Removal of sulfur and phosphorous from iron ore concentrate by leaching

Iron ore having high-sulfur content causes problems in the concentrate production, pelletizing, and steel-making processes and environmental issues such as sulfur dioxide emission during the concentrate pelletizing process, and effect on steel quality. The current study was focused on the removal of sulfur from iron ore concentrate using chemical leaching technique. Magnetite iron ore concentrate was chosen for this purpose. The results obtained from the study showed that more than 90% of the total sulfur content was removed from the iron ore concentrate by the chemical leaching. Effects of several parameters, including temperature, stirring speed, particle size, and use of organic solvent on the sulfur removal was investigated by a series of experimental conditions. After optimizing the experimental conditions, it was demonstrated that in addition to sulfur, more than 80% of phosphorus, another important impurity, was also removed from the iron ore concentrate. In addition, one of the major advantages of our proposed method was the transformation of mineral pyrites to useful byproducts such as elemental sulfur.