What is direct reduced iron?
Direct reduced iron (DRI) is a type of alternative iron made by heating iron ore so that oxygen and carbon burns while the temperature is maintained below the iron melting point. Iron with a direct reduction is also known as iron mushrooms and is sold as briquettes, lumps or pellets. It is usually used in steel mills with a smaller scale to increase the condition of the steel. This mixture acts as a reducing agent and facilitates a decrease in oxygen and iron carbon. The result is a type of iron, which is 90-97% pure, containing only a small amount of carbon and other impurities. The introduction of a blast furnace helped revolutionize the iron production process and soon became the standard of production. As the demand for iron has increased, the high furnace allowed to produce a large amount of iron in a relatively short period of time. However, the type of iron produced by high furnaces is not direct iron, but iron, which is not as rich as direct reduced iron.
In the modern era, direct reduced iron is considered an alternative way of iron production. The iron formation process through a direct reduction route has a clear advantage over a more traditional production method. Not only is the resulting iron more abundant in the total iron content, but it requires a much cheaper production process than the operation of a large pumping furnace.
There are also significant disadvantages for direct reduced iron. The production process requires an unusually large number of natural gases, which limits the areas of the world in which it can be made. India, a nation rich in the necessary reserves of natural resources, produces more direct reduced iron than any other country. Other places where natural resources are not so abundant use various changes in the traditional production process.
Another disadvantage of direct reduced iron is its sensitivity to oxidation and rust. To ensure its longevity, it should be stored and used in conditions corresponding to the temperature. It is also known that dri in large amounts of spontaneousHe broke into flames when he was exposed in the open air.