- Ghana
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Research Interests: Pyrolysis, Adsorption, Activated Carbon, Wastewater, Heavy Metal, and 4 moreSorption, Cadmium, Coconut Husk, and husk
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This research work investigated the nature of a nonmagnetic ore from Pudo in the Upper West Region of Ghana and its fluxing effect on the extent of reduction of the Pudo titaniferous magnetite ore using pulverised samples of charred... more
This research work investigated the nature of a nonmagnetic ore from Pudo in the Upper West Region of Ghana and its fluxing effect on the extent of reduction of the Pudo titaniferous magnetite ore using pulverised samples of charred carbonaceous materials generated from end-of-life vehicle tyres (ELT) as reductants. Reduction studies were conducted on composite pellets of the Pudo titaniferous magnetite iron ore containing fixed amounts of charred ELT and varying amounts (0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) of the nonmagnetic fluxing material in a domestic microwave oven and the extent of reduction was calculated after microwave irradiation for 40 minutes. Analyses by XRF, SEM/EDS and XRD of the nonmagnetic ore revealed an Ankerite type of ore of the form Ca0.95Fe0.95Mn0.1 (CO3)2. From the microwave reduction studies it was observed that premium grade metallic iron could be produced from appropriate blends of the Pudo iron ores using ELT as reductant, with a measured extent of redu...
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Abstract: This work investigates the simultaneous production of MnO and syngas (CO + H2) from mixtures of MnCO3 with various waste plastics in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Cylindrical compacts of reagent grade MnCO3 were... more
Abstract: This work investigates the simultaneous production of MnO and syngas (CO + H2) from mixtures of MnCO3 with various waste plastics in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Cylindrical compacts of reagent grade MnCO3 were heated rapidly with and without high density polyethylene (HDPE at C/O ratio = 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE at C/O ratio 1.0) for 600 s at 1150 °C under high purity argon gas and the off gas was continuously analysed for CH4, CO and CO2 using an online infrared gas analyser (IR). Peaks of H2 gas were detected using a gas chromatographic analyser (GC). The results indicate that blending the carbonate with the polymers before heating has a significant attenuating effect on CO2 emissions. It is further reported that the observed attenuation of CO2 emissions is accompanied by a simultaneous production of syngas that can be recovered as a beneficial by-product.
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This research investigated the calcination behaviour of the Nsuta Rhodochrosite (MnCO3) in the presence and absence of end-of-life high density polyethylene (HDPE) using a custom-made palm kernel shell fired furnace. Samples of pulverised... more
This research investigated the calcination behaviour of the Nsuta Rhodochrosite (MnCO3) in the presence and absence of end-of-life high density polyethylene (HDPE) using a custom-made palm kernel shell fired furnace. Samples of pulverised Nsuta rhodochrosite were heated rapidly for 30, 40, 50 and 60 minutes, coupled with temperature measurements to determine the maximum temperature attained in the fireclay crucible. The procedure at 60 min was repeated using three blends of rhodochrosite samples containing different masses of HDPE (30 g, 40 g and 50 g) and heated for an hour. For gas analyses studies during calcination, cylindrical compacts of rhodochrosite ore in a LECOTM crucible were heated rapidly with and without high density polyethylene (HDPE at C/O ratio = 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) in a horizontal tube furnace for 600 s at 1150 °C under high purity argon gas and the off gas was continuously analysed for CH4, CO and CO2 using an online infrared gas analyser. The content of H2 in the...
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Gypsum exists in the Dihydrate (CaSO4 2H2O), Hemihydrate (CaSO4. ½H2O) and the Anhydrite (CaSO4) forms. The exploitation of the natural rock form deposit of gypsum is on the increase, necessitating the need to find alternative and... more
Gypsum exists in the Dihydrate (CaSO4 2H2O), Hemihydrate (CaSO4. ½H2O) and the Anhydrite (CaSO4) forms. The exploitation of the natural rock form deposit of gypsum is on the increase, necessitating the need to find alternative and efficient sources of gypsum so as to sustain all the industries dependent on gypsum as raw material. This work investigates the production of gypsum from clamshells and waste sulphuric acid from end-of-life car batteries. Clamshells obtained from the Volta Region of Ghana were calcined at a temperature of about 1000 ˚C with a view of producing CaO which was pulverised to particle size of 96 % passing 106 μm. Samples of the Pulverised Clam Shells (PCS) were then reacted with five different concentrations of the Waste Battery Acid (WBA). The reaction was observed to be very exothermic; a temperature of 101 ˚C was obtained for the 6.5 M concentration of WBA. The resulting mixture was filtered and an XRD analysis was performed on the oven dried residue to asce...
