Mineral treatment process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12031193-B2
Application number	US-201815733290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2018
Priority date	Dec 22, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

Use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder, in particular the use of a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant as a binder to form iron ore pellets.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of pelletization, the method comprising:
treating a smectite clay with a dispersant selected from the group consisting of sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, trisodium phosphate, and sodium pyrophosphate; and combining the treated smectite clay with pellet-forming particles to form iron ore pellets,
wherein the treated smectite clay binds the pellet-forming particles together.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smectite clay comprises bentonite.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smectite clay comprises equal to or less than about 40 wt % moisture or equal to or greater than about 8 wt % moisture.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispersant is used in an amount equal to or less than about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the smectite clay.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pellets comprise equal to or less than about 8 wt % total silica and alumina.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the iron ore pellets have a green strength and/or a green drop number that is at least about 10% greater than the respective green strength and/or green drop number of iron ore pellets made without treating the smectite clay with a dispersant.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the smectite clay comprises mixing the dispersant with the smectite clay.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the smectite clay comprises applying a liquid composition comprising the dispersant to the smectite clay.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the smectite clay with dispersant occurs at the same time as soda-ash activation of the smectite clay.

10. Pellets obtained by and/or obtainable by the method of claim 1 .

11. A composition for making iron ore pellets, the composition comprising a smectite clay that has been pre-treated with a dispersant comprising a phosphate salt selected from the group consisting of sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, trisodium phosphate, and sodium pyrophosphate, and pellet-forming particles.

12. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the smectite clay comprises bentonite.

13. The composition of claim 12 , wherein the dispersant is present in an amount equal to or less than about 5 wt % based on the total weight of the smectite clay.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the pellets comprise equal to or less than about 8 wt % total silica and alumina.

15. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the smectite clay comprises equal to or less than about 40 wt % moisture or equal to or greater than about 8 wt % moisture.

Assignees

• Imertech Sas

Inventors

• Kapralou Christina
• Karalis Thanasis
• Dedeloudis Christos
• Karanasios Konstantinos

Classifications

• C22B1/244

  organic · CPC title

• C22B1/243 Primary

  inorganic · CPC title

• C01B33/40 Primary

  Clays · CPC title

• C22B1/2406 Primary

  pelletizing · CPC title