THE EFFECT OF MECHANICAL MILLING ON THE CARBOTHERMIC REDUCTION OF Hematite

Abstract

Mechanochemical synthesis of materials deals with the chemical reactions that occur during milling. These reactions may include the reduction of metal oxides and chloride to pure metals. Mechanical milling can also be used to activate the high temperature reactions. In this paper, a brief review of the research carried out on the reduction of mechanically activated iron oxides is presented. Typical results of experiments recently performed by the authors are reported. Experimental results clearly show that mechanical milling can decrease the reduction temperature and increase the reduction rate significantly. An overview of the further studies to be done in this field is also presented.

Keywords:

• carbothermic
• reduction
• mechanical alloying
• milling
• activation
• nematite