Industries
Metallurgy
Iron ore pelletizing binder for blast furnace and direct reduction processes. Enhances pellet strength and reduces dust generation during handling. Improves furnace efficiency and metal recovery rates. Consistent quality for demanding steelmaking operations worldwide.
Key Applications
How Bentonite is Used
Iron Ore Pelletizing (Pelletizing Grade Bentonite)
Pellet Binder Sodium bentonite is the primary inorganic binder in iron ore pelletization, transforming fine iron ore concentrates into spherical pellets (8–16 mm) for blast furnaces and direct reduction plants. The clay absorbs moisture, promotes balling in rotating drums and discs, and creates mechanical bridges between ore particles during agglomeration.
Green & Dry Pellet Strength High water absorption (8–15 times dry mass) and swelling capacity improve green, drop, and dry strengths of pellets — preventing collapse during transport to the kiln. Consistent drop number above 4 (from 460 mm height) is achieved with proper dosage, meeting industrial requirements for handling and conveying.
Fired Pellet Performance During induration at 1200–1300°C, bentonite acts as a low-melting silicate that wets particles and forms slag bonds, boosting cold compressive strength (CCS) above 250 kg/pellet. Low-silica bentonite minimizes gangue addition and preserves pellet Fe content at 62–66%.
Typical specifications:
- Bentonite dosage: 0.5–1.5% by weight of iron ore concentrate
- Pellet diameter: 8–16 mm
- Firing temperature: 1200–1300°C
- Target CCS (fired): ≥ 250 kg/pellet
- Target drop number (green): ≥ 4 drops from 460 mm
- Pellet Fe content: 62–66%
Target customers: Iron ore pelletizing plants, integrated steel mills with captive pellet production, mining companies producing iron ore concentrates, DRI/HBI producers.
Steelmaking & Continuous Casting (Refractory Grade Bentonite)
Tundish Lining Plasticizer Bentonite is used as a plasticizer and sintering additive in refractory coatings for continuous casting tundishes. It improves workability of magnesia-based and forsterite-based lining mixes, enabling uniform application by spray, trowel, or dry-vibe methods at concentrations of 1–5% of the refractory mass.
Refractory Binder In monolithic refractory formulations for ladles, tundishes, and blast furnace runners, bentonite serves as a plasticizer and green strength binder. Its thixotropic properties ensure consistent flow during placement while providing sufficient strength to hold shape before sintering at operational temperatures up to 1600°C.
Mold Flux & Casting Powder Component Bentonite is incorporated into continuous casting mold powders to control viscosity, lubrication, and heat transfer at the mold-strand interface. Its controlled melting behavior contributes to uniform slag film formation, reducing surface defects and breakout risk during slab and billet casting.
Typical formulations:
- Tundish lining additive: 1–5% bentonite in refractory coating mass
- Monolithic refractory binder: 2–6% bentonite in castable/ramming mix
- Casting powder component: 3–8% bentonite in mold flux formulation
- Operating temperature range: up to 1600°C
Target customers: Integrated steel mills, mini-mills with EAF steelmaking, continuous casting equipment suppliers, refractory manufacturers and suppliers, mold powder producers.
Non-Ferrous Smelting & Metal Processing (Metallurgical Grade Bentonite)
Briquetting & Agglomeration Binder Bentonite binds fine metal concentrates, flue dusts, and mill scale into briquettes for recycling back into smelting operations. The clay provides green strength sufficient for handling while burning off cleanly during thermal processing, minimizing contamination of the metal product.
Slag Conditioning Bentonite additions to slag systems improve viscosity control and foaming characteristics in electric arc furnace (EAF) operations. The alumina-silicate content of bentonite contributes to optimized slag chemistry, improving energy efficiency and metal yield recovery.
Metal Powder Processing Bentonite serves as a binder and flow aid in metal powder compaction and sintering processes. Its plasticity enables uniform die filling and consistent green density in powder metallurgy parts before sintering at high temperatures.
