Removal of Mn, Nb, V and P from Iron Ore using Iron and Steelmaking Processes

Some rare metal elements such as Mn, Nb and V are contained along with P in iron ore. As a resource strategy in Japan, the possibility of efficient recovery of these elements as byproducts of steel in conventional iron and steelmaking processes has been discussed. It was clarified that rare metals can be easily transferred to molten pig iron in a blast furnace, and to steelmaking slag in a hot metal pretreatment and an oxygen blowing furnace. Rare metals were concentrated in specific mineral phases during the cooling and solidification of the steelmaking slag. The separation of the phases containing higher contents of rare metals from other phases is considered to be a key-point in order to obtain a higher quality ore substitute.