Abstract—Ferrochromium and ferronickel which are ob-tained from the reduction of chromite and laterite ores , respectively, are the important alloying materials in the production of stainless steel. The present study is possibly the first of its kind related to production of crude stainless steel melt by direct smelting of chromium and nickel ore without use of ferrochromium and ferronickel alloys. The feasibility of producing Fe-Ni-Cr crude alloy by direct smelting of chromite and laterite ores from local sources with activated carbon as reducing agent at 1400o to 1550oC using graphite crucible under argon atmosphere were con-ducted in a vertical tube furnace . It was found that the grade and composition of chromite and laterite ores are the main factors to produce the alloy. The smelting of 10-13% SCO chromite ore and 87 – 90% LIM laterite ore produced alloys with average iron, nickel and chromium content about 82%, 6.22% and 2.17%, respectively, at an average iron, nickel and chromium recovery of 98%, 97% and 87%, respectively. The high recovery of iron and nickel in the alloy indicates a high reducing condition in the smelting experiment. It is also shown that the solubility of Ni in the slag increases with Ni concentration in the alloy and the FeO concentration in the slag.

Index Terms—smelting, chromite, laterite, slag, nickel

Cite: Erlinda O. Yape, "Fe-Ni-Cr Crude Alloy Production from Direct Smelting of Chromite and Laterite Ores," Journal of Medical and Bioengineering, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 245-250, December 2014. Doi: 10.12720/jomb.3.4.245-250