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The local steel industry is currently facing stiff competition from South East Asia and elsewhere for high grade scrap iron, culminating in a ban by central Government on the export of ferrous scrap. In this work we investigate the... more
The local steel industry is currently facing stiff competition from South East Asia and elsewhere for high grade scrap iron, culminating in a ban by central Government on the export of ferrous scrap. In this work we investigate the potential for producing high grade iron nuggets from the Pudo iron ore in the Upper West Region of Ghana, using carbonaceous materials generated from locally available ‘pito’ waste and its blend with high density polyethylene (HDPE) as reductant. Composite pellets of the ore containing various blends of uncharred ‘pito’ and charred ‘pito’ waste with HDPE were irradiated in a domestic microwave oven and the extent of reduction was determined after 40 min of irradiation. It was observed that highly carburised premium grade iron nuggets can be produced from the Pudo iron ore using ‘pito’ waste (both charred and uncharred) and its blends with HDPE as reductant. The measured extent of reduction ranged from about 47 % to about 96 %, suggesting that the Pudo iron ore is a potential source of iron from which premium grade metallic iron can be produced commercially to feed the local steel industry. From the point of view of chemical reactivity, it appears the effect of hydrogen is more pronounced than the amount of fixed carbon in the ‘pito’ waste and this effect was felt in all the HDPE-‘pito’ waste blends utilised for the investigation. Accordingly dry ‘pito’ waste may be used directly with HDPE as reductant without the need to char the biomass. Keywords: Reduction, Pudo Iron Ore, Waste Biomass, Pito Waste, Extent of Reduction
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Abstract: This work investigates the simultaneous production of MnO and syngas (CO + H2) from mixtures of MnCO3 with various waste plastics in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Cylindrical compacts of reagent grade MnCO3 were... more
Abstract: This work investigates the simultaneous production of MnO and syngas (CO + H2) from mixtures of MnCO3 with various waste plastics in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Cylindrical compacts of reagent grade MnCO3 were heated rapidly with and without high density polyethylene (HDPE at C/O ratio = 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE at C/O ratio 1.0) for 600 s at 1150 °C under high purity argon gas and the off gas was continuously analysed for CH4, CO and CO2 using an online infrared gas analyser (IR). Peaks of H2 gas were detected using a gas chromatographic analyser (GC). The results indicate that blending the carbonate with the polymers before heating has a significant attenuating effect on CO2 emissions. It is further reported that the observed attenuation of CO2 emissions is accompanied by a simultaneous production of syngas that can be recovered as a beneficial by-product.
Large amounts of petroleum coke are produced during the industrial processing of crude oil. Petroleum coke is unsuitable as a reductant in iron and steel technologies owing to the high sulphur content. In this work the effect of blending... more
Large amounts of petroleum coke are produced during the industrial processing of crude oil. Petroleum coke is unsuitable as a reductant in iron and steel technologies owing to the high sulphur content. In this work the effect of blending petroleum coke with high density polyethylene (HDPE) on the reduction of iron oxide and the carburisation and desulphurisation of the reduced metal was investigated in a horizontal tube furnace. Composite pellets of blends of petroleum coke and HDPE with EAF slag (47.1 wt. % FeO) were heated rapidly in a horizontal tube furnace at 1550 °C in a stream of argon. Reaction products were analysed using an IR gas analyser and a gas chromatography unit. The reduced metal was analysed for its carbon and sulphur contents using a LECO TM Carbon/Sulphur and LECO TM Oxygen/Nitrogen analysers, respectively. The results indicate that petroleum coke-HDPE blends can be utilised successfully as reductants for iron oxide reduction; significant improvements in the ext...
