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Neonatal iron deficiency anemia is prevalent among domestic pigs but does not occur in the offspring of wild boar. The main causes of this disorder in piglets of modern pig breeds are paucity of hepatic iron stores, high birth weight, and rapid growth. Replenishment of fetal iron stores is a direct result of iron transfer efficiency across the placenta. In this study, we attempted to investigate the molecular potential of iron transfer across the placenta as a possible cause of differences between wild boar and Polish Large White (PLW) offspring. Furthermore, by analyzing placentas from PLW gilts that had litters of different sizes, we aimed to elucidate the impact of the number of fetuses on placental ability to transport iron. Using RNA sequencing, we examined the expression of iron-related genes in the placentas from wild boar and PLW gilts. We did not reveal significant differences in the expression of major iron transporters among all analyzed placentas. However, in wild boar placentas, we found higher expression of copper-dependent ferroxidases such as ceruloplasmin, zyklopen, and hephaestin, which facilitate iron export to the fetal circulation. We also determined a close co-localization of ceruloplasmin and zyklopen with ferroportin, the only iron exporter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shu Commandery was an important iron production center in southwest China during the Han Dynasty (202 BC‐AD 220). In 2007, archaeologists excavated a Han Dynasty smelting furnace (L1) at the Gushishan site and collected large amounts of smelting remains including slags, furnace bricks, and ores. Scientific analysis of the excavated slags was carried out to ascertain that the Gushishan site was a pig iron smelting site. No flux was used at the Gushishan site, and the site is dated no later than the Eastern Han period. No remains related to iron casting of the Han Dynasty was found at or near the iron smelting sites in southwest China, which indicates a separation between iron smelting and iron casting as characteristics of the industrial layout in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has released a report on the security of UK access to critical minerals, expressing concerns about supply disruptions and dependence on autocratic nations. The report highlights that there have been over 200 policies and regulations implemented worldwide regarding critical minerals. China currently dominates the production and processing of these minerals, raising concerns about its control over the global technology sector. The UK is actively searching for its own reserves of critical minerals and is considering reopening old mines to secure supplies. The UK has a history of mining critical minerals such as tin and tungsten, as well as non-critical minerals like copper, gold, and zinc. The UK is believed to have reserves of all critical minerals except for niobium. The UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre has utilized geological mapping, mining history, and soil chemistry to identify potential reserves of critical minerals within the country. The demand for critical minerals is expected to significantly increase by 2030 due to the rising need for rechargeable batteries and low-emission power generation technology. [Extracted from the article]

Steel slag is a significant environmental liability generated by pyrometallurgical processes. Residue generation, such as granulated blast furnace slag and basic oxygen slag (BOF), is intrinsic in steel production. Blast furnace slag, generated in the carbothermal reduction of iron ore, is almost entirely used as a supplementary cement material in Portland cement. BOF slag, produced in the conversion of pig iron into steel in a basic oxygen converter, is still not consolidated or valued for reuse. This research proposes the reuse and valorization of BOF slag combined with blast furnace slag in clinker-free cement production. Cement formulations were produced with different slag and gypsum contents, ranging from 80 to 90% blast furnace slag, 10 to 20% gypsum, and 10 to 15% BOF slag. All formulations were evaluated for compressive strength at ages of 3, 7, 14, 28, 91, and 180 days of curing. At the initial ages, the cement formulations exhibited high resistance. On the 3rd day, the cement formulations reached up to 10 MPa, and on the 7th day, 40 MPa. At late ages, the best-performing formulation, ECO2, showed, after 28 days of hydration, a compressive strength greater than 50 MPa, and at 180 days, a compressive strength greater than 80 MPa. It was possible to understand that BOF slag acts in cement alkaline activation with pH increase, more or less actively due to the presence of lime, portlandite, and calcite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Orne River, a tributary of the Moselle River, was highly impacted by industrial activities for more than one century. Land use along the Orne River is highly contrasted, with local specificity from its source to its junction with the Moselle River. The intense industrial activity left behind tons of steelmaking wastes (SMW) on the land surface and within the Orne riverbed. To assess the sources of particulate Zn and Pb transported as suspended sediment in the Orne River, different sets of samples from likely Zn- and Pb-bearing particle sources within the Orne watershed were collected. Three sets of samples were taken from potential sources representing detrital, urban, and inherited industrial particles. Mineralogy, element contents, and Zn and Pb isotope compositions were obtained to characterize and reveal the fingerprint of each set of samples. Soil samples were collected on distinct geomorphological areas characterized by different soil types and land uses. They all display detrital minerals assigned to the geological background. Urban dusts and steelmaking residues display specific mineral phases (sulfates and iron oxides, respectively). Element compositions present strong discrepancies between the distinct sets of samples. SMWs are particularly enriched in Fe, Zn, and Pb. Concerning isotopic composition, SMWs exhibit δ66Zn values ranging from − 0.67 to 1.66‰. Urban samples display δ66Zn values