Hyperactivation of Bentonite in Pelletizing Process

Application of hyperactivation process in palletizing iron ore, in order to decrease bentonite consumption has been investigated. Different amounts of bentonite and sodium hydroxide, as activating agents, were added to iron ore and the quality of formed pellets were determined. The results show that addition of 0.01 pct. NaOH improves the pellet quality significantly while the bentonite content remains constant at 0.7 pct. Moreover, pellet quality parameters were maintained within desired limit values while 0.02 pct NaOH and 0.4 pct bentonite were used. NaOH changes the chemistry of calcium-bentonite to sodium-bentonite that dispatches more easily in iron ore matrix. Homogeneous dispersion of bentonite in hyperactive mixtures creates uniform physical bonds between iron ore particles within pellet and results in less bentonite consumption.