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Bakelite is a 3-dimensional cross-linked network structured thermosetting polymer which is difficult to recycle after use. However, it contains high levels of carbon and CaCO3 that can be recovered for use as reductant and fluxing agent... more
Bakelite is a 3-dimensional cross-linked network structured thermosetting polymer which is difficult to recycle after use. However, it contains high levels of carbon and CaCO3 that can be recovered for use as reductant and fluxing agent in ironmaking. In this work we report the use of postconsumer bakelite as reductant for the production of metallic iron from iron oxide in a horizontal tube furnace through the composite pellet approach.Gas emission studies were conducted by pyrolysing raw bakelite at different temperatures within the temperature range 1200-1600 °C in a horizontal tube furnace. Following this,composite pellets were then formed from mixtures of iron oxide and post-consumer bakelite.The iron oxide-bakelite composites were heated from room temperature to 1200 °C and then between 1200-1600 °C in a continuous stream of pure argon and the off gas was analysed continuously using an infrared (IR) gas analyser. Elemental analyses of samples of the reduced metal were performed...
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Different ores of iron have responded differently when subjected to various technologies of iron ore reduction. In this study, the Pudo iron ore in the Upper West Region of Ghana, with a low grade of iron (exists in the form of Fe 2 O 3 )... more
Different ores of iron have responded differently when subjected to various technologies of iron ore reduction. In this study, the Pudo iron ore in the Upper West Region of Ghana, with a low grade of iron (exists in the form of Fe 2 O 3 ) and desirable amounts of CaO and MgO was reduced by using a locally available biomass (Groundnut Shells, GNS) and its blends with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) as reducing agent. The microwave technology was used for the reduction process. Composite pellets composed of the iron ore, reducing agents of different blends and flour (binder) were formed and subjected to a 2400 MW, 50 Hz microwave for firing. Each pellet was fired for forty minutes. The results of this study indicate that the GNS as reducing agent solely was able to reduce the ore to about 54 % in the reduction process. Blending of the biomass with HDPE led to an ultimate improvement in the percent reduction with maximum percent reduction of about 80 %. The reduction process was howev...
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This project was experimentally carried out to investigate the effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) and Calcined Snail Shell (CSS) as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) on the formation of building blocks in the absence of... more
This project was experimentally carried out to investigate the effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) and Calcined Snail Shell (CSS) as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) on the formation of building blocks in the absence of chemical activation. A total of 24 building blocks of size 100 mm x 70 mm x 50 mm with different percentages by weight combination of 20 % RHA and 80 % CSS were used for the investigation. The percentage partial replacement of OPC was in the order of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 % and 50 %. A ratio of one part of cement to three parts of sand was used to form the blocks. The blocks were tested at age 7 and 14 days for compressive strength. Test results indicated that the blocks formed were above the standard compressive strength of 3.5 N/ according to American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM). Compressive strength of the blocks also increases with age at curing and generally decreases as the percentage of RHA and CSS content increases...
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Disposal of waste plastics is currently a huge global problem, especially in the least developed countries where proven avenues for recycling such wastes are non-existent or not well documented. In this work we investigate the potential... more
Disposal of waste plastics is currently a huge global problem, especially in the least developed countries where proven avenues for recycling such wastes are non-existent or not well documented. In this work we investigate the potential for producing high grade iron nuggets from the Akpafu-Todzi iron ore in the Volta Region of Ghana, using waste plastics and waste biomass as reductants. Carbonaceous materials were generated from waste pure water sachets (PWS) by pulverising an embrittled mass obtained through a melting-quenching sequence. Reduction studies were then conducted on composite pellets of the ore containing the PWS and PNS and various blends of PWS-PNS. Reaction products were characterised by SEM/EDS and XRD and the extent of reduction after 40 min was determined for the individual polymers and the blends as reductants. It was observed that iron nuggets can be produced from the Akpafu-Todzi iron using waste plastics and its blends with waste polymers. The measured extent ...