between − 0.11 and 0.13‰, and soils present δ66Zn values between − 0.24 and 0.47‰. The 206Pb/204Pb ratio was estimated to range from 17.550 to 18.807 for soils, from 17.973 to 18.219 for urban samples, and from 18.313 to 18.826 for SMWs. For each of the three sets of samples (soils, urban, industrial), variations of geochemical fingerprint were observed. For soils, the relatively large variations of Zn and Pb isotopic compositions were attributed to distinct land use and the contribution of atmospheric deposition. For industrial samples, the variations were more intense and may be attributed either to distinct industrial processes in the production of pig iron or to distinct furnace-flume treatment modes. The three sets of samples (urban, industrial, and detrital) could be distinguished based on Zn and Pb contents and isotopes. Finally, this study not only highlighted the sources that released particulate Zn and Pb into the Orne River system, it also demonstrated that urban particles are well defined in terms of Zn and Pb isotopic signatures, and those isotopic signatures could be extrapolated to other case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the presented research was to optimize a pig iron desulfurization process through data-driven machine learning methods. Utilizing historical data, chemical analysis of pig iron and slag, and the thermodynamics of the process including simulations of the chemical reactions between individual phases, a neural network was trained for the predictive modeling of desulfurization efficiency. The accuracy of the model was enhanced by integrating Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), which incorporate chemical reaction principles. The results show better performance of PINNs in comparison to the Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) in the generalization of the desulfurization process, bringing better reliability to the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global interest in utilizing nickel for electric vehicle (EV) batteries has garnered significant attention. In the form of NiSO4·6H2O crystals, nickel is a crucial raw material for fabricating battery cathodes in EVs. These crystals are commonly derived from the hydrometallurgical method. This study investigated the pH effect on the precipitation method to determine the optimal pH range that yields the highest nickel recovery for synthesizing NiSO4.6H2O crystals. The source material, nickel pig iron (NPI), obtained from a mini blast furnace using the pyrometallurgical method, was employed in the leaching process. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was used as the precipitating agent during precipitation. The results demonstrated that the best-performing variable was pH 4, resulting in a nickel content of 1913 ppm and a nickel recovery percentage of 53.24%. In order to ensure successful commercialization, future research should focus on reducing Na2SO4 impurities through an optimized washing process, aiming for higher-grade crystals with enhanced product specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotary kiln-electric furnace (RKEF) technology accounts for 95 pct of the lateritic nickel ore processing. Coal is commonly used as fuel and reducing agent in the rotary kiln to produce solid reduction product which is then melted in the electric furnace. The use of coal in the process leads to the emission of approximately 70 tons of CO2 for every 1 ton of nickel in ferronickel or nickel pig iron product. One of the possible solutions for minimizing CO2 emission in the RKEF process is through the substitution of carbon-based fuel and reducing agent with hydrogen gas. This research focuses on experimental investigation on the reduction of saprolite nickel ore under hydrogen-argon atmosphere. The research was initiated by performing a thermodynamic simulation using FactSage 8.0 to preliminary evaluate the effects of different parameters on the reduction process. Reduction experiments of saprolite nickel ore were then carried out in a horizontal tube furnace with varying temperature (500 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C), hydrogen gas composition (25 and 75 pct H2 in H2–Ar gas mixture), and reaction time (0.25 to 3 hours) to simulate the process in the rotary kiln. The solid reduction products were analyzed using ICP-MS, SEM-EDS, and XRD. The overall reduction extents in all conditions were also monitored by weight measurements of the samples before and after the reduction processes. Based on the weight changes, the reduction process was found to be significantly rapid so that it reached completion in 15 minutes. Each solid reduction product was then melted in a vertical tube furnace at 1550 °C for 2 hours under inert, argon atmosphere to simulate the process in the electric furnace. The metal product after melting had an average composition of 80.6 pct Fe and 8.3 pct Ni which is similar to commercially produced nickel pig iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen storage systems have become of great interest particularly especially for those that conjugate a high storage capacity together with high safety standards. Chemical storage using amino borane has attracted a great interest and ammonia borane is playing a major role in the field due to the hydrogen storage capacity up to 19 wt%. Nevertheless, the hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane is a matter of great complexity and hydrolytic methods represent the simpler way to approach it. Actually, the ammonia borane hydrolysis is carried out by using complex catalysts not containing critical raw materials and/or noble metals. In the present work, we report the production of iron based heterogeneous catalyst support onto carbonized pig manure. The complexity of this waste stream was very helpfully to provide an active surface for the anchoring of iron nanoparticles and promoting the hydrogen evolution form hydrolysis of ammonia borane reaching a conversion of 98.3 % at 50 °C with an iron loading of 10 wt%. The catalytic system reduced the activation energy of the reaction up to 51 % increasing the kinetic constant of the reaction of one order of magnitude. Furthermore, the stability of the catalytic system was