International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials

Volume 26, Number 1, January 2019, Page 41

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1708-x

Effect of molasses binder on the physical and mechanical properties

of iron ore pellets

Anand Babu Kotta, Anshuman Patra, Mithilesh Kumar, and Swapan Kumar Karak
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Orissa, India
(Received: 6 April 2018; revised: 11 June 2018; accepted: 20 September 2018)

Abstract: Molasses was used as an alternative binder to the bentonite binder. The change in moisture absorption by pellets prepared with
different iron ores and different molasses contents were investigated. Iron ore properties exerted the major effect on pellet behavior and final
pellet quality. The absorbed moisture content of pellets prepared without binder, bentonite-added pellets, and molasses-added pellets were in
the range of 7.72%–9.95%, 9.62%–10.84%, and 6.14%−6.69%, respectively. The wet pellet compressive strength of molasses-added pellets
(43–230 N/pellet) was superior to that of bentonite-added pellets (9.47–11.92 N/pellet). The compressive strength of dried molasses-modified
pellets increased to 222–394 N/pellet, which is currently the highest value achieved for dried pellets.

Keywords: iron ore; molasses binder; moisture absorption; pellet strength; physical and mechanical properties

1. Introduction Numerous studies have found that the optimal amount of

moisture required for the pelletization of iron ore fines gen-
Low-grade iron ore accounts for 60% of iron ore pro- erally depends on the chemical composition of the pellet and
duced in India [1]. Approximately 10%-15% of iron ore is the type of binder [6−7]. Binders not only help improve pel-
converted into fines during mining. These generated fines are let strength but also control moisture content. Bentonite is
not useful for economic iron production through conventional universally used as a binder for iron ore pellets. Bentonite,
techniques and can only be used in iron production in rotary however, contains unwanted silica and alumina impurities.
kilns after pelletization through agglomeration. Iron ore Sivrikaya and Arol [8] reported that the addition of 1.0wt%
fines are pelletized through mixing with additives and bentonite decreases iron production by 0.6%–0.7%; moreo-
moisture followed by rotation in a disk pelletizer [2]. The ver, the increased silica content of the pellets may increase
wet pellets lack sufficient strength to withstand movement energy consumption by 30 kW⋅h⋅t−1 and consequently in-
through the conveyor belt to furnaces. Hence, the strength of crease production costs. Many researchers have focused on
the wet pellets must be improved prior to drying and firing [3]. identifying an alternative binder to bentonite.
Pellet strength is essential for withstanding the rigors of For decades, hundreds of minerals and clays (mostly si-
transport and handling during various processing stages. licate-based binders) have been applied as alternative bind-
Tsukerman et al. [4] reported that pellet drying accounts for ers in the production of iron ore pellets and have been found
25% of the total energy consumption of pellet production. to provide sufficient strength to iron ore pellets [9–10]. At
This requirement may increase production cost. Slightly present, the focus has shifted to the use of organic binders in
improving the pellet drying performance of sintering fur- pelletization. The performance of organic binders has been
naces can result in considerable savings for the iron industry. compared with that of bentonite binders. Carboxymethyl-
The moisture percentage of pellets must be reduced without cellulose (CMC), calcined colemanite, Peridur C-10, Peridur
compromising pellet strength to reduce energy consumption CX3, corn starch, modified starch, paper sludge, lactose
during drying [5]. monohydrate (dairy waste), DPEP06-0007 Polymer, Super-

Corresponding author: Swapan Kumar Karak E-mail: karaksk@nitrkl.ac.in

© University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
42 Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., Vol. 26, No. 1, Jan. 2019