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This work investigates the recycling of spent primary cells for the synthesis of spinel zinc manganese oxide (ZnMn2O4) using waste polypropylene as reductant in a domestic microwave oven. Spent zinc-carbon batteries (TigerHead brand) were... more
This work investigates the recycling of spent primary cells for the synthesis of spinel zinc manganese oxide (ZnMn2O4) using waste polypropylene as reductant in a domestic microwave oven. Spent zinc-carbon batteries (TigerHead brand) were cut into approximately two equal parts and the MnO2/Mn2O3/ZnO/carbon black mixture was carefully removed. The residual casing was dismantled and scrap iron, plastic and paper separated. The removed mixture was soaked in water for 24 hours after which it was filtered and the residue air-dried for 24 hours and pulverised in a mortar using a pestle. The pulverised mass was thoroughly mixed with pulverised polypropylene obtained from a mixture of waste bucket and the cap of the zinccarbon battery. The mixture was then placed in a fireclay crucible and irradiated in a domestic microwave oven (Pioneer, Model PM-25 L, 2450 MHz, 1000 W) for 20 minutes and reaction products were separated and characterised. Spherical particles of spinel zinc manganese oxide...
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Siderite (FeCO 3 ) ore from Guizhou, China was heated for 40 mins in air in the absence and presence of high density polyethylene, HDPE, (sourced from waste pure water sachets) in a horizontal tube furnace and gas fired furnace. Solid... more
Siderite (FeCO 3 ) ore from Guizhou, China was heated for 40 mins in air in the absence and presence of high density polyethylene, HDPE, (sourced from waste pure water sachets) in a horizontal tube furnace and gas fired furnace. Solid reaction products were characterised using XRF, XRD and SEM/EDS analyses whilst gaseous products were analysed by a continuous infrared gas analyser. Composite pellets of the calcined product with HDPE were then heated in a gas fired furnace for 180 mins and the product was analysed by XRD and SEM/EDS analyses. The solid products after calcination were found to be highly magnetic with composition by XRF of 95.82 wt % Fe 2 O 3 , 2.95 wt % SiO 2 , 0.254 wt % Al 2 O 3 and LOI of 0.40 wt % compared with an original XRF composition of 51.43 wt % Fe 2 O 3 , 10.80 wt % SiO 2 , 9.46 wt % Al 2 O 3 and LOI of 24.75 wt %. Analysis by XRD revealed maghemite and magnetite as the predominant components of the calcined product from microwave irradiation and gas fired...
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Laboratory studies on the production of metallic iron from iron oxide using blends of coconut shells (cocos nucifera) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) as reducing agent have been performed through experiments conducted in a horizontal... more
Laboratory studies on the production of metallic iron from iron oxide using blends of coconut shells (cocos nucifera) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) as reducing agent have been performed through experiments conducted in a horizontal resistance heating tube furnace. Composite pellets were formed from mixtures of iron oxide and carbonaceous materials consisting of chars of coconut shells (CNS), HDPE and three blends of CNS-HDPE. The iron oxide-carbonaceous material composites were heated very rapidly in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace at 1500 °C in a continuous stream of pure argon and the off gas was analysed continuously using an infrared (IR) gas analyser and a gas chromatographic (GC) analyser equipped with a thermal conductivity detector (TCD). Elemental analyses of samples of the reduced metal were performed chemically for its carbon and oxygen contents using a LECO carbon/sulphur and LECO oxygen/nitrogen analysers, respectively. The extent of reduction after te...
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ABSTRACTRecycling postconsumer plastics is currently a huge environmental headache globally. In Ghana, several thousands of tonnes of used pure water sachets are daily discarded indiscriminately. In this work the production of metallic... more
ABSTRACTRecycling postconsumer plastics is currently a huge environmental headache globally. In Ghana, several thousands of tonnes of used pure water sachets are daily discarded indiscriminately. In this work the production of metallic iron from iron oxide using blends of used pure water sachets (PWS) and coconut shells (cocos nucifera) as reducing agent have been performed through experiments conducted in a horizontal tube furnace. Composite pellets were formed from mixtures of iron oxide and carbonaceous materials consisting of chars of coconut shells (CNS), PWS and three blends of CNS-PWS. The iron oxide-carbonaceous material composites were heated very rapidly in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace at 1500°C in a continuous stream of pure argon and the off gas was analysed continuously using an infrared (IR) gas analyser and a gas chromatographic (GC) analyser equipped with a thermal conductivity detector (TCD). Elemental analyses of samples of the reduced metal were perf...