preserved after three cycles without appreciable changes. [Display omitted] • Pig manure wasconverted into an iron nanostructured catalysts for hydrogen evolution via ammonia borane hydrolysis. • Catalyst system reached conversion of up to 98.3 % at 50 °C with an iron loading of 10 wt%. • Activation energy of the reaction up to 51 %. • Catalyst was stable upon three catalytic cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a new approach to evaluating the thermodynamic state of the 'metal--slag' system during metal smelting in oxidizing-reducing conditions. The interaction between the metal and slag is analyzed using the model of the structure of metallurgical melts, which considers cooperative ion exchange processes and interatomic interaction parameters. As a result of analyzing experimental data on the compositions of reacting melts during pig iron and steel smelting, criteria were developed for assessing the degree of achieving the equilibrium in the system regarding sulfur. The charge state parameters of the metallic system ZY and the slag system Δe, the slag stoichiometry index ρ, and the charge state parameter of the melt components Zi were used. The regularity of a consistent formation of metallic and slag melts has been established, which is evidenced by a significant correlation between the chemical equivalent of the metal composition ZY and the slag Δe. Analytical dependences were obtained in the form of ZY = f (Δe, ρ). The identified patterns and criteria can be integrated into automated process control systems for regulating the slag regime and producing high-quality pig iron and steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a summary of the technological advances in the British iron industry. The major changes were the transition from the use of charcoal as fuel to mineral coal (or coke), first in blast furnace producing pig iron and then in producing (malleable) bar iron. Allied to this is the application of the reverberatory (or air) furnace first to foundry work and then to fining iron, ultimately in puddling furnaces. The ability to abandon charcoal as fuel in both sectors released the great expansion in iron production of the industrial revolution. Article History Received 27 September 2023; Accepted 20 December 2023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large volumes of bauxite residue are generated when alumina is leached from bauxite ore, within 2–3 metric tons of bauxite residue per metric ton final aluminum. The large volumes make bauxite residue an interesting source for secondary materials, for instance iron. This paper assesses environmental impacts associated with extraction of pig iron from bauxite residue in Europe. The life cycle assessment is based on thermodynamic process simulation and compares pig iron from bauxite residue with conventional pig iron production. The results indicate that the iron extraction reduces impacts on mineral scarcity and offers an overall lower waste volume. However, it also increases the energy use and thereby the life cycle impacts associated with energy production. The bauxite residue process is operated in an electric arc furnace. Decarbonizing the electricity supply, or placing the process in primarily renewable electricity markets, changes the relative competitiveness of pig iron from bauxite residue, to a level where it offers lower endpoint impacts to ecosystems, human health, and resources, as well as improvements in policy‐relevant midpoint impacts such as climate change. Comparing several bauxite residue mineralogies, the results show significant variation in the environmental performance between typical bauxite residues, yet a larger difference is observed when comparing with conventional pig iron production than among the bauxite residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the factors influencing refractory lining wear and its residual thickness in the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) is a prerequisite for optimizing the steelmaking process. In this study, the factors that contribute significantly to the wear of the refractory lining in the most stressed areas of the banded lining (i.e., the trunnion ring area and slag line area) are identified. Knowledge of the rate at which a given factor acts on refractory wear is closely related to the development of technological procedures aimed at limiting its influence. This research evaluates the technological causes and describes the lining wear mechanism and the thermodynamic parameters of the reactions between the MgO–C metal, slag, and gunning material phases. In researching the topic, real operational data were processed using statistical methods and data analysis, which were supported by thermodynamic modeling of chemical reactions. The results show that the combination of technological factors, mechanical action of the raw materials, blowing and free oxygen in the metal, silicon from the pig iron, and slag viscosity have the greatest influence on the residual thickness of the MgO–C refractory lining in BOFs. Refractory gunning material consumption, its effect on campaign length, and the cost-effectiveness of repair work were also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the fundamental processes and principles of ironmaking in a BF, an analysis was conducted on the production technical data from 18 large-scale 3200 m3 BFs in China in 2020. The study systematically investigated the influence of top pressure on reduction, air injection, furnace top, energy consumption, and pig iron composition within the BF. Practical operations in a newly No. 1 3200 m3 BF in a Chinese company demonstrated that increasing the top pressure not only effectively improved the smelting process, operational stability, and reduced furnace fluctuations but also led to a decrease in dust emissions, increased pig iron yield and quality, and significantly reduced fuel consumption and process energy consumption. Against the backdrop of dual carbon objectives, gaining a scientific understanding of the dynamic operation principles of the BF smelting process and continuously exploring low-carbon ironmaking methods have become the focus for professionals and researchers in the fields of BF ironmaking, production