floc A150-LMW, Sodium lignosulfonate, copper smelting slag, 2. Experimental

and fly ash have been used as organic pellet binders [11–17].
2.1. Raw materials
The required pellet strength has been successfully obtained
under wet and drying conditions. Nevertheless, moisture 2.1.1. Iron ores and the determination of their properties
absorption and its influence on pellet properties, particularly Samples of hematite iron ore were collected from the
strength, have received limited attention. The moisture ab- Orissa and Chhattisgarh Regions, India. The chemical
sorption capacities of most organic binders are higher than compositions of the iron ores were determined through
those of bentonite binder; thus, their use increases pel- X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF-1800, SHIMADZU,
let-drying cost [18–20]. Few studies have investigated the Japan). The results are shown in Table 1. Essel ore had a
use of viscous binders and have failed to compare the results lower Fe content (56.50wt%) than Kirandul and Bacheli
obtained for different grades of iron ore [21–25]. ores, which had Fe contents of 65.79wt% and 67.0wt%, re-
The present work aims to address the problem of in- spectively. XRD analysis was performed to identify the
creased energy consumption during the drying of iron ore phases present in the iron ore samples. The XRD patterns of
pellets by reducing the moisture content of prepared pellets the ores are shown in Fig. 1 and reveal that hematite, silicon
through the use of the appropriate binder. Molasses was oxide, and aluminum oxides were the primary phases in the
chosen as a binder for the production of pellets with the re- ores. The pore volumes and surface areas of the ore samples
quired strength. The characteristics and properties of mo- were determined with a BET surface area analyzer (Quanta
lasses-added pellets were compared with those of bento- chrome/AUTOSORB-1) and are presented in Table 2. Con-
nite-added pellets. The effects of binder addition on the pel- siderable variations were observed in the moisture contents
letization characteristics of different iron ore fines and the (0.98% to 2.9%), total pore volumes (0.0866 to 0.1152
drop numbers and compressive strengths of wet and dry g/mL), and specific surface areas (8.634 to 12.588 m2/g) of
pellets were also investigated. the ores.

Table 1. Nominal chemical composition of iron ores from different mines wt%

Name of the iron ore mine Fe Fe2O3 Al2O3 SiO2 P S LOI

Essel 56.50 80.78 7.53 4.54 0.065 0.016 7.54
OMC 62.63 89.56 3.79 3.92 0.063 0.015 2.43
PTA 64.06 91.60 2.52 2.61 0.061 0.015 2.31
Kirandul 65.79 91.02 2.12 2.86 0.062 0.014 2.25
Bacheli 67.00 93.00 1.50 2.10 0.040 0.012 2.12
Note: OMC－Orissa mining corporation Ltd.; PTA－Penguine Trading & Agencies Ltd.

work. The results for the bentonite-added pellets were com-

pared with those for the molasses-added pellets. Molasses
was prepared by heating natural sugar cane juice for 4 h at
140°C. The preparation of molasses and iron ore pellets is
schematically presented in Fig. 2.

Table 2. Specific surface areas and total pore volumes of iron

ore fines measured through BET surface analysis
Name of the iron Specific surface area / Total pore volume /
ore mine (m2⋅g−1) (mL⋅g−1)
Essel 12.588 0.1152
Fig. 1. X-ray diffraction spectra of raw iron ores collected
OMC 11.314 0.1108
from different mines.
PTA 10.013 0.0914
2.1.2. Binders
Kirandul 8.765 0.0877
Bentonite and molasses were selected as pellet binders.
Bacheli 8.364 0.0866
Bentonite was used as the reference binder in the present
A.B. Kotta et al., Effect of molasses binder on the physical and mechanical properties of iron ore pellets 43

2.2.5. Porosity
The porosity values of oven-dried iron ore pellets were
obtained through the Archimedes method. Pellet weight was
first measured. Then, the sample was immersed in kerosene
for a specific duration to allow kerosene to completely fill
the pores of the sample. The samples were reweighed, and
the difference in weights was compared.
2.2.6. Microstructural characterization
Dried pellet samples were sectioned transversely. Micro-
structures were visualized under scanning electron micro-
scopy (SEM, JEOL JSM-6084LV at 20 kV) for the study of
agglomeration behavior.

