Separation of Phosphorus and Manganese from Steelmaking Slag by Selective Reduction

Steelmaking slag contains considerable amount of manganese (Mn) and phosphorus (P), and recycling them is an important issue. Since Mn is an alloy added to enhance the steel quality, while P is a harmful impurity in the steel product, they need to be separated for recycling. We have already found the possibility of separating Mn and P from steelmaking slag by selectively reducing P₂O₅ and FeO while suppressing the reduction of MnO. As a fundamental study for the selective reduction of P from steelmaking slag, in this study, we vary the slag basicity, graphite mixing ratio, temperature, and crucible type to find the optimum condition. Artificial steelmaking slag with various compositions is synthesized and mixed with graphite powder in an Al₂O₃ or a MgO crucible. The reduction is conducted at 1673 K, 1773 K, and 1873 K for 20 to 80 minutes. As a result, carbon saturated metal is formed from the slag, and the reduced metal and slag were separated easily. We find that a decrease in slag basicity suppressed the reduction rate of Mn while enhancing that of P. The activation energy for the reduction rate constant of P is found to be close to that of the diffusion of P in slag.