| Description |
This project was undertaken to determine how to produce metallic iron, the primary component in steel, in a more sustainable manner. Traditionally, iron is smelted inside of an energy-intensive blast furnace that releases large amounts of carbon products into the atmosphere. It is critical to determine less energy consuming, and in turn cheaper alternatives that also lower the amount of carbon emissions to ensure a sustainable future in the smelting industry. The process of electrolysis was deemed a potential alternative that could be researched further. Currently other metals, such as aluminum, are already smelted in such a fashion, but little has been done in terms of iron smelting due to its overall difficulty and costs. This project attempts to improve upon the process, lowering its costs and challenges, in order to provide valuable data, which could then be used to eventually allow for industrial sized implementation. In order to do so, the process is divided into two distinct parts. The first is the acidic dissolution of iron ore, in which the ore is dissolved in oxalic acid. Upon completion, the aqueous dissolution is filtered, leaving behind a highly iron ion concentrated electrolyte solution. This solution is then utilized in the second step, the electrodeposition. This step is the focus of this particular paper. In this process, an electrolytic cell is created with two distinct electrode materials; A cathode made of copper and an anode made from carbon. Current is run across these electrodes and through the electrolyte solution, which attracts the positively charged iron ions to the negatively charged copper cathode, to which they will bond. To characterize the electrolysis process, multiple parameters were tested. The pH of the electrolyte, the time the process is operated for, the applied current density and the electrode material were studied. The overall mass of the copper cathode was recorded before and after the process and the difference between the two was used to determine the mass deposited. From here the energy requirement was calculated to achieve said deposition using the mass deposited and the current density (and therefore subsequent voltage) applied. While the process did in fact see successful Iron deposition, it was found to be highly energy intensive, ranging anywhere between 2 to 32 times that of the industry standard. Additionally, the deposited material was of highly variable purity. Of course, this result is hardly ideal and will be the primary focus of any future testing. In order to decrease the overall energy expenditure a greater characterization of the process is required. It would be advantageous to narrow in on the best performing parameters described in this paper, making slight adjustments to fine tune the process. Additionally, further testing with other electrode materials, a higher current density, and alternative positioning of the electrodes is required before the consideration of industrial application. |