3. Results and discussion

Fig. 2. Flow chart illustrating the preparation of molasses 3.1. Absorbed moisture content
and iron ore pellets. 3.1.1. Effect of different iron ores on absorbed moisture
content
2.2. Experimental contents and methods The moisture absorptivity range of different iron ore pel-
2.2.1. Wet pellet preparation lets varies substantially from ore to ore, as shown in Figs. 3
and 4. During pelletization, externally added moisture
Pellets were prepared by mixing iron ore particles (≤ 72 µm),
spreads over iron ore particles and bridges particles. Kiran-
binder, and sufficient amounts of moisture. Iron ore particles
dul and Bacheli iron ore pellets were more sensitive to
and binder were mixed thoroughly for 10 min and imme-
moisture content than the other ores. Other iron ores (PTA,
diately added to the disk pelletizer. The disk pelletizer was
OMC, and Essel) require high amounts of moisture to form
operated at a speed of 25 r/min for pellet production. The
pellets. Porous iron ores absorb high amounts of moisture
pellets were then removed from the pelletizer.
during pelletization [27–29]. As shown in Tables 1 and 2,
2.2.2. Absorbed moisture content
Essel iron ore contains more gangue (SiO2 + Al2O3 = 13.0%)
The absorbed moisture content of the iron ore pellets was
and pore volume (0.1152 m2/g) than other iron ores. There-
determined by obtaining the difference between the weights
fore, Essel iron ores can absorb and hold more water than
of wet pellets and pellets that had been completely dried at
the other ores. This result agrees well with industrial expe-
105°C.
rience.
2.2.3. Drop number
3.1.2. Effect of bentonite addition on moisture absorption
Freshly prepared wet pellets (10 pellets) were subjected
The moisture absorptivity of different iron ores prepared
to the drop number test. Each pellet was dropped from a
with and without binders was studied. Fig. 3 shows that Es-
height of 45 cm onto a standard steel plate. The test was re-
sel iron ore pellets absorbed high amounts of moisture
peated until the pellet slightly cracked, and its final drop
(9.95%). The Kirandul and Bacheli iron ore pellets showed
number was recorded [13].
the lowest absorption values (i.e., 7.85% and 7.72%). The
2.2.4. Compressive strength
addition of bentonite binder increased moisture absorption.
Wet and oven-dried pellets were subjected to the com- As shown in Fig. 3, moisture absorption capacity increased
pressive strength test by using Instron 5569 with a maxi- with increasing bentonite content (0.5wt%–1.0wt%) be-
mum capacity of 10 kN. The load required to fracture the cause bentonite immobilizes moisture within the pellets
pellet was considered as the compressive strength of the through capillary action [30]. The absorption capacity of
pellet. At least 10 samples of a particular iron ore composi- different iron ore pellets with a bentonite content of 0.5wt%
tion were tested. Results are presented as the average of is shown in Fig. 3. This figure illustrates that Essel ore pel-
the results of at least 10 samples. ISO 4700 standards state lets had higher moisture absorption capacity (10.24%) than
that the mean compressive strength values of wet pellets Kirandul (9.02%) and Bacheli (8.97%) ore pellets. A similar
and dry pellets should be at least 8.9 and 22.4 N, respec- trend was observed for ores with a bentonite content of
tively [26]. 1.0wt%. The change in moisture absorption capacity could
44 Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., Vol. 26, No. 1, Jan. 2019

be attributed to variations in the chemical composition, in-

ternal porosity, and specific surface area of the ores. Ab-
ouzeid and Seddik [19] stated that the ore clay content has a
major role in moisture absorption. Even with increased
bentonite content, moisture absorption by Essel ore negligi-
bly varied, whereas that by Bacheli and Kirandul ores in-
creased. The change in the moisture absorption capacity of
the Bacheli and Kirandul ores could be attributed to their
low clay or clay mineral contents (Table 1). The increase in
moisture absorption, however, is solely dependent on the
bentonite content. Fig. 4. Effect of molasses binder on the absorbed moisture
content of different iron ore pellets.