management, technology, and scientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient for many organisms but its global atmospheric budget is largely unconstrained. Estimates of major emissions sources such as fossil‐fuel combustion range from ∼0.02 to 1.1 Tg yr−1, and primary biogenic emissions range from 0.16 to 1.0 Tg yr−1. Here we used detailed measurements of phosphorus in Alpine ice cores extracted from the Col du Dôme (CDD) glacier located near the Mont Blanc summit and atmospheric model simulations to evaluate changes in western European emissions from pre‐industrial (PI) to modern times. The ice‐core records show that P concentrations during the PI were about 0.9 ng g−1, of which one third was of crustal origin and two thirds the result of primary biogenic emissions. Concentrations were higher throughout the 20th century, reaching 2.5 ng g−1 in the 1980s. Analysis of source tracers measured in the same ice, commodity productions statistics, and other information suggest that the increase in P throughout the 20th century was caused by enhanced emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources. Coal burning and steel industry represented the main anthropogenic sources during the first and second half of the century, respectively. After 1950, the increase in P was also caused by enhanced dust emissions, with increased biogenic emissions caused by recent changes of use‐land also contributing. These findings provide important constraints on the atmospheric P budget at the scale of western Europe during the recent centuries. Plain Language Summary: Phosphorus is an important nutrient for terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna. Whereas dust aerosol emissions are the dominant atmospheric source of phosphorus on a global scale, other sources such as biogenic particles emitted by vegetation, as well as fossil‐fuel combustion, may represent important sources in less‐dusty industrialized regions. Estimates of these non‐crustal sources are uncertain, however, with values often varying by an order of magnitude or more. Comparison with long‐term pollution records extracted from well‐dated ice cores provides a means of evaluating these estimates. Here, we analyzed phosphorus in ice cores extracted near the Mont Blanc summit in the French Alps to develop an 1850 to 2000 record. Phosphorus deposition doubled during this period, with increases attributed to enhancement of both natural (dust and biogenic particles emitted by vegetation) and anthropogenic (mainly coal burning and the steel industry) emissions. Key Points: A doubling of phosphorus in Alpine ice deposited between 1850 and 2000 from increasing natural and anthropogenic emissionsPhosphorus deposition trends from 1900 to 1975 mainly attributed to coal burning and pig iron industry emissionsNatural European phosphorus sources dominated by primary emissions of biogenic (70%) and dust (30%) particles that were enhanced after 1975 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hold‐up of molten pig iron and slag melt in the coke packed bed of blast furnace (BF) causes a decrease of void between coke lumps and inhibits gas permeability. Smooth dripping of those liquids in the coke bed is desirable to keep the productivity of BF. Herein, the conditions for smooth flowing of molten iron on coke surface are calrified, and the falling angles of Fe‐C and actual pig iron droplets on coke and graphite are measured at high temperature. It is found that Fe‐C droplet easily slids down on coke because of small falling angle, and the falling angle of actual pig iron is even smaller, while those droplets adhere to a graphite substrate. The carbon in iron has only a small effect on the static contact angle with coke, but has a great influence on the falling angle. From the viewpoint of the roughness of coke surface, the variation of static contact angle and falling angle is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The smelting process of high‐manganese pig iron is studied to determine ways to efficiently utilize the by‐product of manganese‐rich slag. This process consists of two stages: 1) demanganese and carbon retention and 2) decarbonization and dephosphorization. In the first stage, oxygen is supplied at 0.5–2.0 Nm3 t−1 min−1. The temperature is controlled between 1300 and 1400 °C by adding iron ore to the molten bath. Ultimately, high‐manganese slag, which contains more than 50% manganese oxide and semisteel with 3.2% carbon, is produced. In the second stage, oxygen is supplied at 2.0−5.0 Nm3 t−1 min−1 and slag‐forming materials are added to the molten bath for the dephosphorization and desulfurization of the hot metal. Consequently, the iron oxide, manganese oxide, and silicon oxide contents of the high‐manganese slag and the carbon, manganese, phosphorus, and sulfur contents of the semisteel are 10.8–15.3%, 70–77%, and 3–7%, and 3.2–4.2%, 0.3–1.0%, 0.12–0.22%, and 0.01–0.024%, respectively. The main mineral phases of high‐manganese slag, 2MnO·SiO2 and FeO·MnO·SiO2, are suitable for the preparation of high‐carbon ferromanganese raw materials. After further smelting, clean molten steel containing 0.03−0.08%, 0.08−0.20%, 0.005−0.02%, and 0.01−0.024% carbon, manganese, phosphorus, and sulfur, respectively, is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the electric vehicle industry has increased the need for batteries. The NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery is one type with superior properties. The nickel used to manufacture NMC batteries is nickel (II) sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4·6H2O) compounds. A mixed sulfate precipitate should be synthesized to obtain it. Thus, nickel ore has been first smelted in the Mini Blast Furnace, after which the smelted and cooled Nickel Pig Iron (NPI) has been leached into a solution. This study has aimed to analyze the influence of agitation speed and particle size of NPI in the leaching process of mixed sulfate precipitate. The leaching process has used a 2M H2SO4. The leaching temperature is set at 90 °C for 6 hours with agitation speeds of 100, 200, and 300 rpm and particle sizes of -50 µm, +50 -80 µm, and +80 -112 µm. Next, the precipitation process has been carried out by using NaOH