Page 28 - New Trends In Coal Conversion

Preface xxvii

the blast furnace. Coke is an essential raw material in the blast furnace and cupola, and
there is no other satisfactory material available which can replace, either fully or
partially, its role as a permeable support of the charge. However, because the blast
furnace lump coke rate can be reduced by using nut coke, ferro coke, bio-coke,
form coke, and alternate reductants; their application in iron production in future; as
well as the manufacture of cokeless iron and steel making are also discussed.
The blast furnace is the main consumer of coke, but other industrial processes also
require coal and coke to act as a reductant to react with metal oxide to obtain the metal.
Chapter 14 focuses on the use of coal-based reducing agents in ferroalloys and silicon
production. It discusses the effects of the properties of the carbon-reducing agent (trace
elements, physical strength, CO 2 - and SiO-reactivity), slag reactivity, and electrical
resistivity on the final product and the operation of the furnace.
Each of the subjects discussed in these chapters is a major topic in itself, and this
book is able to offer only a short review of each. The bibliographical references
included in each chapter can be used as a further guide to the topics discussed.
We have attempted to provide comprehensive information that may serve as a refer-
ence for the reader and a basis for further understanding of this wide-ranging field. We
hope that the book will provide an accurate and meaningful source of data and infor-
mation for some years to come.

Dr. Isabel Su arez-Ruiz
Dr. Maria Antonia Diez
Dr. Fernando Rubiera