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Disposal of waste plastics is currently a huge global problem, especially in the least developed countries where proven avenues for recycling such wastes are non-existent or not well documented. In this work the potential for producing... more
Disposal of waste plastics is currently a huge global problem, especially in the least developed countries where proven avenues for recycling such wastes are non-existent or not well documented. In this work the potential for producing high grade iron nuggets from the Sheini iron ore in the Northern Region of Ghana is investigated using carbonaceous materials generated from mixed plastics waste (MPW) as reductants. Carbonaceous materials were generated from MPW by pulverising an embrittled mixture of waste pure water sachets (PWS), waste polypropylene (PP), waste polystyrene (PS), waste low density polyethylene (LDPE) and waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) obtained through a melting-quenching sequence. Two variants of MPW (MPW 1 and MPW 2) were used along with the individual polymers as reductants. MPW 1 was comprised of 40 wt % PWS, 30 wt % PP, 20 wt % LDPE and 10 wt % PS while MPW 2 consisted of 40 wt % PWS, 30 wt % PP, 20 wt % LDPE and 10 wt % PET. The generated carbonaceous ...
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Only a small fraction of end-of-life ‘pure’ water sachets (PWS) is currently recycled in Ghana, with the rest being illegally discarded. In this work we investigate the potential for producing liquid fuel (diesel) from shredded PWS in a... more
Only a small fraction of end-of-life ‘pure’ water sachets (PWS) is currently recycled in Ghana, with the rest being illegally discarded. In this work we investigate the potential for producing liquid fuel (diesel) from shredded PWS in a custom-made pyrolytic equipment using a ternary mixture of Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -Fe 2 O 3 (generated locally) as catalyst. Samples of PWS sourced locally from the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, were dried in air and shredded into small pieces using a pair of scissors. The shredded pieces were fed into a reactor that also served as catalytic cracking chamber. Varying amounts of the catalyst were added to the shredded mass followed by heating to temperatures ranging from 300-500 °C after which the resulting gaseous hydrocarbon mixture was condensed into liquid in a measuring cylinder that serves as a condenser. Physical properties like colour, density and flashpoint of samples of the liquid produced were determined and compared to conventional ...
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Currently, less than 20% of end-of-life rubber tyres (ELTs) are recycled globally and it is believed that an estimated 4 billion ELTs are currently held in various stockpiles across the globe. In this work the effect of ELT blending with... more
Currently, less than 20% of end-of-life rubber tyres (ELTs) are recycled globally and it is believed that an estimated 4 billion ELTs are currently held in various stockpiles across the globe. In this work the effect of ELT blending with metallurgical coke on slag foaming phenomena in the electric arc furnace (EAF) was investigated in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace through the sessile drop approach. Cylindrical substrates of carbonaceous materials were formed from a Drop Tube Furnace-treated metallurgical coke and its blends with ELT. The substrates were then used for slag foaming studies in a horizontal tube furnace by measuring the ratio (V t /V o ) of volume at time t (V t ) to the initial volume (V o ) as a function of time for various blends, using 0.065 g of pulverised EAF slag (47.1 wt % FeO). The results showed improvement in slag foaming with ELT blending, based on the measured values of (V t /V o ). Slag foaming therefore presents another avenue for recycling t...
The reduction of MnO in slag by blends of coke with high density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated by the sessile drop method at 1 500°C in this study. The results show improved wettability and extents of reduction are realised with... more
The reduction of MnO in slag by blends of coke with high density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated by the sessile drop method at 1 500°C in this study. The results show improved wettability and extents of reduction are realised with the use of an HDPE/coke blend in this system by comparison to reduction by pure coke, whereby increasing HDPE content resulted in further improvement in extent of reduction and increased wettability. The extensive devolatilisation from HDPE samples is the primary cause for these improvements, whereby the gasified HDPE created both CH4 and H2 reducing gases. Additionally, increased sample porosity allowed for improved wetting, and thus improved reduction capabilities. The dynamic contact angle between the carbon substrate and the slag varied, with HDPE samples ranging between 140°–60°, whilst the coke samples ranged between 160°–120°. The addition of HDPE allowed for the near complete reduction of MnO and partial reduction of SiO2 from the slag with di...