3.2. Wet pellet drop number

3.2.1. Effect of different iron ores on wet pellet drop number
Wet pellet drop number (WPDN) was calculated by
dropping samples from certain height (i.e., 45 cm). Figs. 5
and 6 show that the WPDN of iron ore pellets increased
with increasing binder content. The WPDNs of Essel pellets
were higher than those of Bacheli and Kirandul pellets (Figs.
5 and 6). The high WPDN of Essel pellets could be attri-
buted to their high absorbed moisture content, which en-
Fig. 3. Effect of bentonite binder on the moisture absorption hanced ore elasticity [31]. Therefore, Essel pellets were
capacity of different iron ore pellets. more elastic than Bacheli and Kirandul pellets. The differ-
ences in elasticity could be attributed to variations in mois-
3.1.3. Effect of molasses binder addition on moisture ab- ture absorption capacity. OMC and PTA iron ore pellets
sorption were more elastic than Bacheli and Kirandul pellets but
The effects of molasses binder on the absorbed moisture were less elastic than Essel pellets given their low moisture
contents of different iron ore pellets are shown in Fig. 4. content.
Moisture absorption decreased with increasing molasses 3.2.2. Effect of bentonite binder on WPDN
content (2.0wt%–8.0wt%). Molasses decreased moisture As illustrated in Fig. 5, Essel iron ore pellets without
absorption by first penetrating into the pores of the iron ores binder addition had the highest WPDN, i.e., 3.7 and fol-
and spreading over the surfaces of iron ore particles. Fig. 4 lowed by OMC, PTA, Kirandul, and Bacheli. Pellets pro-
shows that Kirandul (7.89%) and Bacheli (7.75%) pellets duced with 0.5wt% and 1.0wt% bentonite were subjected to
had the lowest absorbed moisture content, OMC (8.24%) the drop test. As shown in Fig. 5, the WPDNs of Essel,
and PTA (8.17%) pellets had high absorbed moisture con- OMC, and PTA pellets were 3.9, 3.4, and 3.3, respectively,
tent, and Essel pellets had the highest absorbed moisture whereas those of Kirandul and Bacheli were both 3.2.
content. Absorbed moisture content tended to decrease as WPDNs further increased with the addition of 1.0wt% ben-
molasses content increased. Bacheli pellets had the lowest tonite, and those of Essel, OMC, and PTA pellets reached
absorbed moisture content (6.14%), followed by Kirandul 5.8, 5.2, and 4.9, respectively, whereas those of Kirandul
pellets (6.28%). PTA (6.39%) and OMC (6.41%) pellets had and Bacheli were both 4.4. The increase in WPDN with in-
high absorbed moisture content. Essel pellets had the high- creasing bentonite addition could be attributed to increased
est absorbed moisture content of 6.69%. The absorbed moisture absorption, as observed in Fig. 3. Bentonite is a
moisture content of bentonite-added pellets was higher colloid with a high surface area. Hence, the addition of ben-
than that of molasses-added pellets. Moisture absorption tonite increased the plasticity of wet pellets [32]. The
decreased by 4.0% when molasses was used as a binder. WPDNs of pellets prepared with 0.5wt% bentonite were
The reduction in moisture absorption through the addition marginally below the industrial accepted limit, whereas
of molasses will reduce energy consumption during dry- those of pellets prepared with 1.0wt% of bentonite were
ing. within the accepted range.
A.B. Kotta et al., Effect of molasses binder on the physical and mechanical properties of iron ore pellets 45

clayey mineral content and surface area promote moisture

absorption. Moisture, in turn, promotes cohesive force de-
velopment and strengthens particle bonding. These effects
collectively increase WPCS. The WPCS values of OMC and
PTA pellets were higher than those of Bacheli and Kirandul
pellets but were lower than those of Essel pellets. This is due
to the relatively low content of clayey (Al2O3 and SiO2)
minerals. High surface areas and clay mineral contents increase
the mechanical strength and plasticity of wet pellets [31].
3.3.2. Effect of bentonite binder on WPCS
Fig. 5. Effect of the addition of bentonite binder on the wet
The WPCS values of different iron ore pellets prepared
pellet drop number of different iron ore pellets.
with and without bentonite are presented in Fig. 7, which
3.2.3. Effect of molasses binder on WPDN shows that the WPCS values of pellets prepared without
The effect of molasses (2.0wt%–8.0wt%) addition on the binders ranged from 9.43 to 11.65 N/pellet. The WPCS val-
WPDNs of iron ore pellets is illustrated in Fig. 6, which ues of all pellets increased with increasing bentonite addi-
shows that WPDN increased with increasing molasses con- tion. With the addition of 0.5wt% bentonite content, the
tent. Iron ore pellets containing 2.0wt% molasses showed highest WPCS values were observed for Essel pellets (16.35
low WPDNs of 5.5 to 7.11. WPDNs increased to the maxi- N/pellet) and the lowest were observed for Kirandul, i.e.,
mum value of 14.03 when the molasses content reached 11.89 N/pellet. These values further increased when the
8.0wt%. Molasses promoted the development of viscous bentonite content reached 1.0wt%. With the addition of
forces among particles, and the moisture content of mo- 1.0wt% bentonite, the highest WPCS values were observed
lasses strengthened cohesive forces among particles. These for Essel pellets (21.26 N/pellet) and the lowest were ob-
effects increased WPDN. The WPDNs of pellets prepared served for Kirandul pellets (22.54 N/pellet). Differences in
with molasses exceeded industrially accepted limits and were strength values could be attributed to the variation in moisture
far higher than those of pellets prepared with bentonite. absorption capacity. When compressive load was applied to
wet pellets, moisture filled the gaps between pellet particles
and reached saturation. At the same time, the development
of capillary pressure increased resistance to plastic deforma-
tion. These effects collectively increased pellet strength.