solution. Next, the crystallization process has been conducted to eliminate water in the solution and produce powder. The best nickel extraction has been obtained at a particle size of -50 µm at 98.19%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sodium smelting of vanadium–titanium magnetite (VTM) can realize a multi-component comprehensive utilization of VTM. To broaden the application of the vanadium-bearing pig iron produced through this process, it is imperative to maintain the titanium content in molten iron at a very low level. In this study, the effects of temperature, the added amounts of sodium carbonate and anthracite, and the smelting time on the titanium content of molten iron were investigated using thermodynamic calculations and experiments. The results indicate that the introduction of sodium carbonate makes the reduction reaction of VTM a relatively low-temperature smelting system. In the smelting process, the Ti content in molten iron increases with the increase in temperature and decreases with the addition of sodium carbonate, while the amount of anthracite added has little effect on it. The appropriate technological parameters were determined as temperature: 1150–1250 °C, smelting time: ≥2 h, anthracite consumption: 25–35%, and sodium carbonate consumption: ≥60%. In addition, it was determined that the Ti impurities in the V-bearing pig iron were mainly (Ti,V)(C,N), CaTiO3, and Na2TiO3. All results obtained from this work contribute to the comprehensive utilization of VTM, and also provide theoretical support for the sodium smelting of VTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury in wood is an important pool of this heavy metal in forest ecosystems because of its relatively high proportion in the biomass compared to other pools. This paper describes the successful application of a modified methodology for stem disk sampling based on wood particles from stem disks from Donawitz (Styria, Austria; pig iron production), from Brixlegg (Tyrol; former copper and silver mining, copper ore processing and copper recycling), and from Gmunden (Upper Austria; cement production). The maximum mercury concentration in the stem disks from Donawitz (Hinterberg: 20.5 ppb, St. Peter: 9.3 ppb) was recorded in the early 1970s. Several maxima were obtained from the stem disks from Brixlegg: the first was in 1813 (149.9 ppb), potentially even earlier, a second (37.6 ppb) in the late nineteenth century until the late 1920s, and a third local maximum in the 1970s (9.1 ppb), followed by a tendency to decline until the present. A stem disk from Gmunden in Upper Austria showed values of mercury concentrations indicating no increases compared to literature about background sites (≤ 3.2 ppb). This method revealed trends in mercury concentrations in tree rings originating from several different mercury emission sources in Austria coinciding with information about industrial history (where available) together with a justifiable effort. We therefore recommend it for further investigations on mercury concentrations in tree rings and their changes over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatolia witnessed an increase in mobility and interaction during the Iron Age. Peoples from Southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia migrated into and across Anatolia. At the same time, under the influence of expanding and competing polities, trade and military mobility reinforced supra-regional networks across land and sea. Little is known about how animal husbandry practices in Iron Age Anatolia changed in the face of these large-scale movements of people and goods. Especially little understood remains how past mobility and connectivity influenced pig husbandry, as pigs are generally considered rather immobile animals, and Iron Age animal mobility studies tend to focus on pastoralist practices (e.g. Hammer and Arbuckle, 2017). Yet, pig husbandry practices are highly plastic, and may have changed dynamically along with evolving economic and socio-cultural circumstances during the first millennium BC. In addition, palaeogenetic studies provide evidence that durign the Iron Age pigs with European lineages appeared and subsequently spread over Anatolia (Ottoni et al., 2013) suggesting pigs may have been actively incorporated in trade and mobility. Building on these two observations, this paper explores pig husbandry practices over the course of the Anatolian Iron Age (1200–600 BCE) by (1) discussing diachronic change in relative abundance of pigs and mortality patterns over different sites in first millennium BC Anatolia; (2) investigating whether the introduction of European pigs in Anatolia coincided with noticeable phenotypic changes in pig populations by looking at pig biometry using the R package zoolog. Primary data from various key sites are presented (Troy, Klazomenai, Gordion, Kerkenes, Kinet Höyük) alongside a meta-analysis of published zooarchaeological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A program of work was conducted as a means to understand the basis of tensile property variation in a production run of ductile iron parts for a transport (rail) application. Tensile test bars cast with the parts were evaluated from 55 production heats. The ductile iron was manufactured exclusively from high-quality pig iron with up to 25% revert, and the chemical composition was close between each heat. The desired outcome of casting was a predominantly ferritic structure corresponding to the 400-12 grade alloy in accordance with Standard AS1831-1985. Non-compliant tensile results were observed wherever elongation was reduced below 12%. This condition also represented a concomitant increase in yield and tensile strength, corresponding to increases in pearlite. Some examples displayed outstanding combinations of mechanical properties in their own right. Although variability in the proportions of ferrite and pearlite existed naturally within the alloys, it was found that the area fraction of ferrite or pearlite present on the fracture surface appears to have an influence on the overall outcomes of testing and relative quality. The distribution of these phases on the fracture surface was remarkably inhomogeneous and did not necessarily correlate to the 