The reduction of FeO-containing slag by end-of-life polystyrene (PS) and its blend with metallurgical coke has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Composite pellets of EAF slag... more
The reduction of FeO-containing slag by end-of-life polystyrene (PS) and its blend with metallurgical coke has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Composite pellets of EAF slag (47.1% FeO) with PS, coke and a blend of PS/coke (in the ratio PS:Coke =3:2) were heated rapidly at 1550 °C under high purity argon gas and the off gas was continuously analysed for CO and CO2 using an online infrared gas analyser (IR). The extent of reduction after fifteen minutes, level of carburisation, extent of desulphurization and the ease of metal/slag separation were determined for each carbonaceous reductant. The results show that FeO can be effectively reduced from EAF slag to produce metallic iron using end-of-life PS and its blends with coke as reductants; improvements in the extent of reduction, ease of metal/slag separation, level of carburisation and extent of desulphurisation of the reduced metal were observed when coke was blended wit...
The effect of waste linear low density propylene (LLDPE) addition on the reduction of FeO-containing slag by metallurgical coke has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Composite... more
The effect of waste linear low density propylene (LLDPE) addition on the reduction of FeO-containing slag by metallurgical coke has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace. Composite pellets of EAF slag (47.1% FeO) with coke, LLDPE and blends of coke/LLDPE (in four different proportions) were rapidly heated at 1520 °C under high purity argon gas and the off gas was continuously analysed for CO and CO2 using an online infrared gas analyser (IR). The extent of reduction after ten minutes, level of carburisation and desulphurization were determined for each carbonaceous reductant. The results show significant improvements in extent of reduction along with improved levels of carburisation and desulphurisation of the reduced metal when coke was blended with LLDPE.
The effect of waste plastics addition on the reduction of Manganese (II) Oxide (MnO) from Silicomanganese (SiMn) slag by metallurgical coke (Coke) has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube... more
The effect of waste plastics addition on the reduction of Manganese (II) Oxide (MnO) from Silicomanganese (SiMn) slag by metallurgical coke (Coke) has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace coupled with off-gas analysis through an infrared (IR) gas analyser. Composite pellets of SiMn slag with Coke, HDPE and blends of Coke with HDPE (in three different proportions) were rapidly heated at 1500°C under pure argon gas and the off gas was analysed continuously for CO, CO 2 and CH 4 . The extent of reduction of MnO from the slag after 20 min was then calculated by mass balance for removable oxygen. The results showed improvements in the extent of reduction of MnO from the slag when coke is blended with HDPE. The time for complete reduction was found to decrease with an increase in the amount of HDPE that was blended with coke. Generally, a decrease in CO 2 emissions was observed with HDPE addition; the extent of lowering, however, de...
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ABSTRACT The pre-reduction of higher manganese oxides with post-consumer plastics as reductants has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace coupled with an off gas analysis through an... more
ABSTRACT The pre-reduction of higher manganese oxides with post-consumer plastics as reductants has been investigated through experiments conducted in a laboratory scale horizontal tube furnace coupled with an off gas analysis through an online infrared (IR) gas analyser. Composite pellets of calcined manganese oxide (Mn3O4) with high density polyethylene (HDPE) (at C/O molar ratios of 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0) were heated rapidly to 1150 degrees C under pure argon and the off gas was measured continuously by an IR analyser for CO, CO2 and CH4. The extent of reduction of Mn3O4 to MnO was calculated from a mass balance for removable oxygen. Solid reaction products were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis was used to confirm the presence of MnO. The results indicate that Mn3O4 can be successfully pre-reduced to MnO using HDPE as a reductant. Gas analysis studies indicated that the polymer is first converted to CH4 which cracked partially or reformed to H-2, C and/or CO. Reduction of Mn3O4 to MnO was subsequently effected by C, CO, H-2 and the residual CH4.