The Preparation of High-Purity Iron (99.987%) Employing a Process of Direct Reduction–Melting Separation–Slag Refining

In this study, high-purity iron with purity of 99.987 wt.% was prepared employing a process of direct reduction–melting separation–slag refining. The iron ore after pelletizing and roasting was reduced by hydrogen to obtain direct reduced iron (DRI). Carbon and sulfur were removed in this step and other impurities such as silicon, manganese, titanium and aluminum were excluded from metallic iron. Dephosphorization was implemented simultaneously during the melting separation step by making use of the ferrous oxide (FeO) contained in DRI. The problem of deoxidization for pure iron was solved, and the oxygen content of pure iron was reduced to 10 ppm by refining with a high basicity slag. Compared with electrolytic iron, the pure iron prepared by this method has tremendous advantages in cost and scale and has more outstanding quality than technically pure iron, making it possible to produce high-purity iron in a short-flow, large-scale, low-cost and environmentally friendly way.