A study on the structural behavior of reduced pyrite ash pellets by XRD and XRF analysis

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.