2-dimensional micrograph. A quality model was evaluated based on the determination of true-stress true-strain flow curves that demonstrate how the inhomogeneous distribution of ferrite and pearlite on the fracture surface appears to play a role in the microstructural factors affecting tensile failure of ductile iron, and therein the apparent quality of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the foundry is to provide the consumer with blanks for general machine-building (special) purposes which are as close as possible to the size of the future part in full compliance with the requirements. The competitiveness of these products is primarily dependent on the use of efficient and reliable smelting equipment which meets the necessary cost. The replacement of high-value ironworks and ironworks iron with steel scrap using induction melting furnaces (ICFs) reduces the cost of producing synthetic cast iron. However, this results in temperatures greater than 1500 °C, reduced lining stability and increased downtime of the smelter. As a result of the research carried out, a technology for the use of quartzite is proposed. Thereby, the purpose of this work is to establish temperature regimes for the smelting of synthetic pig iron, allowing the use in metal filling up to 70–90% of steel scrap; this leads to a reduction in the cost of purchasing bulk materials (depending on the brand of cast iron) up to 50% and, thus, increases the efficiency of synthetic cast iron smelting and castings production in general. After removal of the original moisture and the subsequent sintering of the manufactured lining, it provides the possibility of melting using the melting temperatures 1550–1600 °C. It increases the efficiency of the operation of the melting furnaces and eliminates the consumption of the ironworks and the melting of the cast iron in the blast furnace, as well as the cost of the lost alloy. As a result, metallurgical production will be able to reduce the volume of production and supply of cast iron for ironworks, which will improve their environmental situation during the production and processing of necessary raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu, Co and Sn in copper converter slags were recovered in a Cu-Co-Sn-Fe alloy. • Excessive coke or CaO worsened metal-slag separation and decreased metal yield. • Pig iron addition raised Co yield due to the enrichment of Co in an Fe–Co alloy phase. • Cu, Co and Sn yields from converter slag reached 94.4%, 90.1% and 95.0% respectively. Massive amounts of waste copper converter slags have been produced from pyrometallurgical extraction of copper from copper concentrates, and the disposal of them in landfills creates serious environmental problems. However, this converter slag contains numerous valuable heavy metals, including copper, cobalt and tin etc. In this research, due to similar properties of iron and cobalt, pig iron with a low melting point was creatively used as capturing agent for cobalt recycling in a smelting reduction. The recovery of copper and tin was also studied. The phase transformation during reduction process was clarified by X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer analyses. After the reduction performed at 1250 °C, the copper, cobalt and tin were recovered in a copper-cobalt-tin-iron alloy. The addition of pig iron improved cobalt yield, which was ascribed to the enrichment of cobalt in an iron–cobalt alloy phase. This decreased activity of the reduced cobalt and promoted reduction of cobalt oxide. As a result, the cobalt yield had a significant increase from 66.2% to 90.1% by adding 2% pig iron. Similarly, the copper also accelerated tin recovery through the formation of a copper–tin alloy. The copper and tin yields reached 94.4% and 95.0%, respectively. This work provided a high efficiency method to recover copper, cobalt and tin from waste copper converter slags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As my research indicates, enterprises based in the Brazilian Amazon already export 60 forest-friendly products, and this trade brings them an average of $300 million per year. How can Brazil level up? Promoting Forest-Friendly Exports in the Brazilian Amazon: From fruit and coffee to tropical fish, the Amazon is home to a diversity of products with the potential to be sustainably produced for a global market. After all, the leading exporters of forest-friendly products are not high-income powerhouses such as France or Japan, or models of good governance such as Denmark or New Zealand, but other tropical countries that face similar or perhaps even worse conditions than those experienced in Brazil and its Amazon. [Extracted from the article]

Ballast is essential for vessels to lower their centre of gravity, improve stability, and ease their motion during sailing. During the modern period, heavy materials used for ballasting ships were an issue of particular concern for both authorities and ship owners, subjected to increasing control, regulation, and standardisation. These items represent a very common find in wreck sites and deserve special attention, as their characteristics, distribution, and provenance can deliver critical information for assessing where the vessel was ballasted, sailing routes, ship tonnage, and site formation processes. This article is centred on pig iron ingots, introduced in the early 18th century in sailing warships and shortly thereafter in sizeable merchant vessels, a type of ballast which is frequently overlooked in archaeological research. In particular, specimens retrieved from the Chilean Navy armed transport Infatigable (1855) were analysed through macroscopic and physicochemical characterisation using LM, SEM-EDS, WD-XRF, and IGF. The results obtained indicate the ingots were manufactured with cast iron of different quality, suggesting they may have come from different production centres. The investigation resulted in a better understanding of ballasting practices on a South American navy ship in the early post-independence period and provided new data for discussions of off-site and non-nautical technological issues, such as the materials, knowledge, and techniques associated with the production of pig iron in the mid-19th century.