Fig. 6. Effect of molasses binders on the wet pellet drop

number of different iron ore pellets.

3.3. Wet pellet compressive strength (WPCS)

Fig. 7. Effect of bentonite binder on the WPCS of different
3.3.1. Effect of different iron ores on wet pellet compressive iron ore pellets.
strength
The results of the wet pellet compressive test for different 3.3.3. Effect of molasses binder on WPCS
iron ore pellets are presented in Figs. 7 and 8. These figures Molasses was tested as an alternative binder to bentonite.
show that Essel pellets had the highest WPCS, whereas Ba- The effect of molasses addition on the WPCS values of dif-
cheli and Kirandul pellets had the lowest. The different ferent iron ores are shown in Fig. 8, which shows that the
WPCS values of different iron ore pellets could be attributed WPCS values of pellets with a molasses content of 2.0wt%
to variations among the mineralogical compositions and ranged from 25.31 to 13.91 N/pellet. The WPCS of pellets
surface areas of the ores, as shown in Tables 1 and 2. High increased with increasing molasses content, and the highest
46 Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., Vol. 26, No. 1, Jan. 2019

WPCS values were obtained with the addition of 8.0wt% cause cohesive forces formed between particles. At the same
molasses (230–43 N/pellet). Essel pellets exhibited the time, the development of numerous viscous molasses layers
highest WPCS values (25.3–230 N/pellet), and Bacheli increased contact between particles and consequently in-
iron ore pellets exhibited the lowest WPCS values creased pellet strength.
(13.91–43.21 N/pellet) when the molasses content varied
from 2.0wt%–8.0wt%. The WPCS values of mo-
lasses-added iron ore pellets exceeded acceptable values and
were higher than those of bentonite-added pellets. The vari-
ation in the strength values of different iron ore pellets could
be attributed to variations in moisture absorption capacity.
When applied as a pellet binder, molasses formed a viscous
layer on the surfaces of iron ore particles. This viscous layer
helped reduce surface roughness and friction between par-
ticles while increasing contact area between particles. The
schematic of this mechanism is shown in Fig. 9. As the mo- Fig. 8. Effect of molasses binders on the WPCS of different
lasses content increased, the moisture content decreased be- iron ore pellets.

Fig. 9. Illustration of iron ore pellet formation with molasses binder: (a) hematite particles, and molasses interact; (b) molasses
deposits on undissolved particles are hydrated; (c) cohesive and viscous forces between particles develop completely; (d) moisture
evaporates and viscous bond formation and pellet strength increase during drying at 378 K.

3.4. Dry pellet compressive strength (DPCS)

3.4.1. Effect of different iron ores on the quality of dry pel-
lets
All wet pellets were dried at 378 K in a muffle furnace
and then subjected to the dry pellet compressive test. The
results are shown in Figs.10 and 11. These figures show that
the Bacheli and Kirandul pellets had the highest DPCS val-
ues, whereas the Essel pellets had the lowest. Moreover, the
DPCS values of OMC and PTA pellets were higher than
those of Essel pellets and were lower than those of Kirandul Fig. 10. Effect of bentonite binder on the DPCS of different
and Bacheli pellets. These results may be attributed to the iron ore pellets.
low clay mineral content of OMC and PTA pellets. High
moisture content increased the porosity of dried iron ore
pellets. High porosity, in turn, decreased DPCS.
3.4.2. Effect of bentonite binder on the quality of dry pellets
The DPCS values of different iron ore pellets prepared
without binders are shown in Fig. 10. Iron ore pellets with-
out binder addition had low DPCS values of 15.39–21.51
N/pellet. These values do not meet industrial standards.
Bentonite was added to increase the DPCS values of the
pellets. The effect of bentonite addition is shown in Fig. 11.
The DPCS values of the pellets produced with 0.5wt% ben- Fig. 11. Effect of molasses binder on the DPCS of different
tonite were 28.2, 36.3, 35.7, 41.3, and 42.9 N/pellet. The iron ore pellets.
A.B. Kotta et al., Effect of molasses binder on the physical and mechanical properties of iron ore pellets 47