Typical applications:
- Briquetting binder: 2–5% bentonite by weight of metal fines
- EAF slag conditioner: 1–3% bentonite in slag mix
- Ferroalloy pelletizing: 1–2% bentonite binder for chrome, manganese concentrates
- Metal powder binder: 0.5–2% bentonite for improved compaction
Target customers: Ferroalloy producers, non-ferrous smelters (copper, zinc, lead), metal recycling plants, powder metallurgy manufacturers, EAF steelmakers.
Our Products
Recommended Products for This Industry
Select the right bentonite grade for your specific application needs.
Benefits
Why Choose Askangel Bentonite
Advantages of Askangel Bentonite for Metallurgy
High Montmorillonite Content 98.5% montmorillonite ensures maximum binding efficiency per unit of bentonite added. In pelletizing, this means lower dosage (0.5–1.0% vs. industry average of 1.0–1.5%), preserving higher Fe content in finished pellets and reducing gangue-related cost increases in steelmaking.
Low SiO₂ & Al₂O₃ Impurities Minimal acidic gangue content in Askangel bentonite reduces slag volume in blast furnaces and EAF operations. Each 1% reduction in bentonite dosage preserves approximately 7 kg of iron per ton of ore — a direct impact on steel production economics.
Superior Swelling & Water Absorption Swell index > 24 ml/2g and water absorption capacity of 8–15 times dry mass ensure optimal balling characteristics and uniform moisture distribution in green pellets. This translates to consistent drop strength and fewer rejected pellets during production.
Thermal Stability at Process Temperatures Askangel bentonite maintains structural integrity and binding performance at temperatures up to 1300°C during pellet induration and up to 1600°C in refractory applications — meeting the full range of metallurgical process requirements.
Batch-to-Batch Consistency Askangel controls the entire production cycle: proprietary deposit → enrichment → activation → drying → grinding. Each batch is laboratory-tested for montmorillonite content, swell index, moisture, and particle size distribution before shipment, eliminating the unpredictable pellet quality associated with inconsistent bentonite supply.
Flexible Logistics Bulk shipments (rail cars, trucks), big bags (500 kg, 1000 kg, 1250 kg), 25 kg bags. FOB Poti, DAP to your warehouse, CIF to destination port. Long-term supply contracts available for continuous metallurgical operations requiring guaranteed volumes.
Applications by Metallurgical Process
Iron Ore Pelletizing:
- Blast furnace pellet production (integrated steel mills)
- Direct reduction pellets for DRI/HBI plants
- Magnetite and hematite concentrate pelletizing
- Composite pellets (bentonite + organic binder systems)
Steelmaking & Continuous Casting:
- Tundish refractory lining (plasticizer in magnesia-based coatings)
- Ladle and furnace monolithic refractories (green strength binder)
- Continuous casting mold powders (viscosity control)
- Blast furnace runner and trough repair mixes
Non-Ferrous & Ferroalloy Production:
- Ferroalloy pelletizing (chrome, manganese, silicon concentrates)
- Copper, zinc, and lead smelting (flux and binder applications)
- EAF slag conditioning and foaming
- Aluminum and magnesium foundry support
Metal Recycling & Processing:
- Mill scale and flue dust briquetting (recycling to furnace)
- Powder metallurgy (binder and flow aid for compaction)
- Spent catalyst and metal-bearing waste agglomeration
- Sintering plant feed preparation
Global Reach
Export Geography
CIS: Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan
Applications: iron ore pelletizing for Ural and Central Asian steel mills, refractory additives for continuous casting, ferroalloy pelletizing for chrome and manganese producers.
Middle East: Turkey, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia
Applications: pelletizing binder for growing DRI-based steelmaking sector, refractory components for EAF mini-mills, briquetting binder for metal recycling operations.
Europe: Poland, Germany, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria
Applications: high-purity pelletizing bentonite for EU steel producers, refractory-grade bentonite for continuous casting, low-emission metallurgical applications meeting EU Industrial Emissions Directive.
Africa & Asia: Egypt, South Africa, India, China
Applications: iron ore pelletizing for rapidly expanding steel sectors, foundry-grade bentonite for growing automotive casting industries, briquetting binder for metal waste recycling.
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