This paper examines the centuries-long history of the castle Kamenica, situated above the identically named settlement in the Croatian Zagorje region, not far from Lepoglava. It was first mentioned in writing in 1311. It was built in the second half of the 13th century at the latest, by an unknown Zagorje noble, as a fortified residence and centre of the identically named estate. Between 1399 and 1405, Kamenica became the property of Herman II of Celje, whose descendants held it until 1456. Although no source directly mentions the fall of Kamenica, it likely happened during the war for the Celje succession, and the castle was first mentioned as a ruin in 1459, when King Matthias Corvinus donated it to John Vitovac. During the time it was under the Vitovacs (1459–88), Kamenica was permanently abandoned, and its holdings were combined with the neighbouring Trakošćan estate into the joint Trakošćan-Kamenica estate, which was formally seated in Trakošćan, but factually in the fortified manor Klenovnik. The existing, meagre architectural elements suggest Kamenica was a small castle (castrum) dating from the second half of the 13th century. It consisted of a trapezoidal core at the top of a steep, conical eminence, formed of a walled, fortified house with a smallish courtyard protected by a wooden palisade, and a fortified, circular suburb, raised around the core with a combination of wooden palisades and earthen ramparts.

The blast furnace is an important part of the steelmaking process, and its main function is to melt and reduce oxygen from the iron ore for subsequent processing into the steel-ironmaking process. Due to its complexity, Blast Furnaces need to operate near their practical limits because of economic and environmental constraints. The capacity to monitor and regulate the process's thermal condition is, however, constrained by the harsh operating conditions inside the furnace. The amount of silicon present in pig iron, which is the metallic iron generated by the blast furnace process, serves as a crucial indicator of the furnace's thermal condition. Therefore, the creation of a predictive model is essential to assist in proactive control of the furnace's thermal condition because measurements of this crucial variable can only be sampled at sporadic and irregular intervals and analysis of the sample introduces a substantial delay. In this paper, an improved hybrid modelling methodology is introduced for blast furnace operation, which integrates physical and data-driven models. Deep Learning based Autoencoders are used for the prediction of the changes in silicon concentration with respect to time and that helps users to avoid running frequent and costly feature pre-processing procedures and correlation studies. Integrating the physical model improved the prediction accuracy compared to a purely data-driven model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at developing a technology for processing electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) into granulated cast iron and a zinc-containing product. The study object was the dust from the EAF of PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region). It has been established that the dust contains valuable components in the form of ZnFe2O4 and ZnO. The processing of EAFD involves the reduction of Fe and Zn in a charge from their oxygen-containing forms with C and CO. The content of the charge components was calculated in % as follows: EAFD—17.44; scale—51.33; hard coal—20.61; quartz sand—4.71; lime—5.91. The experiments in the high-temperature LHT 08/17 furnace (Germany) allowed for defining the optimal temperature regime for reduction melting. As a result of laboratory tests, granulated pig iron samples were obtained, containing in wt%: Fe—95.27; C—4.4; S—0.07, and others. Captured zinc-containing product after calcination (to remove halogens) contained 90.21 wt% ZnO. The resulting granulated pig iron is recommended as one of the charge components in electrometallurgical steel production. The zinc-containing product is recommended as a raw material for Zn production and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The assessment of selected quality parameters of sinter and the effect of the its quality on the efficiency of blast furnace process is presented. The analysis of chemical composition of sinter was conducted. As a main quality parameter sinter richness (Fe content) was selected. Then influence of sinter richness on two parameters of efficiency was calculated. The study was carried out in cooperation with a Blast-Furnace Department of a Polish steelworks and was based on the results coming from this Department. The analysis covers the period of one calendar year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the influence of the percentage share of pig iron and steel scrap on the chemical composition, physicochemical and mechanical properties. Using an induction furnace, 6 melts were carried out with a variable amount of pig iron in the charge from 0 to 50%. For carburizing, a RANCO 9905 carburizer with a carbon content of 99.2% was used. After melting and introducing FeSi75, temperature measurement was carried out and the metal was superheated to 1500°C. The next step was to pour the samples for chemical analysis, DTA (Derivation Thermal Analysis) and strength and hardness from the melting furnace without inoculation. The last step was to carry out the inoculation by introducing 0.3% barium inoculant into the vat and pouring samplers for DTA analysis. The inoculation was carried out solely to determine changes in DTA parameters, mainly Temin, compared to castings without inoculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that European Union concerns over raw materials supply that are well grounded and certainly not new. Topics include considered the first calls for action in this domain can be traced back to the Council 2nd Environment Action Programme, which noted the Community's dependence on raw materials from countries beyond its borders.