addition of 1.0wt% bentonite further increased the DPCS those of pellets modified with 8.0wt% molasses increased to
values of the pellets to 45.3, 60.7, 65.3, 85.3, and 81.7 222, 321, 279, 424, and 394 N/pellet. During drying, mois-
N/pellet. Bentonite acts as a cementing agent that helps in- ture evaporated from molasses, and molasses turned into a
crease bond strength and reduces gaps between particles af- highly viscous fluid that increased the strength of the com-
ter drying [30]. Pellets must have DPCS values of 22.4 pletely dried pellets. The DPCS values of molasses-added
N/pellet to meet industrial standards [26]. The DPCS values pellets were 4–5 times higher than those of bentonite-added
of pellets prepared with 0.5wt% bentonite were marginally pellets. These results indicate that the utilization of the mo-
higher than industrial requirements, whereas those of pellets lasses as a pellet binder will decrease the energy consumed
with 1.0wt% bentonite addition were within the accepted during pellet drying.
range.
3.4.3. Effect of molasses addition on the quality of dry pel- 3.5. SEM
lets SEM micrographs were acquired for the analysis of pellet
The DPCS values of pellets prepared with 2.0wt%, microstructure and to understand the mechanism underlying
4.0wt%, 6.0wt%, or 8.0wt% molasses are shown in Fig. 11. the increase in the compressive strength of molasses-added
As shown in this figure, the DPCS values of the pellets in- pellets. The SEM micrographs of the pellets produced with
creased as the molasses content increased from 2.0wt% to and without binders are shown in Fig. 12. As shown in Fig.
8.0wt%. The DPCS values of pellets modified with 2.0wt% 12(a), iron ore particles did not agglomerate in the pellets
molasses were 25.69, 30.5, 32.7, 35.7, and 36.6 N/pellet and prepared without a binder. In addition, superfine particles

Fig. 12. Typical microstructures present in Essel iron ore pellets prepared under different conditions: (a) without binder; (b) with
0.5wt% bentonite binder; (c) with 1.0wt% bentonite binder; (d) with 2.0wt% molasses binder; (e) with 4.0wt% molasses binder; (f)
with 6.0wt% molasses binder; (g) with 8.0wt% molasses binder. Macropores viewed under 500× magnification (h) and micropores
viewed under 5000× magnification (i).
48 Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., Vol. 26, No. 1, Jan. 2019

appeared loose and were irregularly dispersed around the creased to 34.46%, 33.25%, 32.76%, 31.77%, and 32.25%
surfaces of large particles. The micrographs of pellets pre- with the addition of 1.0wt% bentonite. The change in poros-
pared with various amounts of bentonite are shown in Figs. ity values with increasing bentonite content may be ascribed
12(b) and 12(c). The microstructural features shown in Figs. to increased moisture absorption.
12(b) and 12(c) revealed that the addition of bentonite pro- 3.6.3. Effect of molasses addition on dry pellet porosity
moted the close binding of fine particles. The micrographs The effect of molasses on the porosity values of dried
of molasses-added pellets are shown in Figs. 12(d)−12(g). pellets are shown in Fig. 14. The porosity values of dried
The crosslinking and binding of iron ore particles observed pellets decreased as the molasses content increased from
in these images can be attributed to the addition of molasses, 2.0wt% to 8.0wt%. The highest porosity values of 31.92%,
which promoted agglomeration and binding among hyper- 30.71%, 30.22%, 29.71%, and 29.33% were obtained with
fine particles. Figs. 12(h) and 12(i) show that macro- and the addition of 2.0wt% molasses. Porosity decreased as the
micropores were present between the particles of pellets molasses content increased. The porosity values of 29.72%,
dried at 378 K. The pores are marked in the figures and ap- 28.52%, 28.02%, 27.51%, and 27.03% were obtained with
pear as darkly colored regions. the addition of 8.0wt% molasses. The decrease in porosity
may be attributed to the reduction in moisture absorption
3.6. Porosity
and the penetration of molasses into the pores of the ores.
3.6.1. Effect of different iron ores on dry pellet porosity The porosity values of molasses-added pellets were 4%–5%
The porosity values of different iron ore pellets produced lower than those of bentonite-added pellets.
with different binders were determined and are shown in
Figs.13 and 14. These figures reveal that the porosity of all
pellets ranged from 27% to 34%. The typically allowed po-
rosity for dried pellets should be in the range of 31% to 36%.
Essel pellets showed the highest porosity values, whereas
the Bacheli and Kirandul pellets showed the lowest porosity
values. Pores formed because of moisture evaporation dur-
ing pellet drying.

