Mumbai: Indian Steel ministry has called for more focus on iron ore pelletization and utilization of low-grade fines to support the domestic industry. Iron ore exploration in India has so far been focused on establishing high-grade ore resources in order to procure and feed 60-63% Fe lumpy ore to blast furnaces and DRI kilns, the ministry said in the book released on March 4 and which became available on its website over the weekend.
About 93% of India’s steel is estimated to be produced through the blast furnace and direct reduced iron or DRI production routes in the coming years. This would see iron ore pellets be substituted for high-grade lumpy ore as the preferred raw material, the ministry said in a book titled Indian Saga of Steel unveiled last week.
About 60% of the total steel produced in India would come from the blast furnace route in the future, while the DRI route would contribute another 33%, the ministry said.
According to the India Steel Vision 2020 report, about 45% of India’s crude steel production came from blast furnaces in fiscal 2011-2012, April-March.
The steel ministry has also suggested that small miners be offered incentives to form alliances with larger ones to undertake processing and pelletizing of low-grade fines, tailings and other waste generated during iron ore production.
EPC News Bureau
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