The aim of the presented research was to optimize a pig iron desulfurization process through data-driven machine learning methods. Utilizing historical data, chemical analysis of pig iron and slag, and the thermodynamics of the process including simulations of the chemical reactions between individual phases, a neural network was trained for the predictive modeling of desulfurization efficiency. The accuracy of the model was enhanced by integrating Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), which incorporate chemical reaction principles. The results show better performance of PINNs in comparison to the Feedforward Neural Network (FNN) in the generalization of the desulfurization process, bringing better reliability to the model.

Ballast is essential for vessels to lower their centre of gravity, improve stability, and ease their motion during sailing. During the modern period, heavy materials used for ballasting ships were an issue of particular concern for both authorities and ship owners, subjected to increasing control, regulation, and standardisation. These items represent a very common find in wreck sites and deserve special attention, as their characteristics, distribution, and provenance can deliver critical information for assessing where the vessel was ballasted, sailing routes, ship tonnage, and site formation processes. This article is centred on pig iron ingots, introduced in the early 18th century in sailing warships and shortly thereafter in sizeable merchant vessels, a type of ballast which is frequently overlooked in archaeological research. In particular, specimens retrieved from the Chilean Navy armed transport Infatigable (1855) were analysed through macroscopic and physicochemical characterisation using LM, SEM-EDS, WD-XRF, and IGF. The results obtained indicate the ingots were manufactured with cast iron of different quality, suggesting they may have come from different production centres. The investigation resulted in a better understanding of ballasting practices on a South American navy ship in the early post-independence period and provided new data for discussions of off-site and non-nautical technological issues, such as the materials, knowledge, and techniques associated with the production of pig iron in the mid-19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine the factors affecting the metallurgical quality of cast iron during serial production of castings using a campaign cupola and a holding furnace. The problem to be solved, which was to obtain cast iron with the required mechanical properties while reducing the internal porosity, results from the foundry's need to increase the metallurgical quality of the alloy. The increasing difficulty and complicated constructions of castings, for which it is not possible to introduce risers at the stage of technological design, make the stage of proper preparation of cast iron the only way to obtain castings without shrinkage defects. The article presents the results of the study of physicochemical and mechanical properties, microstructure and shrinkage tendency of ductile iron depending on the charge materials used, the amount of Mg used during spheroidization and the type of final inoculants. Step castings and wedge tests were produced on a vertical molding line. The spheroidization was carried out by injecting a core wire containing Mg alloy into the cast iron. The final inoculation of 0.2% was performed using a pneumatic dispenser equipped with a vision system to control the effectiveness of the inoculation. The ITACA Meltdeck thermal analysis system was used to study the physicochemical properties of the initial cast iron, and the ITACA X system to analyze the state of the final cast iron on the molding line. Mechanical tests were performed on samples cut from a stepped casting, and microstructure tests were carried out using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The results of thermal analyses show that increasing the share of pig iron at the expense of steel increases the minimum solidification temperature of eutectic, and thus, increases the potential for graphite nucleation in cast iron. Increasing the nucleation potential can be obtained by adding anthracite, FeSi and SiC. A very important factor in obtaining cast iron of high metallurgical quality is the possible limitation during spheroidization of the length of the core wire containing Mg, which is a carbide-forming element. The lower the initial sulfur level, the greater the possibility of reducing the amount of cored wire. The inoculants containing Ce and Bi were the most advantageous final inoculants from the point of view of obtaining the best microstructure parameters and plastic properties of cast iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]