7TH EUROPEAN COKE AND IRONMAKING CONGRESS - ECIC 2016

The interaction of fine iron ore powders with water plays an important role in iron ore granulation, an important step in iron ore sintering, and is usually assessed based on the determination of wettability, or contact angle, of iron ore powders. Generally, iron ores which have a lower contact angle show more efficient granulation. The Washburn capillary rise (WCR) technique has been widely used for determining wettability of porous materials and powders. This paper reviews past research on the water-iron ore interaction and introduces a test method developed based on the WCR technique to measure the dynamic interaction of the iron ore powders with water. Ores of different characteristics were selected and characterised. The effect of ore characteristics on its interaction with water and therefore, granulation performance, was discussed in detail.