Recycling of ferromanganese gas cleaning plant (GCP) sludge by novel agglomeration

[Display omitted] •Extruded briquettes produced from ferromanganese sludge and ore fines.•GCP sludge and fines ratio optimised for strong briquettes.•Furnace worked smoothly, with a constant and uniform current load. Ferroalloy industries rely on minerals which are not available in pure form. The total value chain is very cost intensive and market driven. From mineral and environment conservation point of view every possible aspect must be explored for the economic utilisation of waste and low-grade ores. Unlike other metallurgical processes, Ferro alloys production generates a wide variety of waste rich in manganese/chrome which has a potential for recycling back. Fine size, high moisture content and presence of alkalis categorise this material into hazardous waste and economically non-viable. The challenge is to convert such anthropogenic material into a suitable feedstock for the furnace. In this article, the results of smelting trials carried out in electric arc furnace (EAF) using novel extruded briquettes (BREX) produced from the wastes of ferroalloy plant is discussed. The briquette produced by this technique exhibit high physical and metallurgical property and can replace the natural ore as a charge to some extent. Extruded briquettes (BREX) can be efficiently used as one of the essential charge component (up to 30% of the ore part of the charge) for the Silicomanganese smelting thus improving technical and economical parameters of the furnace and decreasing the self-cost of the Silicomanganese production.