Fig. 14. Effect of molasses binder on the porosity of different

iron ore pellets.

3.7. Comparison of the results of the present study with

those of previous studies
The iron-making industry is ready to accept novel pellet
binders provided that these materials satisfy industrial re-
Fig. 13. Effect of bentonite binder on the porosity of different
quirements. The properties of pellets prepared with molasses
iron ore pellets. were compared with those of pellets prepared with organic
binders. The results of the comparison are shown in Table 3.
3.6.2. Effect of bentonite binder on dry pellet porosity The effects of organic binders on iron ore pelletization with
The porosity values of dried iron ore pellets produced a magnetite concentrate had been studied. The WPDN,
with and without binders are shown in Fig. 13. The porosity WPCS, and DPCS of pellets prepared with carboxymethyl
values of different iron ore pellets tended to decrease with starch (CMS) and carboxymethyl starch modified with na-
increasing iron ore grade. The porosity of iron ore pellets no-CaCO3 (CCMS) organic binders were superior to those
increased when bentonite was used as a pellet binder, as of pellets prepared with bentonite binder [3]. Fan et al. [18]
shown in Fig. 13. Porosity increased as the bentonite content used three types of carboxymethyl celluloses (CMCD, CMCS,
increased from 0.5wt% to 1.0wt%. The porosity of pellets and CMCT) as pellet binders (these binders are purchased
prepared with 0.5wt% bentonite was 34.02%, 32.81%, from different chemical agencies and they have been labelled
32.32%, 31.33%, and 31.81%. The porosity of pellets in- as iron dust and coal powder (CMCD), Shanghai Shan-Pu
A.B. Kotta et al., Effect of molasses binder on the physical and mechanical properties of iron ore pellets 49

(CMCS), and Tianjin Kermel (CMCT), respectively) and re- pellets but failed to control moisture absorption during pellet
ported that WPDN, WPCS, and DPCS increased as CMCD, formation. In fact, moisture absorption increased as the or-
CMCS, and CMCT contents increased, as shown in Table 3. ganic binder content increased.
Sivrikaya and Arol [12] compared the effects of bentonite, Molasses was used as a binder in the preparation of differ-
calcined colemanite, and three organic binders on pellet prop- ent hematite iron ores. The effects of molasses on the proper-
erties. They reported that pellets prepared with calcined cole- ties of iron ore pellets observed in the present study were
manite exhibited inadequate WPCS and DPCS. By contrast, compared with those reported in the literature. The WPDN,
pellets prepared with combined calcined colemanite and or- WPCS (230 N/pellet), and DPCS (390 N/pellet) of pellets
ganic binder demonstrated adequate WPCS and DPCS, as prepared with molasses were higher than those of pellets pre-
shown in Table 3. Previous reports showed that organic bind- pared with organic binders. In addition, the use of molasses as
ers improved the WPDN, WPCS, and DPCS of the modified a binder decreased the absorbed moisture content by 4.0%.

