast furnace feed to process this waste and prevent environmental pollution. The essential parameters affecting the pelletization process of pyrite ash were studied using bentonite as a binder. Experiments were then carried out using bentonite and a mixture of bentonite with calcium hydroxide and calcium chloride in order to make the bentonite more effective. The metallurgical properties of pyrite ash, bentonite, calcium hydroxide, calcium chloride, a mixture of these and sintered pellets were studied using X-ray analysis. The crushing strength tests were carried out to investigate the strength of pyrite ash waste pellets. The results of these analyses showed that pyrite ash can be agglomerated to pellets and used in the iron production industry as a blast furnace feed. The crushing strength of the pellets containing calcium hydroxide and calcium chloride in addition to bentonite was better than the strength of pellets prepared using only bentonite binder.