Table 3. Physical properties of wet and dry pellets prepared with different binders
Binder name Dosage / wt% Moisture content / % WPDN WPCS / (N⋅Pellet−1) DPCS / (N⋅Pellet−1) Ref.
Without binder 0 7.05 0.8 10.1 5.1
Bentonite 1.00 7.63 1.2 11.7 49.1
Bentonite 2.00 8.23 5.0 19.1 127.3
Nano-CaCO3 1.00 7.17 1.3 12.6 23.5 [3]
Nano-CaCO3 2.00 7.23 1.4 12.8 28.2
CMS 0.50 9.17 5.7 13.6 144.7
CCMS 1.00 8.8 12.3 17.3 158.1
Without binder 0.00 10.3 1.1 9.3 ne
CMCD 0.10 10.38 1.3 9.1 ne
CMCS 0.10 10.25 3.1 11.3 ne
CMCT 0.10 10.33 4.7 12.5 ne [18]
CMCD 0.20 10.67 2.2 9.9 ne
CMCS 0.20 10.46 5.1 12.9 ne
CMCT 0.20 10.79 7.8 13.3 ne
Without binder 0.00 8.38 3.17 18.8 13.2
Bentonite-1 0.66 8.53 4.27 23.1 54.1
Bentonite-2 0.66 8.44 4.4 24.7 62.4
Calcined colemanite 0.66 8.52 3.21 18.7 18.6
Technical CMC 0.10 10.06 27.25 18.3 58.2
DPEP06-0007 polymer 0.10 8.78 10.53 22.5 33.1
[12]
Superfloc A150-LMW 0.10 9.43 18.88 21.5 44.2
Technical CMC + calcined
0.10 + 0.66 10.22 22.33 18.5 28.3
colemanite
DPEP06-0007 polymer +
0.10 + 0.66 9.44 15.53 22.0 24.8
calcined colemanite
Superfloc A150-LMW +
0.10 + 0.66 10.14 13.18 99.0 50.0
calcined colemanite
Note: "ne" means data not available

4. Conclusions the use of molasses binder will decrease energy consump-

tion during drying.
(1) Iron ore pellets were successfully prepared with mo- (2) The WPCS values of molasses-added pellets were
lasses as a binder. The absorbed moisture contents of mo- higher than those of bentonite-addedd pellets. This effect
lasses-added pellets were 4.0% lower than those of bento- can be attributed to the promotion of bonding among iron
nite-added pellets. The reduction in moisture content with ore particles by the molasses binder.
50 Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., Vol. 26, No. 1, Jan. 2019

(3) The WPDNs values of the pellets produced without pelletization, Miner. Process. Extr. Metall. Rev., 24(2003),
binder and with 0.5wt% bentonite were below the indu- No. 1, p. 1.
strially accepted limit, whereas those of pellets produced [11] O. Sivrikaya and A.I. Arol, The bonding/strengthening
mechanism of colemanite added organic binders in iron ore
with 1.0wt% bentonite and 2.0wt%, 4.0wt%, 6.0wt%, or
pelletization, Int. J. Miner. Process., 110-111(2012), p. 90.
8.0wt% molasses satisfied industrial requirements. [12] O. Sivrikaya, A.I. Arol, T. Eisele, and S.K. Kawatra, The
(4) The DPCS values of bentonite-added pellets were effect of calcined colemanite addition on the mechanical
lower than those of molasses-added pellets. Pellets prepared strength of magnetite pellets produced with organic binders,
without binders showed inferior strength. Miner. Process. Extr. Metall. Rev., 34(2013), No. 4, p. 210.
(5) The porosity values of bentonite-added pellets were [13] J.E.D. McDonald and S.K. Kawatra, Agglomeration of
slightly higher than those of pellets prepared without binder. hematite concentrate by starches, Miner. Process. Extr.
Metall. Rev., 38(2017), No. 1, p. 1.
The addition of molasses reduced porosity because molasses
[14] J.A. Halt and S.K. Kawatra, Can modified starch be used as a
promoted bonding among particles. binder for iron ore pellets?, Miner. Process. Extr. Metall.
(6) Microstructural studies revealed that macro and mi- Rev., 38(2017), No. 2, p. 73.
cropores were present in pellets produced with molasses. [15] L.A. Haas, J.A. Aldinger, and J.C. Nigro, Utilization of
SEM images illustrated that bonded particles randomly ac- Papermill Sludges as Binders for Iron Ore Concentrate, US
cumulated into aggregates. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Washington
DC, 1989.
[16] O. Sivrikaya and A.I. Arol, Alternative binders to bentonite
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